ITU-T e-FLASH
Telecommunication Standardization Sector
|
|
IPTV experts host webinar |
ITU-T IPTV experts Ghassem Koleyni and
Simon Jones will lead a live web seminar (webinar) on
IPTV standardization, May 7 at 1600 CET.
Click
here
to register, for the webinar hosted by
industry analyst Heavy Reading. By registering you will
be able to listen to and take part in discussion as well
as view presentation slides.
Koleyni and Jones will present standardization from an
ITU perspective with experts from other standards
bodies, including the DSL Forum and ATIS, explaining how
they have worked with ITU to produce the first set of
global IPTV specifications, available
here. Malcolm
Johnson, Director ITU Telecommunication Standardization
Bureau said: “I encourage anyone involved in the
deployment of IPTV services at any level to take this
opportunity to learn about this important set of
standards as well as quiz our experts on the topic.
We have already seen first generation IPTV services and
as these mature we may see a change in regulation or
market demand that will require interoperation between
service and/or network providers. A potential outcome of
this will be that a customer can go into shop, buy an
IPTV box, call their network operator and sign-up and
then access services from a range of third party service
providers. It is to meet that need that the value of
ITU’s work on standardisation will be realised.”
If you can’t join the live event
registration will give
access to an archive file of the event.
|
|
ITU tasked with climate change challenge |
The ITU/MIC
Kyoto
Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change
closed 16 April with agreement that ITU should play a significant role in the global effort
to combat climate change. A number of actions were recommended for ITU. Among
them ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) was tasked with the development
of an internationally agreed standard methodology to measure the impact of ICTs on
climate change, both in terms of the direct emission of greenhouse gases, and the
savings that can be generated in other sectors of industry through the application of ICTs.
Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), Malcolm
Johnson, supported the meeting’s recommendation that an ITU-T Focus Group
would be an appropriate vehicle to take forward this work. He said that he
would propose the formation of a new group to ITU’s Telecommunication
Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG)
at its next meeting in July. However, to move quickly, he encouraged the
submission of proposals on the terms of reference for this group, as well as
initial proposals on methodologies, to:
tsbtechwatch@itu.int.
Johnson also proposed that a draft Resolution would be presented at this
year’s World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly
(WTSA-08),
in Johannesburg, October. The document is expected to outline ITU-T’s
responsibility in identifying the role that ICTs should play in the
mitigation and monitoring of climate change and target carbon emission
reductions for the industry.
Experts agreed that the
chairman’s report of the Kyoto event provides an excellent start point
for the Resolution which will be discussed in further detail at the
second
ITU symposium on ICTs and climate change, 17-18 June 2008 in London. More
information is also available in the meeting summary and the
ITU
background report.
The chairman’s report
of the Kyoto symposium will also be forwarded to upcoming meetings of the World Economic Forum, the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) ministerial meeting in the Republic of Korea, the G8 meeting in Japan and the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The second ITU symposium on ICTs and climate change, will be held 17-18 June in London, hosted by BT. The London event will also be broadcast as a
live Webinar. Register
here.
Presentations from Kyoto can be viewed
here.
See also
climate change news feed
for more detailed reports on the Kyoto event.
|
|
ITU-T/IETF interoperability issues addressed |
Fears that a set of next-generation network transport
specifications developed by ITU-T could cause interoperability problems have
been allayed. The IETF and ITU will work together to extend
IETF MPLS functionality to address the needs of the transport network. The
work will move forward recognizing that the sole design authority for MPLS
resides in the IETF, and the domain of expertise for Transport Network
Infrastructure resides in
ITU-T SG15.
ITU-T has been developing extensions to Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) MPLS to address the requirements of the
transport network (T-MPLS). However, concerns were raised by the IETF that
the approach taken by the ITU-T was incompatible with widely deployed - MPLS
- technology. These concerns have been allayed with the agreement that the
IETF and ITU-T will work jointly on the development of a transport profile
for MPLS technology which will now be referred to as “MPLS-TP”.
The Joint Working Team (see previous newslog entry)
consisting of experts from the IETF and ITU-T
has recommended that IETF MPLS technology should be extended to meet the
requirements of the transport network. The proposal is based on technical
analysis that showed that the IETF MPLS architecture can be extended to
provide the functionality required by the transport network as defined by
ITU-T's Study Group 15. The ITU-T has accepted this proposal and the IETF
will develop a transport profile for MPLS (MPLS-TP) with input from ITU-T to
ensure that the requirements of the transport network are fully addressed.
Details of the proposal and the technical consideration are available
here.
Malcolm Johnson, Director, ITU Telecommunication
Standardization Bureau said, “Given the complexity of today’s networks it is
inevitable that we will, from time-to-time, see divergent approaches. What
is important is that we quickly agree on a way forward. The experts in the
joint group have worked hard to find a cooperative solution rather than
going our separate ways. This is an excellent result and bodes well for the
future collaboration between ITU and IETF.”
