This session on the use of data for decision making featured senior policy experts and policymakers who are successfully using data in decision making. They shared their concrete experiences and strategies, emphasizing the importance of effective interaction with data producers.

ITU’s Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) reviews existing indicators and develops new methodologies for data collection, incorporating experiences from around the world. These feed into the Handbook on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, which is the central reference on the topic.

This session reported on the 14th meeting of EGTI that was held in September 2023, which discussed the measurement of fixed broadband penetration, of OTT services, satellite-based connectivity, ICT prices and ICT Development Index methodology.

The environmental impact of the ICT sector, including its greenhouse gas emissions, is a topic of concern for many governments. The session also addressed how to develop adequate measurement tools and mandates to ensure the sustainability of the sector.

This session, organised by the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, presented the findings of the comprehensive stocktaking questionnaire on ICT data availability, highlighting the remarkable progress made over the past two decades. It also highlighted the latest achievements and challenges in measuring ICT across diverse sectors (ICT in households, ICT in business and ICT in government). It further covered new areas of ICT measurement, particularly the use of ICT in health and in labour; and the need to explore new data sources to complement current data sources.

The ITU Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH) reviews global experiences to improve statistical indicators measuring ICT access and use by households and individuals. Their findings contribute to the ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use, which guides countries in conducting ICT household surveys. This session highlighted the outcomes of the 11th EGH meeting that was held from 20 to 21 September 2023.
Additionally, the session explored emerging approaches and innovative strategies for the future of ICT measurement, offering a glimpse into the next generation of metrics and their potential impact on understanding digital landscapes. In particular, new approaches for measuring both digital well-being and false and misleading digital content was presented.

Financing ICT statistics poses unique challenges, especially in developing countries. Adequate funding is crucial to compile ICT indicators with the necessary frequency and detail for monitoring progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity. This session examined successful financing models and technical assistance from other statistical domains which can offer valuable insights to strengthen the capacity in ICT statistics.

The session showcased ITU Jupyter Notebooks on information society, a new ITU product designed to help countries embark on their journey of utilizing mobile phone data for official statistics. Aimed at statisticians and policymakers, the ITU Jupyter Notebooks are a comprehensive and practical tool that allows users to turn raw mobile phone data into statistical indicators. They cover a range of methodologies offering valuable insights into data preprocessing, data quality assurance, and calculation of the SDG ICT indicator on Internet use. This session was a crucial opportunity for those looking to advance their understanding and application of mobile phone data in official statistics.

This session showcased how AI, machine learning and Privacy Enhancing Techniques (PET) can be used to harness statistical innovation, to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and scope of statistical data collection and analysis. Pioneering efforts that are transforming traditional statistical methodologies, enabling access to private data, faster processing of large datasets, improving predictive analytics, and uncovering new insights across various sectors were presented.

The reception was hosted in honor of WTIS 2024 participants and EGTI/EGH members.