An upcoming workshop entitled “Bridging the Standardization Gap: Sustainable Rural Communications” is set to discuss information and communication technologies (ICTs) as enabling elements of socio-economic development in emerging markets. The event will focus on sustainable business models to extend telecommunications and broadband access to people living in rural or remote areas.
 
Taking place in Bangalore, India, 17-18 December 2012, the event is hosted by the Global ICT Standardization Forum for India (GISFI) together with ITU. It is supported by Huawei India, and will be followed by the Eleventh GISFI Standardization Series meetings, 19-20 December 2012.
 
Participants will discuss the difficult task of increasing access to ICTs in remote areas by providing sustainable incentives for network operators to extend high-cost infrastructures to currently low-revenue markets. How ICT standards might encourage such infrastructure investment will be a key topic of discussion, as will ICT innovations and emerging technologies in this arena.
 
Also of key relevance will be discussions around the need to aid developing countries in the establishment of national standardization secretariats that can help to define a country’s standardization requirements and channel participation in regional and international standardization work.
 
“Bridging the Standardization Gap” is one of the core objectives of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Expanding the standardization capacities of developing countries will lead to international standards that truly reflect the needs of all the world’s countries. It will enable standards-savvy policy makers and private-sector executives to implement standards as best-practice tools in rolling-out broadband infrastructure and driving homegrown ICT innovation.
 
More information on the workshop here...

A recent ITU workshop in Lao PDR has offered a number of actionable suggestions to extend ITU’s efforts to bridge the standardization gap. Notably participants called on ITU to assist governments of developing Asian countries in establishing national and regional “standardization secretariats” to oversee the development of countries’ standardization capabilities and to ensure all regions an equitable representation in international standardization processes.

Held in Vientiane, 30-31 July, the workshop was ITU’s first event in Lao PDR and attracted over seventy participants, including representatives of Lao’s key trade partners such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. The event was organized in association with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Lao PDR and the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) of the Republic of Korea, with the generous support of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC).

ITU was urged to assist countries in their establishment of standardization secretariats, to aid in the development of policy and regulatory frameworks conducive to the rollout of broadband and Next-generation Networks (NGN), and to offer guidance in the spectrum planning required to support mobile broadband and the shift from analogue to digital television.

Environmental protection and sustainable development also featured prominently in the workshop’s discussions and, to address these concerns, the region’s countries were encouraged to form an Asia Pacific ‘regional group’ within ITU-T Study Group 5 (Environment and climate change).

Specifically, the regional group will highlight e-waste as a major concern to the naturally-rich region, and will play a role in the development of guidelines to developing nations on the implementation of ITU-T’s ‘green ICT’ standards.

The regional group will also respond to the region’s rapidly growing use of mobile telephony,  requesting ITU guidance on the regulatory aspects of human exposure to the radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF) produced by mobile-telephony installations. This concern is one common to a number of developing countries, and is addressed by the new Recommendation ITU-T K.91 - Guidance for assessment, evaluation and monitoring of the human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields.

More information on ITU’s Bridging the Standardization Gap programme here.

Recent ITU meetings addressed the challenges facing African countries in the measurement of Quality of Service (QoS)/Quality of Experience (QoE) parameters for voice, 3G and Internet mobile networks – nearing completion of guidelines for a QoS regulatory framework for ICT services. The meetings also addressed environmental concerns associated with ICT development, such as the growing e-waste challenge, the measurement of human exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (RF EMF), and the need to develop a sustainable means of extending telecoms-network coverage to the rural areas of developing countries.

The four ITU events were held in Cotonou, Benin, 16-20 July, hosted by Benin’s Autorité Transitoire de Régulation des Postes et Télécommunications (ATRPT):

Workshop on practical measurement of QoS/QoE parameters for regulatory compliance; and Meeting of Africa Regional Group within ITU-T Study Group 12 (Performance, QoS and QoE)

The workshop was attended by over 80 participants from 21 African countries, gathering representatives of ministries, regulators, operators and vendors to discuss QoS/QoE aspects of Africa’s expanding mobile networks.

The Africa regional group within ITU-T Study Group 12 (SG 12) advanced its draft guidelines for a QoS regulatory framework for ICT services, which are intended to supplement existing ITU-T recommendations on QoS. Nearing this task’s completion, the group indicated that it will now direct its attention to ‘QoE web browsing’ under Question 13/12, and the ‘Roadmap for Interconnection of Packet-based Networks’ under Question 12/12.

Workshop on Tackling Climate Change and SAR Measurement; and Meeting of Africa Regional Group within ITU-T Study Group 5 (Environment and climate change)

The workshop was attended by over 70 participants from 21 African countries, discussing the application of ITU-T’s ‘green ICT’ standards and the measurement of the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of RF EMF produced by mobile-telephony base stations and devices.

The Africa regional group within ITU-T Study Group 5 (SG 5) highlighted energy efficiency, e-waste reduction and issues related to climate change as its priorities for 2013. The meeting also reviewed its advanced-stage work on a number of guidelines under preparation:

• Information guide on human exposure to RF EMF   
• Methodology for the measurement of GSM Base Station compliance with RF EMF exposure limits
• Technical requirements and management methodology of a fund to facilitate a sustainable e-waste management system in developing countries
• A sustainable solution to extend the coverage of telecommunications networks to rural areas in developing countries
  
  

ITU Workshop on "ICT Innovations for Developing Countries" Tunis, Tunisia, 20 June 2012

Convening Letter (TSB Circular 286)

On-line registration Deadline for registration: 13 June 2012 New

A workshop on ICT Innovations, embedded within the first meeting of ITU's new Focus Group on ''Bridging the Gap: from Innovation to Standards", takes place at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 20-21 March. The goal of this workshop is to showcase ICT innovations of both developed and developing countries, with a view to determining which will demand future standardization.

