On April 21-25 Minsk hosted the XV Belarus Congress on Information Society Technologies (TIBO 2008). During TIBO-2008 results of 15 years of information development of the country were summed up, problems and perspectives of effective ICT use in all spheres of life of Belarus society were discussed. Guests of the Congress got to know the most recent technological solutions, which provide for development of own information industry and ICT market in Belarus.

Specialists of authorities, industrial enterprises, educational and research institutes of all levels exchanged opinions on problems of informatization in Belarus at sessions of Congress' sections.

The opening ceremony and the plenary session of the Congress were attended by Viktor Burya, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Khamadun Ture, General Secretary of the International Union of Electrical Communication, Nurudin Mukhitdinov, General Director of the Executive Committee of Regional Commonwealth in Communication sphere, Alexander Maslov, State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of RF.

Congress was opened by Minister of Communications and Informatization of Belarus Nikolay Panteley, he made a report on "Main Trends in ICT Development of Belarus". Yuri Hohlov, Chairman of the IIS Board of Directors, made a report at plenary session on "Strategy of Information Society Development in Russia".

Within the framework of TIBO-2008 on April 23, 2008 an International Academic and Research Seminar "Problems and Perspectives of Telecommunications Market Development in Belarus" took place, and problems of electrical communications and mobile communications development in the Republic were discussed.

Besides, the III International Academic and Research Conference "Information Technologies in Trade and Service Industry" took place, where issues of ICT development for whole sale and retail trade and service industry and problems of electronic retail, whole sale and exchange trade and electronic state purchasing were examined.