China, Education and Science, Good for Business, Lithuania, Technology, Telecomunications

The head of the ITU visited Lithuania for the first time as it was elected to the Council of the ITU last year.

"We are among the European leaders in telecommunications, hence this obliges us to constantly strive for progress in the area of ICT," the prime minister of Lithuania said.

The head of Government was pleased that Lithuania became a member of the Council of the ITU in 2014. He said this was a proof of progress in creation, development and application of innovations. Lithuania successfully implemented Rural Area Information Technology Broadband Network (RAIN) project – the internet network connected nearly 1,000 schools and over 500 libraries, a total of 300,000 residents gained access to the internet. Lithuania also stands out in fast and reliable internet connection, while the latest 4G technology is accessible in 80 percent of its territory.

Houlin Zhao thanked Lithuania for support during the elections of the ITU secretary general and praised the country's achievements in developing ICT. "Lithuania's achievements are remarkable, especially as regards development of mobile telecommunications and the internet," the head of ITU said. He also encouraged Lithuania to continue devoting particular attention to the application of ICT, especially in education.

In 1991, Lithuania restored its membership in the ITU, one of the oldest telecommunications organisations. In October 2014 it was elected to the Council of the ITU for the term of 2015-2018.