The workshop runs from  9h30 until 12h30 on Tuesday the 20th, and 9h30 till 13h00 on Wednesday the 21st. To participate remotely, enter the room as a ‘guest’ by providing your full name, organization and country here: http://itu.adobeconnect.com/fg-innovation/. 

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ITU and the four standardisation bodies of China, Japan and Korea (CJK) last year, see press release here Malcolm Johnson, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, led a delegation from the ITU Secretariat to the eleventh CJK Meeting (CJK-11) 14-16 March at the Seagaia Convention Centre in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The Indian standards body GISFI also attended the meeting as an observer as it has requested to join the MoU.

The meeting addressed global ICT standardization questions of common interest to the region’s key standards bodies: ARIB, CCSA, TTA and TTC.

In his opening speech Johnson noted that CJK governments together account for 15 per cent of the total financial contributions received by ITU from Member States, and private entities from these nations account for 20 per cent of the contributions ITU-T receives from the private sector. Moreover, CJK makes a significant number contribution to ITU meetings: 38 percent more contributions in 2011 than in 2009.

Full speech can be seen here.

CJK meetings seek to maintain and improve the commitment to mutual understanding and cooperation, and recognise the imperative of coordinated international standards for the sound progression of each of the countries’ ICT industries.  The meeting identified the following topics as candidates for collaboration under the MoU: M2M and Dynamic Spectrum Access; Future IMT; smart grid; cloud computing and security; and the work on environment and climate change.

The Deputy Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau, Fabio Leite, also participated in the meeting stressing the importance of collaboration with ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), in particular on M2M access networks where there is a clear need for interoperability between radio-based systems.

The January meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) has established a new Focus Group on Disaster Relief Systems, Network Resilience and Recovery (FG-DR&NRR).

A spate of recent natural disasters has underlined the need for preemptive disaster-response planning. ICT networks must be resilient enough to withstand disasters, but have also proven to be pivotal in providing relief to the people affected by major climatic fluctuations.

The Focus Group will coordinate ITU-T’s current work in this field, and will expand this work into two important new areas: (1) disaster relief for individuals (to notify relatives, friends or employers of a victim’s situation) and (2) disaster relief guidance (to show victims the routes to evacuation shelters, home, etc.).

 For these types of standardized emergency communications to exist, ICT network resilience and recovery capabilities need to be such that networks can resume normal service quickly after disaster strikes. TSAG has thus directed the Focus Group to identify all the standardization requirements of network resilience and recovery; a study which may extend beyond current ITU work in this field.

The Focus Group’s scope is as follows:

• identify requirements for disaster relief and network resilience and familiarize the ITU-T and standardization communities with those requirements;
• identify existing standards and existing work related to the requirements mentioned above;
• identify any additional standards that may need to be developed and identify future work items for specific ITU-T Study groups and related actions;
• encourage collaboration among ITU-T Study Groups, in particular SG2, SG5, SG13, SG15, and SG17, ITU-R, ITU-D and relevant organizations and communities, including the PCP/TDR.

The Focus Group will collaborate with worldwide relevant communities (e.g., research institutes, forums, academia) including other SDOs and consortia.

Comments invited by 10 February 2012

The group’s Terms of Reference are subject to consultation. The Membership is therefore invited to send comments to bruce.gracie@ic.gc.ca (TSAG Chairman), with copy to tsbtsag@itu.int or to t09tsagall@lists.itu.int (TSAG general mailing list), by no later than Friday, 10 February 2012.

The January meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) has established a new Focus Group on Bridging the Gap: From Innovation to Standards (ItS). Standardization converts innovations into internationally-accessible tools to aid the growth of new markets and bridge the digital divide. The Focus Group will seek to reduce the lag between innovation and standardization; an action to ensure key innovations spread as fast as possible in the global ICT market.

Of particular importance to the group will be the identification of ICT innovation in the developing world, and the task of ensuring such innovation achieves international recognition through its inclusion in the standards produced by ITU-T.

The group will carry out the following specific actions:

• In cooperation with ITU-D, document case studies of successful examples of ICT innovations, including those that have emerged in developing countries, and identify relevant standardization gaps.  Particular focus should be on the socio-economic impact of ICT innovation emerging in developing countries;
  
• Analyze the innovations that may be standardized and identify best practices facilitating the implementation of such innovations in other parts of the world;
  
• Identify case studies which developing countries can adopt to enhance their ICT innovation and standardization capabilities and associated socio-economic welfare;
  
• Identify the difficulties faced by developing countries in bringing their ICT innovation to ITU-T.
  
• Suggest future ITU-T study items and related actions;
  
• Examine how other Standards Development Organizations, forums and consortia address ICT innovation and its integration into standardization activities;
  
• Promote its activity at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) meeting in November 2012.
  

