Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), is participating in the 14th Meeting of the Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) and the 11th Meeting of the Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The meetings are held on September 18-21 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The objective of the meetings is to examine the contributions received from members during the current working period, with a view to finalizing the items under discussion.
EGTI meeting will discuss several topics, including a report of the subgroup on the development of indicators measuring over-the-top (OTT) services, a report of the subgroup on measuring fixed broadband penetration, and the outcomes of a pilot data collection of recently introduced indicators on mobile money. The meeting will also review progress on the exploration of the feasibility of developing internationally comparable indicators to measure middle-mile connectivity (statistics on IXPs, and data centers, including their environmental impact).
The topics to be covered at EGH meeting will include a report of the subgroup on e-waste indicators in household surveys, a report of the subgroup on the development of indicators measuring OTT services, and a report of the subgroup on ICT skills to develop aggregate skills indicators.
A joint EGTI/EGH meeting of the ICT Development Index (IDI) will be held on September 18 and 19. Following the meeting, the final IDI methodology will be submitted for approval by the Member States in October. It is worth mentioning that MCIT participated in previous EGTI and EGH meetings and the IDI methodology discussion. The Ministry made contributions to the methodology in a way that serves the national interest.
It is worth mentioning that Egypt chairs the Arab group on ICT indicators of the League of Arab States (LAS). The country also led the preparations for the IDI meeting through several virtual meetings held over the past few months.
ITU was founded in 1865. It is the UN specialized agency for ICTs. Egypt is an active member of ITU. The country strongly supports the mission and pivotal role of the Union through participation in its programs and projects and the promotion of ITU goals nationally and internationally.
