SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KT (CEO Chang-gyu Hwang, www.kt.com) announced that it proposed the creation of the ICT-based working group Epidemic Preparedness, preventing the spread of the infectious diseases through ICT technologies, during the UN 'Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development' meeting on the 17th of September.
The Commission, was established by ITU and UNESCO with the strong support from UN to showcase and document the power of ICT and broadband-based technologies for sustainable development. Several Commissioners of the Broadband Commission, comprised of top CEOs and senior policy-makers, government representatives, international agencies and academia, have participated in this meeting.
CEO Hwang first introduced the "Infectious Disease Prevention Project' at the Broadband Commission, in September 2016. With an establishment of the Working Group, it lays a great foundation and a big step towards making a significant contribution to achieving the SDG one year after his first introduction.
Hwang stated that one the biggest health concerns of mankind is the global epidemic, such as Ebola, SARS, MERS and Zika virus, adding that the social loss amounts to $60 billion yearly. He made it clear that KT, as the ICT leader, will play a major role in addressing the global challenge they are facing with the use of the ICT technologies.
The Working Group, chaired by KT, is planning to publish a report on the importance of ICT technology with best practices globally as well as intending to conduct a pilot implementation of the Smart Quarantine Service in Kenya.
"The key assets of Telecom Operators, such as the connectivity, big data and intelligence, could help addressing challenges such as the epidemic," Hwang explained. Hwang called for participation of the Broadband Commissioners from various governments, international agencies, academia and ICT industries to this project.
KT launched a Smart Quarantine Service with Korean Center for Diseases Control in September 2016 to prevent the spread of the infectious diseases based on ICT. KT, while continuing the effort through the establishment of the Working Group, stated that it would help achieve the SDGs by making a collaboration with the global stakeholders.
Contact:
Name: Da Som Kang
Phone: +82-10-9777-2984
Email: dasom.kang@kt.com