عقدت ورشة العمل الإقليمية للاتحاد بشأن سد الفجوة التقييسية (BSG) في المنطقة العربية وإفريقيا في مدينة الجزائر، في الفترة 28-26 سبتمبر 2011.
وقد نظمت ورشة العمل بالاشتراك مع هيئة تنظيم البريد والاتصالات (ARPT) وحظيت بدعم كريم من شركة شبكات Nokia Siemens وشركة ميكروسوفت.
ويتمثل الهدف الشامل لبرنامج الاتحاد لسد الفجوة التقييسية في تسهيل زيادة مشاركة البلدان النامية في عملية التقييس لضمان تمتع هذه البلدان بالمنافع الاقتصادية للتطور التكنولوجي المصاحب ولإبراز احتياجات هذه البلدان بشكل أفضل فيما يختص بعملية وضع المعايير. ومن بين الأهداف المحددة لهذا المشروع، تكوين فهم للقضايا المتضمنة في عملية وضع المعايير وتنفيذها وقدرات استعمالها في البلدان النامية.
وحضر ورشة العمل نحو 110 مشاركين من المنطقة العربية وإفريقيا. وركز برنامج الورشة على موضوعات من بينها التحديات التي تواجهها بلدان هاتين المنطقتين في تقييس تكنولوجيات المعلومات والاتصالات واستراتيجيات سد الفجوة التقييسية وأفضل الممارسات في مجال تقييم المطابقة وموضوعات التقييس الجاري مناقشتها في لجان دراسات قطاع تقييس الاتصالات.
وفيما يلي النتائج/التوجهات التي خرجت بها ورشة العمل:
● أيد المشاركون من إفريقيا والمنطقة العربية تنفيذ برنامج المطابقة وقابلية التشغيل البيني لقطاع تقييس الاتصالات في هاتين المنطقتين، بما في ذلك استعمال علامة الاتحاد "ITU"؛
● تشجيع البلدان النامية على القيام بدور فعال في رأب الفجوة الرقمية من خلال النهوض بالابتكار في مجال المعايير والتقدم بمساهمات إلى عمليات التقييس العالمية؛
● النظر في إنشاء مراكز إقليمية ودون إقليمية لاختبارات المطابقة وقابلية التشغيل البيني؛
● العمل بنشاط على إشراك أعضاء مؤسسات القطاعين العام والخاص والجامعات ومراكز البحوث في أنشطة التقييس الخاصة بالاتحاد؛
● التماس دعم الاتحاد لإطلاق حملة موجهة لبناء القدرات بشأن توصيات قطاع تقييس الاتصالات (كأن تعقد دورة تدريبية لمدة أسبوعين بشأن توصيات الكبلات والأنظمة البصرية)، وإنشاء معامل إقليمية للقضاء على عمليات التزييف؛
● إنشاء و/أو تحديد معامل اختبار في المنطقة قادرة على إجراء المراجعات الفيزيائية واختبارات الامتثال. وتقوم تونس حالياً بإنشاء معمل اختبار، يمكن استعماله كنموذج لباقي بلدان المنطقة؛
● إبرام اتفاقات تعاون مع شركاء إقليميين من أجل تحديد عدم امتثال التجهيزات في مرحلة مبكرة؛
● إنشاء مركز إقليمي للتقييس في الجزائر، وهو مقترح تقدمت به رئيسة مجلس إدارة هيئة تنظيم البريد والاتصالات (ARPT) في كلمتها الافتتاحية وكرره وزير البريد وتكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات؛
● تشجيع تبادل المعلومات على صعيد إقليمي من خلال إنشاء قاعدة بيانات تتضمن قائمة سوداء بالمنتجات المزيفة؛
● النهوض ببرامج الاعتماد والتوثيق ووضع منهجية اختبار لمناطق إنتاج المواد؛
● التأكد من الوفاء بالمتطلبات التقنية في المنتجات الوطنية، والسماح بطرحها في الأسواق الإقليمية؛
● التأكد من تنفيذ الآليات التشريعية والتنظيمية من أجل الكشف عن مخططات الاحتيال والتزييف وتطبيق عقوبات عند اكتشاف هذه الأنشطة. وينبغي نمذجة هذه الآليات حسب برامج مراقبة الأسواق المتضمنة بالفعل في تشريعات مناطق أخرى، مثل الاتحاد الأوروبي والولايات المتحدة والبرازيل وكندا وغيرها.
جلسة تدريب تفاعلية: 27 سبتمبر 2011
بعد ورشة العمل، عقدت جلسة تدريب تفاعلية لمدة يوم واحد في شكل محاكاة لاجتماع من اجتماعات لجان الدراسات. وتصمم هذه الجلسات لتوفير تقدمة لاجتماعات التقييس الدولية ولكي يألف المشاركون الشكل النموذجي لعملية صنع القرارات. وهذه الجلسات تتعلق بشكل خاص بالدول النامية حيث أنها تشجع على المشاركة في أنشطة الاتحاد وتشرح بوضوح كيف يمكن لهذه الدول أن تقوم بدور عضوي في علمية وضع المعايير. وقد حضر الجلسة نحو 60 مشاركاً وحظيت بتعليقات إيجابية إلى حد كبير.
حلقة الاتحاد الدراسية للهيئات الأكاديمية: 28 سبتمبر 2011
قدمت حلقة العمل هذه فئة العضوية الجديدة بالاتحاد والخاصة بالهيئات الأكاديمية وقدمت أمثلة ملموسة للكيفية التي يمكن أن تفيد بها هذه الهيئات ومراكز البحوث من خلال المشاركة في أنشطة لجان دراسات قطاع تقييس الاتصالات. وعبر أستاذ من الجامعة الأمريكية في بيروت عن الكيفية التي يمكن أن تساهم بها جامعته والجامعات الأخرى في المنطقة في أعمال لجنة الدراسات 17 بقطاع تقييس الاتصالات المعنية بالأمن. وتم تشجيع الهيئات الأكاديمية كذلك إلى تقديم مدخلات إلى تقارير رصد التكنولوجيا الصادرة عن قطاع تقييس الاتصالات.
وكان اهتمام الهيئات الأكاديمية بالانضمام لعضوية الاتحاد واضحاً، حيث أعلنت بعض الجامعات عن عزمها الانضمام إلى الاتحاد. كما عبرت الهيئات الأكاديمية عن رغبة قوية في تلقي الدعم من مكتب تقييس الاتصالات في وضع مناهج متدرجة المستوى في مجال معايير الاتصالات.
ولمزيد من المعلومات، يرجى زيارة موقع الويب الخاص بالاتحاد بشأن سد الفجوة التقييسية على العنوان: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/gap

L'atelier régional de l'UIT sur la réduction de l'écart en matière de normalisation à l'intention des régions Etats arabes et Afrique s'est déroulé à Alger (Algérie) du 26 au 28 septembre 2011.

