ITU Telecom World 2016 opened the accreditation process for media wishing to attend the world's leading ICT innovation event. Taking place from 14-17 November in Bangkok, Thailand, the event will focus on collaboration in the digital economy and the key role SMEs play in our digital ecosystem.

ITU Telecom World 2016 combines a global technology exhibition, a forum for sharing knowledge, a networking hub for corporations, governments and SMEs and an influential Awards programme. It provides a unique international platform to bring together thinkers from developed and emerging markets, public and private sector leaders, and industry representatives from across the entire ICT ecosystem. Key highlights include:

Leadership Summit & Forum: Discussions will begin with the top level leadership summit, with highest-level speakers from public and private sectors exploring the reasons why working together is crucial for growth in the digital economy. Forum sessions will then explore industry-critical topics including 5G, collaborative regulation, the connected car, smart sustainable cities, fostering SME innovation, digital financial services and more.

International Exhibition: Showcasing digital solutions and investment opportunities from countries and companies from emerging and developed markets, including SMEs. Leading and sponsoring companies include ATDI, Huawei, Intel, KT, LS telcom, Rohde & Schwarz, Mastercard, as well as countries and SMEs from across the globe.

ITU Telecom World Awards:  Look out for the ITU Telecom World Awards, recognizing excellence and innovation in ICT solutions with social impact from SMEs and corporations alike. These prestigious awards will be announced during the event and presented by ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao during a high-profile ceremony at the event.

Broad ITU-wide agenda:The event will also provide perspectives from across ITU and its membership and partners, with co-located events including the ITU Kaleidoscope academic conference 2016; the World Standards Cooperation Academic Roundtable; the ITU Secretary-General's Academia Consultation; Conformity and Interoperability and Mobile Phone testings; the 8th Chief Technology Officer (CTO) meeting; the 7th Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers (CRO) meeting, advisory boards meetings of the Smart Sustainable Development Model Initiative (SSDM) and m-Powering Development Initiative. Additionally, the Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH) Awards, a joint ITU/UN Women prize recognizing outstanding efforts in using the power of information and communication technology (ICT) to empower women and girls will be conferred during a prestigious ceremony at ITU Telecom World 2016.