World Information Society Day (17 May) History, Significance, Theme and Observation

World Information Society Day Quick Facts

World Information Society Day Brief

World Telecommunication Day is celebrated every year on 17th May all over the world.

World Information Society Day History

The day commemorates the establishment of the International Telecommunication Union and the signing of the first International Telegraph Agreement in the year 1865. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006, which stated that World Information Society Day would be observed every year on 17 May.

World Information Society Day Objective

The purpose of celebrating this day is to make information and communication technology accessible to the people living in remote areas. On this day, awareness is created among the people about the benefits of information and Communication Technology.

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What is Telecom Revolution?

The 'Telecom Revolution' is one such revolution in the poor country, which not only changed the image of the country but it was an eyewitness of the economy developing due to the development of the country. Today, the ease with which we do many such tasks through our mobile phones, for which a few years ago had to make a lot of effort.

Due to the telecommunications revolution, India is counted among the few countries of the world today, where this revolution has contributed a lot to the economic prosperity. Today we have come a long way in the matter of telecommunication. Riding on 3G and 4G technology, India is progressing at a fast pace. Due to this revolution, not only other sectors are making a difference, but rural India is also becoming technology-intensive.

Today many farmers of India are going hi-tech. They are getting information about crops from the internet. Railway reservation information is being received through SMS. India is preparing to take this revolution to the next stage.

When was the Telephone introduced in India?

In 1880 two telephone companies 'The Oriental Telephone Company Limited' and 'Anglo Indian Telephone Company Limited' approached the Government of India to establish telephone exchanges in India.

This permission was denied on the ground that it was the government's monopoly to set up the telephone and the government itself would take up the task. In 1881, the government went against its earlier decision and granted a license to the Oriental Telephone Company Limited of England to open telephone exchanges in Kolkata, Mumbai, Madras (Chennai) and Ahmedabad.

This led to the establishment of the first formal telephone service in the country in 1881. January 28, 1882 is 'Red Letter Day' in the telephone history of India. On this day Major E. Baring, a member of the Council of the then Governor-General of India, announced the opening of telephone exchanges in Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. The Kolkata Exchange, named 'Central Exchange', was opened on the third floor of the 7, Council House Street building. The Central Telephone Exchange had 93 customers. A similar telephone exchange was inaugurated in Mumbai in 1882.

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