Il a été organisé en association avec l'Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications (ARPT), avec le généreux concours de Nokia Siemens Networks et de Microsoft.

L'objectif général du programme de réduction de l'écart en matière de normalisation est de favoriser la participation accrue des pays en développement au processus d'élaboration des normes, de faire en sorte qu'ils profitent des bienfaits économiques liés au développement technologique et de mieux prendre en considération leurs besoins et leurs intérêts dans l'élaboration des normes. Ce projet a notamment pour but de comprendre les problèmes qui font obstacle à l'élaboration et à l'application des normes, ainsi qu'aux capacités d'utilisation des pays en développement.

Quelque 110 participants des régions Etats arabes et Afrique ont assisté à l'atelier, dont le programme s'articulait autour des thèmes suivants: enjeux de la normalisation des TIC dans les pays de ces régions, stratégies visant à réduire l'écart en matière de normalisation, meilleures pratiques en matière d'évaluation de la conformité, et questions de normalisation en cours d'examen par les commissions d'études de l'UIT-T.

Conclusions et orientations tirées de l'atelier:

•    appui des participants des régions Etats arabes et Afrique à la mise en œuvre du programme de l'UIT-T relatif à la conformité et à l'interopérabilité dans ces régions, y compris à l'utilisation de la marque UIT;

•    inciter les pays en développement à jouer un rôle dynamique dans la réduction de la fracture numérique en favorisant l'innovation dans le domaine de la normalisation et en encourageant la participation de ces pays aux processus d'élaboration des normes mondiales;

•    envisager la création de centres régionaux et sous régionaux pour la réalisation de tests de conformité et d'interopérabilité;

•    faire participer activement le public, les entreprises privées, les universités et les centres de recherche aux activités de normalisation de l'UIT;

•    s'appuyer sur l'UIT pour organiser une campagne ciblée de renforcement des capacités concernant les recommandations UIT-T (par exemple, formation de deux semaines sur les recommandations relatives aux câbles et systèmes à fibres optiques), et mettre en place des laboratoires régionaux afin de lutter contre la contrefaçon;

•    mettre en place et/ou identifier dans la région des laboratoires de tests pouvant réaliser des audits physiques et des tests de conformité. La Tunisie est déjà en train de mettre en place un laboratoire de tests, qui pourrait servir de modèle à la région;

•    élaborer des accords de coopération avec les partenaires régionaux pour identifier de manière précoce la non-conformité des équipements;

•    créer un centre régional de normalisation en Algérie, selon la proposition faite par la Présidente du Conseil de l'ARPT lors de son allocution d'ouverture et réitérée par le Ministre de la Poste et des Technologies de l'information et de la communication;

•    encourager le partage d'informations au niveau régional en constituant une base de données qui répertorie sur une liste noire les produits de contrefaçon;

•    instaurer des systèmes d'accréditation et de certification ainsi qu'une méthodologie des tests applicables aux zones de production de matériel;

•    s'assurer que les produits locaux soient conformes aux prescriptions techniques pour leur permettre d'accéder aux marchés régionaux; et

•    veiller à ce que les mécanismes législatifs et réglementaires soient mis en oeuvre afin de repérer les activités frauduleuses et la contrefaçon, et d'appliquer des sanctions le cas échéant. Ces mécanismes devraient s'inspirer des dispositifs de surveillance du marché déjà en vigueur dans d'autres juridictions comme l'Union européenne, les Etats-Unis, le Brésil, le Canada, etc.

Session de formation interactive: 27 septembre 2011

L'atelier a été suivi d'une session de formation interactive d'une journée sur la simulation d'une réunion de commission d'études. Ces sessions visent à donner un aperçu des réunions internationales de normalisation et à familiariser les participants avec la forme habituelle du processus de prise de décisions. Elles sont particulièrement pertinentes pour les pays en développement puisqu'elles encouragent la participation de ces pays aux activités de l'UIT et expliquent clairement en quoi ils peuvent jouer un rôle constructif dans l'élaboration de normes. Environ 60 participants ont assisté à la session, qui a connu un vif succès.

Séminaire de l'UIT à l'intention des établissements universitaires: 28 septembre 2011

Lors de ce séminaire, la nouvelle catégorie des établissements universitaires a été présentée et des exemples concrets ont été donnés des avantages que les établissements universitaires et les instituts de recherche peuvent retirer de leur participation aux activités des Commissions d'études de l'UIT T. Un professeur de l'Université américaine de Beyrouth a indiqué explicitement comment son institution et d'autres universités de la région pourraient contribuer aux travaux de la Commission d'étude 17 de l'UIT-T sur la sécurité. Les établissements universitaires ont également été encouragés à apporter des contributions aux rapports de veille technologique de l'UIT-T.

L'intérêt des établissements universitaires à devenir membre de l'UIT était évident et certaines universités ont annoncé leur intention d'adhérer à l'Union. Les établissements universitaires ont également indiqué qu'ils souhaitaient vivement que le Bureau de la normalisation des télécommunications (TSB) les aide à élaborer des programmes d'enseignement supérieur dans le domaine de la normalisation des télécommunications.

