The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is the leading UN Agency in charge of information and communication technology. As the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing telecommunication networks and services, ITU's role in helping the world communicate spans 3 core sectors: radiocommunications, standardization and development of ICT worldwide. ITU also organizes TELECOM events, the leading ICT showcase, as well as workshops and symposia for the benefit of the global community. As the UN agency in charge of telecommunications and other information and communication technologies, ITU played the lead role in the organization of the World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in two phases (2003 and 2005). ITU is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and its membership includes 191 Member States and more than 700 Sector Members and Associates.

As a United Nations (UN) agency, the ITU has a clear mandate to produce statistics covering the telecommunication/ICT sector. This activity is in line with other specialized agencies that publish statistics covering their respective field of operations and forms part of the global statistical system of the UN.  Through its World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, ITU is recognized as the main source of global, and internationally comparable, ICT/telecommunication statistics. ITU’s statistics are used to track the information society, to measure and help overcome the digital divide and to identify potential and investment opportunities. To this end, ITU regularly produces global and regional reports, including the World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report.

From the core list of indicators identified by the Partnership, ITU has been collecting the majority of infrastructure and access indicators (A1-A12) and data are available for most countries, covering the period until 2005. ITU is also responsible for collecting the core indicators on access to, and use of, ICTs by households and individuals (HH1-HH13), many of which are not yet available for the developing countries.

To improve data availability and comparability, ITU works closely with its member states, particularly regulatory agencies, the Ministries in charge of telecommunication/ICT, and national statistical offices (NSOs). Finally, ITU will contribute to the achievement of the Partnership's other main objectives: to enhance the capacity of national statistical offices and to set up a global database on ICT statistics.
For more Information on ITU’s statistical activities, visit: www.itu.int/ict and download the Market Information and Statistic Unit’s flyer (pdf.).