To fulfil the objective of empowerment, it is essential that all people – regardless their gender, age, ability, or location – can take advantage of the use of ICTs. This session will provide results on what we know about the patterns of access and use of ICTs by different groups in different countries, and provoke discussion about areas of the measurement of digital inclusion which could be improved.

This informal session will showcase the Secretariat’s efforts in disseminating ICT data in a visually attractive way, while seeking the views of participants what they perceive as the most useful way of presenting data. Of note is that this session will be conducted outside the formal WTIS framework, without interpretation.

It is a continuous challenge for ICT statistics to remain up to date as digital technologies and services and their use evolve relentlessly. ITU’s Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) reviews existing and develops new indicators incorporating experiences from around the world. These feed into the Handbook on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, which is central reference on the topic. This session will report on the 11th meeting of EGTI that was held on 15 and 16 September 2020, which focused on indicators of 5G, ICT prices, quality of service and international roaming.

Countries around the world are in the process of preparation or deployment of IMT 2020 5G networks to exploit new levels of connectivity. This session will highlight recent efforts by Korea to develop indicators to measure the deployment of 5G networks and provides the opportunity for countries to share experience.

The UN Statistics Commission has reaffirmed that the use of big data and other new data sources is essential for the modernization of national statistical systems. The ITU, as an active member of the UN Global Working Group on Big Data (GWG), is leading one of the GWG task teams on the use of mobile phone big data for official statistics. Big data provides opportunities to countries that do not conduct regular household surveys to produce some of the ICT indicators identified in the SDG monitoring framework. This session will highlight the work being carried out at the international level on the use of mobile phone big data for official statistics, particularly the ITU project on the use of mobile phone data for ICT SDG indicators and will present country experiences highlighting success stories and challenges faced. The session will also feature the guiding principles on the use of mobile phone data for mobility indicators for COVID-19 policy purposes.

This session will introduce the thematic list of ICT indicators for the SDGs developed by the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development. It is imperative that all areas where ICTs will play a role are measured and monitored. To better reflect the role of ICT in achieving the SDGs, the thematic list of ICT indicators that can be used to measure ICT availability and use in sectors relevant to the SDGs that are not covered in the global SDG indicators framework. The proposed indicators, which have been discussed and agreed upon through a consultation process involving governments and international organizations, and endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission, cover the following areas: ICT infrastructure and access; access and use of ICT by households and individuals; use of ICT by businesses; the ICT sector; trade in ICT goods; ICT in education; e-waste and e-government. During the WTIS2020, the Partnership will particularly highlight how data availability could be improved.

The COVID-19 pandemic also has an impact on ICT data are being collected. This session will provide examples on how statistical entities are adjusting to this changed reality.

The ITU Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH) reviews the statistical indicators for measuring ICT access and use by households and individuals, incorporating experiences from around the world. These feed into the ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals, which is the central reference for countries conducting ICT household surveys. This session will report on the 8th meeting of EGH that was held on 17 and 18 September 2020, which focused on the measurement of ICT skills, and how to measure the number of Internet users accurately. Furthermore, the revised ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals was presented and areas for future work were identified.

This session will highlight recent measurement efforts by a selected country and provides the opportunity to share their experience with other countries.