Pour plus d'information, consulter le site web relatif à la réduction de l'écart en matière de normalisation: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/gap.

The ITU Regional Workshop on Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) for Arab and Africa Regions took place in Algiers, Algeria, 26-28 September 2011.

The workshop was organized in association with Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications (ARPT), and was generously supported by Nokia Siemens Networks and Microsoft.

The overarching goal of ITU’s Bridging the Standardization Gap program is to facilitate increased participation of developing countries in standardization, to ensure that developing countries experience the economic benefits of associated technological development, and to better reflect the requirements and interests of developing countries in the standards-development process. One specific objective of this project is to gain an understanding of the issues inhibiting the standards development, implementation, and usage capacities of developing countries.
Some 110 participants from Arab and African regions attended the workshop.  The program focused on topics including ICT standardization challenges for countries in these regions, strategies for bridging the standardization gap, best practices for conformity assessment, and standardization topics being discussed in ITU-T Study Groups. 

Outcomes/directives produced by the workshop:

      • Participants from the African and Arab regions support the implementation of the ITU-T Conformity and Interoperability program in these regions, including the use of the ITU Mark.

      • Encourage developing countries to play an active role in the reduction of the digital divide by promoting standards-oriented innovation and contributions to global standardization processes;

      • Consider the creation of regional and sub-regional centres for compliance and interoperability tests;

      • Actively involve members of the public, private enterprises, universities and research centres in ITU standardization activities; 

      • Seek ITU support for a targeted capacity-building campaign on ITU-T Recommendations (e.g. the 2-week training on Optical Cables and Systems Recommendations), and establish regional laboratories to eliminate counterfeiting;

      • Establish and/or identify test laboratories in the region able to carry out physical audits and compliance tests. Tunisia is already setting up a test lab, and this could be used as a template for the region;           

      • Establish cooperation agreements with regional partners for the early identification of equipment non-compliance;

      • Establish a Regional Centre for standardization based in Algeria, a proposal made by the President of the Council of the ARPT in her opening speech and reiterated by the Minister of Post and ICT;

      • Encourage the sharing of information at a regional level by establishing a database containing blacklisted counterfeit products;

      • Promote accreditation and certification schemes, and test methodology for the material production areas;

      • Ensure that technical requirements are fulfilled by local products, allowing them access to regional markets; and

      • Ensure that legislative and regulatory mechanisms are implemented to detect fraud and counterfeiting schemes, and to enforce penalties when such activity is discovered.  

These mechanisms should be modelled on market surveillance schemes already established in other jurisdictions, such as the EU, the United States, Brazil, Canada, etc..

Interactive Training Session: 27 September 2011
The workshop was followed by a one-day Interactive Training Session in the form of a simulated Study Group meeting. These sessions are designed to provide an introduction to international standardization meetings, and familiarise participants with the typical format of the decision-making process. They are especially relevant to developing nations as they encourage participation in ITU activities, and clearly explain how these nations may play a formative role in standards creation.   Some 60 participants attended the session, and very positive feedback was received.

ITU Academia Seminar: 28 September 2011
This Seminar introduced ITU’s new membership category for academia, and gave concrete examples of how academic and research institutions can benefit through participation in ITU-T Study Group activity. A professor from the American University of Beirut explicitly outlined how his institution  and other universities in the region could contribute to ITU-T Study Group 17 on Security. Academia was also encouraged to provide input to ITU-T TechWatch reports.

Academia’s interest in membership was evident, with some universities declaring their intention to join ITU. Academia also expressed strong interest in receiving TSB support in developing graduate-level curricula in the field of telecommunication standards.

For more information refer to the ITU Bridging the Standardization Gap website at http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/gap

French Version 

Arabic Version

ITU has underlined its key role in green ICT with a raft of announcements today by Study Group 5 of its Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).

A meeting of the group in Seoul, Korea has seen agreement on a globally-recognized set of methodologies to assess the environmental impact of information and communications technology (ICT). It also saw agreement to produce a report on due diligence guidelines for conflict minerals supply, and to study environmental protection and recycling solutions for batteries for mobile phones and other ICT devices.

Estimates of how much ICTs can reduce global emissions – and estimates of the emissions generated by the ICT sector itself – still vary widely, due to the application of different measurement methodologies. After the problem was raised by delegates to ITU’s ‘ICTs and Climate Change’ symposium in 2008, ITU took on the challenge and has pioneered adoption of a new globally-agreed set of standards.

To ensure consistency between different approaches, the new methodology has been developed in cooperation with other standardization organizations such as ISO, IEC, ETSI and ATIS. The new methodology is also aligned with the Digital Agenda of the European Commission. 

Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU: “This methodology has been developed by ITU's industry members. This will be important in ensuring it gains wide acceptance by the world's ICT industry. An internationally agreed methodology means estimates of the impact of ICTs on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption will now have much greater credibility. It will also show just how significant a contribution ICTs can make by reducing global emissions in other sectors.”

Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission: “I'm pleased that the industry is taking the task of measuring its own footprint so seriously. And I'm pleased that the ITU, as a UN agency, is doing such good work facilitating negotiations, reaching out globally to industry sub-sectors and to other standardization initiatives.”

New guidelines on conflict minerals

New ITU work on ‘conflict minerals’ will also begin in response to a request from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). ITU will make a survey of existing due diligence requirements and guidelines concerning sources of conflict minerals (in particular, those that are smelted into tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold), as well as their use in conformity with recognized international treaties and national legislation, where this exists.

Rare earth minerals are used in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, DVD players, video games and computers. The report will provide guidance to ICT entities seeking to exercise due diligence on, and formalize the origin and chain of custody of, conflict minerals used in their products and on their suppliers to ensure that conflict minerals used in their products do not directly or indirectly finance armed conflict or result in labour or human rights violations. Agreement to address this issue demonstrates the ICT industry’s commitment to sustainability at all levels of the value chain.

