At a keynote address to the delegates of the World Congress on Information Technology, Dell Inc. founder and chairman Michael Dell urged participants from more than 80 nations to further their technological endeavors in the interests of expanding their economies and societies as a whole.
"While information technology has sparked extraordinary economic and human progress in recent years, it"s also true that its potential is only beginning to be met and in many countries its promise has gone unfulfilled," said Mr. Dell. "As governments open their markets to IT products from other countries, it will give consumers more choices and force domestic producers to remain competitive on price and quality. As technology becomes more powerful and less expensive, it will contribute to a great leveling effect," he said. "The net effect is to empower people, particularly outside of major developed nations, and to narrow the gulf in computing experiences that would traditionally exist between Austin, Auckland, Amsterdam or Ankara."
Some 2,000 participants from corporate, academic and government agencies are currently attending the WCIT in Austin, Texas. They are covering topics ranging from policy recommendations for global digital access to health care and IT privacy and security concerns.