Russ Housley Chair of the IETF, “I am very
optimistic about the outcome, and I see this as a significant milestone in
the cooperation between the ITU-T and the IETF.”
|
|
ITU
experts enable risk management strategies with new standards |
Six new standards enabling a more secure ICT environment have been approved
by ITU. Experts say that the standards represent an important achievement
reflecting the needs of business in establishing risk management strategies
and the protection of consumers.
Three ITU-T Recommendations cover a definition of cybersecurity, a
standardized way for vendors to supply security updates and guidelines on
spyware. While the other three focus on countering the modern day plague of
spam by providing a toolbox of technical measures to help consumers and
service providers.
Malcolm Johnson, Director, ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau: “In
the real – non-virtual – world risk management is well understood and so the
infrastructure has been developed to protect against theft, fraud and other
kinds of attack. The virtual world should be no different. And standards can
provide the backbone for this risk-management infrastructure.”
Standards give businesses the systematic approach to information security
that they need to keep network assets safe. The adoption of multiple –
proprietary – approaches is, experts agree, an inherently more vulnerable
approach.
Recommendations on spam are a direct response to a call from the World
Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), the quadrennial event
that defines study areas for ITU-T. Members asked that ITU-T define
technical measures to tackle this plague of the digital world following
growing global concern at additional costs and loss of revenue to Internet
service providers, telecoms operators and business users.
Herb Bertine, Chairman of ITU-T’s Study Group 17 that looks at
cybersecurity: “ITU-T is in a unique position given its international scope
and the fact that it brings together the private sector and governments to
coordinate work on standards and influence the harmonization of security
practices worldwide.”
The Recommendations in brief
ITU-T Rec. X.1205 establishes a definition of cybersecurity noting that this
understanding is needed in order to build a foundation of knowledge that can
aid securing the networks of tomorrow. Network protocols, it says, were
developed in an environment of trust but today cybersecurity threats are
growing.
ITU-T Rec. X.1205 provides a classification of security threats from an
organization’s point of view. It gives a layered approach to security
enabling organizations to create multiple levels of defence against threats.
ITU-T Rec. X.1206 is designed to make it easier for systems administrators
to manage patches/updates from multiple software vendors. The work was
driven by concerns that the number of different methodologies used to
deliver software updates was becoming a headache for companies. The Rec.
gives a vendor-neutral framework for automatic notification of security
related information and dissemination of updates.
ITU-T Rec. X.1207 gives guidelines enabling users to identify spyware and
for vendors to avoid their products being mistakenly identified as such. The
Recommendation promotes best practices around principles of clear notice and
user’s consents and controls. Authors of the Recommendation say that it
develops and promotes best practices to users on PC security, including use
of anti-spyware, anti-virus, personal firewall, and security updates of
software on client systems.
ITU-T Rec. X.1231 sets out the requirements for combating spam and will
serve as the startpoint for all further anti-spam standardization work. It
gives an overview of methodologies to counter spam and describes the general
characteristics of spam whether for e-mail, SMS, VoIP or other emerging
forms of spam. It also outlines key ways to counter spam, and a hierarchical
model to establish an efficient and effective anti-spam strategy.
ITU-T Rec. X.1240 is aimed at end users and focusing just on e-mail spam,
brings together various mature spam combating technologies in order that
users can select the most appropriate.
ITU-T Rec. X.1241 promotes greater cooperation between service providers in
tackling spam. In particular the document provides a framework enabling a
communication methodology for alerts on identified spam.
|
|
ITU-T forms Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and
Disability |
Following an ITU-T workshop on accessibility last year at the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio, a Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and
Disability (DCAD) has been established by ITU-T. The DCAD will facilitate
interaction between relevant bodies and ensure that information and
communications technologies (ICT) accessibility and tools to facilitate it
are included in the key debates around Internet governance.
DCAD aims to help build a future where all sectors of the global community
have equal access to communications and online information as well as the
ability to participate in IGF discussions and seminars. The initiative takes
into account the fact that all communities can benefit from ICTs and improve
their quality of life, a view supported by the UN Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities.
The coalition is currently composed of eight organizations, and is open to
any entity or individual working in the field. If you wish to be part of
this effort please contact the
Dynamic Coalition Secretariat.
Further information on ITU and ICT accessibility can be found
here.
|
|
Academia accepts challenge to find innovation in NGN |
An ITU event will bring together the best academic minds from around the
world to present their future visions for next generation networks (NGN).
The three best papers will be awarded from a prize fund donated by Cisco
totaling $10,000.
Innovations in NGN, 12-13 May, Geneva is the first in a series of
conferences under the banner ‘Kaleidoscope’ that will bring closer ties
between ITU, academia and research organizations. The event, technically
co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society attracted around 140
contributions with its initial call for papers. From this, 54 of the most
visionary papers have been selected by a review panel of 140 experts from
around the world for presentation at the conference. The event will also
host the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ITU and IEEE
Communications Society.
Innovations in NGN will highlight technologies, services and applications
five years and beyond that will capitalize on the NGN infrastructure and
lead to the ubiquitous network society in which information can be accessed
anywhere and anytime by anyone and anything. It will also cover
multidisciplinary aspects related to the deployment of NGN, including
analysis of regulatory and societal challenges.
Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau:
“Technology is a critical determinant of sustainable growth and poverty
reduction. And, education is key to the accelerated development of
information and communications technologies (ICT) and contributes to the
increased use of these technologies all over the world. Without the
involvement of the world’s universities and other academic and research
institutions we would not have reached the level of innovation that we see
today. The Kaleidoscope series is an excellent innitiative to capitalize on
the fruitful relationship that we already have with academia and take it to
another level.”
ITU has a long history of collaboration with academia and many standards
(ITU-T Recommendations) have been developed with academic input. Some
leading Study Group positions are held by university professors. The
Kaleidoscope initiative will encourage a new type of engagement along the
lines of an academic conference. Authors whose works are selected for the
event’s proceedings will gain extra academic recognition by being published
online by IEEE. The standards world will profit from new ideas for possible
future development.
Innovations in NGN is to inspire contributions towards a kaleidoscopic view
of communication habits for the future. We know what NGN is in terms of the
underlying technology, but we don’t know what services will emerge, how NGN
will affect the marketplace for ICT, and how society will be affected. This,
first in the series of Kaleidoscope conferences is free for anyone to attend
and will shed light on some of these questions as well as inspire debate and
future work on the future of ICT and ICT standardization. Please register at
www.itu.int/ITU-T/uni/kaleidoscope/.
|
|
It's good to collaborate |
“Increase productivity, save time and money while reducing your company’s
carbon footprint”; this is the ambitious sales pitch for a new family of
tools that promise to offer the 3Cs - communication, collaboration and
coordination - without the requirement for physical travel. For
ITU-T,
whose basic mission is to encourage collaborative work among a global membership
on the development and adoption of international standards, remote
collaboration is a daily necessity.
A new report, the fifth in a series of
ITU-T Technology Watch Briefing
Reports, describes how Remote Collaboration Tools can facilitate
collaboration with colleagues, and support businesses in overcoming the
geographical limitations of everyday work. Remote collaboration tools can be
used alongside, or integrated with, traditional office applications (such as
e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets) or as an enabler of collaboration,
communication and coordination. Using online meetings, collaboration that
might not have occurred otherwise (as a consequence of tight schedules, long
distances, or the high cost of business travel), may now take place.
For developing countries, remote collaboration tools can thus be seen as a
helpful instrument in overcoming the digital divide and for
“Bridging the Standardization Gap”,
an ITU initiative to facilitate the participation of
developing countries in the standards development process.
Furthermore, replacing long-distance travel by online meetings makes remote
collaboration tools a clean, green technology, which is particularly
important in the context of current global concerns over climate change. In
2007, ITU-T organized and provided logistical and secretariat support for some
85 meetings/workshops, representing a total of 339 meeting days,
as well as numerous smaller informal meetings, such as rapporteur groups of
steering committees. Holding even a small number of those meetings online
would reduce travel and therefore have a significant impact on ITU-T’s
carbon footprint.
The upcoming and second ITU Symposia on ICTs and Climate Change
(17-18 June 2008 in London, supported and hosted by
BT) will be available as a webinar in order that remote participants can see
and hear presentations from wherever they are in the world. Provision will
also be made for remote participants to submit comments and questions.
Download Technology Watch report on Remote Collaboration Tools.
|
|
Detecting, tracking and monitoring with Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USN) |
When you enter a modern office building, such as ITU-T’s office in Geneva,
it is quite common for the glass doors to open automatically and for lights
to come on as you enter a darkened room. This “magic” is achieved by motion
sensors. But entering a building in the future, you might be welcomed by
name with a personal greeting and given security access suitable to your
status (e.g., employee, delegate, newcomer). To do this without human
intervention would require not only intelligent sensors but also perhaps ID
tags and readers and interaction with a database.
In a new Technology Watch briefing report from ITU-T, the term “Ubiquitous
Sensor Networks” (USN) is used to describe networks of intelligent sensor
nodes that could be deployed “anywhere, anytime, by anyone and anything”.
The technology has huge potential as it could generate applications in a
wide range of civilian and military fields, including ensuring safety and
security, environment and habitat monitoring,
real-time healthcare,
landmine detection and
intelligent transport systems
(ITS).
Sensor nodes may vary enormously in size, cost and complexity. Their
characteristics are highly application-specific. Depending on the sensor
type, the links between sensors may be provided by either wired or wireless
communication. Energy-efficient operation is an important requirement for
scenarios where sensor nodes are deployed in
hazardous or inaccessible environments.
The variability of USN poses a challenge to researchers and a number of
different standards development organizations (SDOs) are already engaged int
this field. Within ITU-T, USN standardization is being carried out under the
auspices of the Next-Generation Network Global Standards Initiative (NGN-GSI).
The new report, the fourth in a series of
ITU-T Technology Watch Briefing Reports,
describes the different components of USN, notes the
standardization work currently going on in ITU-T, and gives an overview of
the different fields of applications of USN in both, developed and
developing countries.
Download Technology Watch report on Ubiquitous Sensor Networks
|
|
INFORMATION LINKS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