Following on from the success of ITU’s Universal Charging Solution for mobile devices (Recommendation ITU-T L.1000), the meeting also agreed to study the benefits and disadvantages of the standardization of batteries for mobile terminals and other ICT devices, looking at energy efficiency over the battery life cycle, eco-design information, battery lifetime and exchangeability, safety and environmental protection, recycling and reuse. This could lead to a reduction of harmful materials used in batteries and an increased lifespan of ICT products. Battery manufacturers, device manufacturers, operators and users will all benefit, say experts. 

Ahmed Zeddam, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 5: “This has been the most productive and significant meeting in the long history of Study Group 5. Twelve new important standards have been agreed, including many critical to methodologies to assess the environmental impact of ICT and the protection of home networks and next generation network (NGN) equipment from electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and environmental effects. The meeting also saw revisions to a key set of standards on resistibility to overvoltages or overcurrents of telecoms equipment. ITU is the only organization producing these important global standards.”

For more information, please contact:

Toby Johnson
Senior Communications Officer
E-mail: toby.johnson@itu.int
Tel: +41 22 730 5877;
mobile: +41 79 249 4868

Sarah Parkes

Chief, Media Relations and Public Information,
E-mail: sarah.parkes@itu.int
Tel: +41 22 730 6135;
mobile: +41 79 599 1439

ITU is organizing a Regional Workshop on Bridging the Standardization Gap for the CIS Region on 7th October in Chisinau, Moldova back to back with the ITU Cross Regional Seminar on Broadband. The workshop and is being organized by ITU in cooperation with the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications of the Republic of Moldova.

Taking part in the standardization process for new technologies will accelerate the deployment of new networks and services bringing connectivity to cities and towns as well as remote areas. With next generation broadband technologies for example, standards work is lowering the capital cost of deployment in the network core. The main objective of this workshop is to examine key standardization activities on emerging technologies and actions that countries can take to bridge the standardization gap. Participation in standardization activities offers the opportunity for developing countries to jump several generations of technology. ITU will take into account the needs of these countries in producing its standards, and will seek to provide assistance in implementing them.

The 2nd ITU Tutorial on Optical Fibre Cables and Systems will take place at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, Mexico from 19 to 30 September 2011.
 
The tutorial is based on the ITU-T handbook “Optical fibres, cables and systems” which offers a functional grouping of ITU standards (ITU-T Recommendations) on optical technology e.g. optical fibres and cables, physical optical interfaces, optical fibre terrestrial and submarine cable systems. The tutors are leading experts in the field from industry and either participated in the writing of the handbook or contributed to the development of the referenced standards. The event is aimed at engineers, technicians, technologists, mid-level management and regulators active in the implementation of optical-fibre-based systems.

The programme will provide an in-depth insight into the ITU-T Recommendations that have shaped the optical transport networks of the world. Some aspects of wireless communication will also be addressed in cooperation with the Development Sector of the ITU (ITU-D). Participants will gain a insight into how to design and implement projects choosing the most appropriate state-of-the-art equipment. In addition they will learn how to evaluate a power budget and the fundamental parameters to be taken into account in the preparation of technical and administrative specifications for a supply contract.

On Saturday, 24th September, a “crash” course on Optical fibres, cables and systems will also be held at the same venue.  The target audience will be university students and/or specialized schools from Mexico and other Latin American countries. It is intended to provide participants a general overview of optical fibre standardization. In addition a supporting webinar will take place in the week starting 12 September – details to follow.

ITU is organizing a two-day Regional Workshop on Bridging the Standardization Gap for the Arab Region on 26 September 2011, followed by an Interactive Training Session on a simulated study group meeting on 27 September 2011 and a half day ITU Academia Seminar on 28th September 2011.

The workshop is designed to provide concrete advice and best practices on participation by developing countries in global standards development and building nation standards readiness. It will also examine standards work on key new technologies. The Interactive Training Session will provide an interactive learning experience through a simulated Study Group meeting. It will be of greatest interest to those who will be, or who have begun, participating in international meetings and those who have some international experience with plans to move into leadership roles. The ITU Academia Seminar will present ITU’s relationship with Academia and the benefit of ITU membership for academic and research institutions.

All events are held at the kind invitation of the Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications (ARPT). 

Geneva, 14 July, 2011 - ITU is pleased to announce that the world’s newest nation, the Republic of South Sudan, has today been assigned the international dialling code 211, following the country’s formal recognition as a UN Member State.

The fledgling South Sudan Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services welcomed the new code, which has particular resonance for South Sudan’s citizens as representing the year in which South Sudan gained independence (2011), the date of its referendum (which took place in the first day of the first month of 2011), and a symbol of good fortune. The number had been specifically requested following a special Council of Ministers Resolution.

Full press release

The ITU Regional Workshop on Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) for Asia Pacific Region closed 5 July 2011 with agreement on the need for adaptable and scalable solutions to address common issues faced by island states in the Pacific. These include conformity assessment and certification; spectrum management best practice for mobile broadband and digital broadcasting, and national spectrum allocation tables and harmonized spectrum use; public protection and disaster relief systems.

