The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has called for pubic participation ahead of the ITU Telecom World 2006 conference, which takes place from December 4 to 8, in Hong Kong, China.

In a statement released on Tuesday the ITU called on the world to quiz CEOs on their visions for the future, as industry's top CEOs geared up for roundtable forum, which is aimed at defining and shaping the future of the ICT industry.

Leadership and innovation, two factors critical to the success of the ICT industry will form the basis of roundtable discussions, the statement said, adding that as a host of new technologies and converged applications were poised to transform the industry, its leadership needed to focus on innovation, remaining ahead of change and meeting and exceeding the expectations of customers and inspiring confidence.

The ITU reported that participants would be able to establish the top priorities for the next five years and hear first-hand the new product and service announcements.

Industry’s top CEOs include Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO, Orange; Ki-Tae Lee, president, Telecommunication Business, Samsung; Masao Nakamura, president and CEO, NTTDoCoMo; Patricia Russo, chairperson and CEO, Lucent; Carl-Henric Svanberg, president and CEO, Ericsson, Kaoru Yano, president, NEC and Edward J. Zander, chairperson and CEO, Motorola.

"This essential session gives participants the chance to hear and discuss the view points of those CEOs who will have a profound impact on the future of our dynamic industry," said Reza Jafari, chairperson of ITU Telecom World 2006 forum committee.

"It is our opportunity to debate core issues that are at the center of our stakeholders' concerns in shaping the direction of our industry."

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