In addition delegates agreed on the need for assessment of ICT standardization benefits and ways to prioritize involvement in global standards development activities. To this end a national/regional ICT standardization strategy and roadmap based on conceptual tools such as the standardization development ladder will be adapted for Pacific Island requirements and also applied to the radiocommunication spectrum and standards environment. Also under consideration is a capacity building programme for developing countries in the region focusing on implementation of standards for broadband, wireless and NGN targeting ICT regulatory authorities and operators

The overarching goal of ITU’s Bridging the Standardization Gap program is to facilitate increased participation of developing countries in standardization, to ensure that developing countries experience the economic benefits of associated technological development, and to better reflect the requirements and interests of developing countries in the standards-development process. One specific objective of this project is to understand the primary gaps that must be overcome to improve the standards development, implementation, and usage capacities of developing countries.

A number of measures have already been implemented by ITU to facilitate the participation of developing countries in ITU-T study group meetings. For instance, almost all ITU-T study groups are now using remote participation as part of their regular working methods. The number of Study Group leadership positions during the Study Period 2009-2012 has increased to four Chairmen and 47 Vice Chairmen from developing countries, including five Vice Chairs from least developed countries. In 2010, for the first time, participants from developing countries outnumbered participants from developed countries in study group meetings participation.

The workshop was organized in association with Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) and the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) of the Republic of Korea with the generous support of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), Republic of Korea.

An ITU tutorial on Standardization will follow this year's Kaleidoscope event − Beyond the Internet? − Innovations for future networks and services − Pune, India, 13 – 15 December 2010.

The event will be held at the same venue on 16 December 2010.

The tutorial will cover information on how standardization works as well as a simulation of a standards-setting meeting. Participants from academia and industry will gain practical and theoretical knowledge on international standardization. In interactive role plays, participants will learn the art of reaching consensus. More information on the tutorial is available at the Kaleidoscope web page (http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/uni/kaleidoscope/2010/tutorial.html).

The aim of Kaleidoscope conferences is to identify information and communication technologies (ICTs) for which the development of standards can turn innovations into successful products and services, but it is also an opportunity to share knowledge on international standardization processes, which becomes more and more important with the rapid evolution of ICTs.

During the Kaleidoscope conference two special sessions will also take place: Jules Verne’s Corner and Standards Corner. Further information on these special sessions will shortly be available at the Kaleidoscope web page: www.itu-kaleidoscope.org/2010

On the occasion of the third Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change, which will take place on 8-10 July 2009, in Quito, Ecuador, ITU has revised and published a background paper on this important issue.

The paper reflects recent work done in the three ITU Sectors, including the work of the Focus Group and the creation of an ITU-T Study Group on Environment and Climate Change, and addresses key issues in the Latin American region, such as deforestation and emergency communications.

The rise in the number of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes in the Caribbean, threats to low-lying areas from rising oceans are evidence of the impact of climate change on developing countries and in the Americas. Latin America is particularly impacted by deforestation, which, according to estimations, contributes nearly one-fifth of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

For developing countries, implementing climate change solutions raises questions of funding, financing and access to technology, and thus this updated background paper addresses these issues and presents examples of national plans and innovations in technologies to reduce emissions. The annex provides an inventory of work underway in ITU on climate change.

The background paper can be downloaded here.

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ITU-T has published a Guide on the use of the ITU-T Recommendations related to Optical Technology. Currently available in PDF form – here – it is expected printed versions will be made available shortly. The publication of the guide is - in part - to meet the requirements of WTSA-08 Resolution 44 - Bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries.

The guide starts with a short but interesting history of optical technology noting that the capacity of optical systems has jumped by a factor of more than 10,000 over a period of 20 years. In the same time it also notes that the applications of optical technology have progressively moved from short distance links (a few tens of km) to very long distance links in backbone networks, completely replacing traditional copper cabling. In the last few years it charts the arrival of optical technology in access networks.

The practical part of the guide contains a functional grouping of Study Group 15 Recommendations on optical technology e.g. optical fibres and cables, physical optical interfaces, optical fibre submarine cable systems. An introduction to each category with more than one Recommendation outlines the subjects which are common to that category. For each Recommendation there is a short description of the purpose, the content and, in many cases, the evolution of the content in subsequent versions of Recommendations. There are also cross-references to other related Recommendations.

The main purpose of this Guide is to give to developing countries improved capability in the application of standards. It is also seen as benefiting the wider telecommunication industry, particularly manufacturers and operators, which could benefit from the greater involvement of developing countries in the making and application of standards. Experts also point out that the value of the guide could to a wider group of manufacturers and operators than those directly involved in optical technologies.

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The latest issue of IEEE Communications Magazine features a number of articles on ITU-T.

As well as a general article on the challenges faced by ITU-T, more detailed pieces focus on working methods, initiatives on climate change, audio coding, optical transport and bridging the standardization gap.

An electronic version of the publication can be seen here.

Geneva, 21 October 2008 — Yesterday, the first-ever Global Standards Symposium closed in Johannesburg, South Africa with broad agreement from industry and standards bodies on the need to take aggressive action to streamline standards work and end confusion and duplication.

“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.

Two upcoming ITU Symposia on ICTs and Climate Change (April 15-16 in Kyoto, Japan, co-organized and hosted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and 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

The quadrennial event that defines the future direction for the ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) – the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) – will take place for the first time in Africa in 2008. It will also be the first chaired by a woman (Ms Lyndall Shope-Mafole, Director-General of the South African Department of Communications), and for the first time is preceded by a Global Standards Symposium (GSS). WTSA-08 will be held 21 - 30 October 2008, at the Emperors Palace, Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

An official ‘Circular’ letter has been issued encouraging Member States and ITU-T Sector Members to participate in discussions on the future structure of the Sector: the study groups (including regional tariff groups under Study Group 3); and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG). WTSA-08 will also be unique in that the term limit for chairmanships agreed at the WTSA-2000 will apply for the first time and many of the current chairmen and vice-chairmen will retire. Although this will mean the loss of much experience, it does offer the opportunity to consider a major restructuring of the Sector. Member States and ITU-T Sector Members are therefore advised to await the outcome of the next TSAG meeting in July, when a new structure for the Sector should be clearer, before submitting candidatures for chairmen or vice-chairmen.

The Global Standards Symposium (GSS) will be held at the same venue on 20 October 2008. It will see leading figures in the telecom/ICT field, both from government and the industry, give their vision of the future, and suggest ways of increasing the involvement of developing countries in the development and implementation of standards (bridging the standardization gap). Additionally the event will examine global ICT standards challenges, such as accessibility, climate change and collaboration among standards development organisations (SDOs). Although not formally a part of the WTSA-08, the GSS will provide a report to the WTSA for information and action as appropriate, giving participants a unique opportunity to provide input to the event that decides the future direction for ITU-T.

Click here for a document detailing some ITU-T highlights for 2007.

A new report from ITU-T shows how Information and communications technologies (ICTs) contribute to global warming, but also how they can be used to monitor climate change, to mitigate its effects, to improve energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions in other sectors of the economy. The report -- ICTs and Climate Change -- is the third in the new series of Technology Watch Briefing Reports, launched by ITU-T in October 2007. It has been submitted to TSAG for further discussion at its upcoming meeting, 3-7 December. It is planned that an ITU symposium on this topic will be held in 2008.

Since 1970, the production of greenhouse gases has risen by more than 70 per cent, and this is having a global effect in warming the planet, causing changing weather patterns, rising sea-levels, desertification, shrinking ice cover and other worrying long-term effects. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) foresees a further rise in average global temperatures of between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees centigrade by 2030. Climate change is a concern for all of humanity and requires efforts on the part of all sectors of society, including the ICT sector. Although ICTs contribute only an estimated 2.5 per cent of total greenhouse gases, this share is set to grow as usage of ICTs expands globally, growing at a faster rate than the general economy.

ICTs are thus part of the cause of global warming, but they can also be part of the solution, for instance through the promotion of carbon displacement technologies. ICTs are also vital in monitoring the spread of global warming. One specific contribution ICTs can make is through the substitution of travel by electronic forms of communication, such as telephone calls, email or video-conferencing, all of which benefit from ITU-T¡¯s standardization work. In particular, high-performance video-conferencing, or telepresence (the topic of the second Technology Watch Briefing Report), can give the impression of 'being there, without going there'. Furthermore, ITU-T itself is also contributing to a greener future through its decision to make ITU-T Recommendations freely available online. In the mid 1990s, more than one million publications were printed by ITU but, with free Recommendations now available in electronic form, this has been cut to just a few thousand that are still printed, and carbon emissions from transport of printed copies and CD-ROMs has been greatly reduced.

A standard that allows a warning message to be consistently disseminated simultaneously over different systems and applications has been approved as an ITU-T Recommendation.

The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) v.1.1 developed by OASIS was the basis for the text that will be published as an ITU-T Recommendation following approval on 12 September. Publication as an ITU-T Recommendation (X.1303) will help ensure that CAP is deployed worldwide giving technical compatibility for users across all countries. The goal of public warning is to reduce the damage and loss of life caused by a natural or man-made hazard event.

CAP is a simple, lightweight XML-based schema that provides a general-purpose format for the exchange of emergency alerts for safety, security, fire, health, earthquake and other events over any network. CAP associates emergency event data (such as public warning statements, photographs, sensor data or URIs) with basic metadata such as time, source and level of urgency, and with geographic locations. The original V.1.1 specification was enlarged by a binary ASN.1 specification of the CAP messages that will enable the transport of CAP messages to VoIP terminals using H.323 among other systems. Experts say the use of ASN.1 significantly reduces the size of the message and therefore the potential for network congestion. OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee has also adopted the same extension.

CAP is successfully in use by a number of public emergency services and land management agencies today, and works with a wide variety of devices and messaging methods.

Imagine a future in which cars will be able to foresee and avoid collisions, navigate the quickest route to their destination, making use of up-to-the-minute traffic reports, identify the nearest available parking slot and minimize their carbon emissions. Indeed, imagine a future where cars can largely drive themselves, leaving their passengers to use the free time to watch the sports game on live TV.

All of these possibilities already exist within the laboratories of car manufacturers and some are already available commercially. But they rely on communications links that must be increasingly high-capacity and long range to deal with the full range of requirements of future transport users. The generic technology they use is called Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The requirement for future standards in the ITS field is to be able to provide multiple services, over multiple different platforms, that will work in different countries (as vehicles can easily cross borders), while maintaining a simple-to-use interface that requires minimum intervention from the driver.

This, then, is the rationale behind an ongoing effort, launched by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) in 2003, under the auspices of Working Group 16 of ISO Technical Committee 204, and promoted by the more recently created industry association - The CALM Forum - to develop a new family of ITS standards with the overall branding of Continuous Air-interface, Long and Medium range (CALM).

A new ITU-T Briefing Report on CALM has been released as part of the Technology Watch function, which evaluates its potential as a new area for ITU standardization work (for instance, integrated with Next-Generation Networks) and its likely implications for developing countries. The report notes the work currently going on in ITU on ITS, including the forthcoming Fully Networked Car III workshop, to be held on 3-5 March 2008 in Geneva. It is planned that this will be the first of a series of new Briefing Reports looking at emerging new technologies.

The government of Rwanda generously hosted ITU’s first ever global Forum on Bridging the ICT standardization and development gap between developed and developing countries, in Kigali, Rwanda, 2-4 October. Participants welcomed the recent establishment of a special fund for voluntary contributions from world governments and industry to address the issue.

The ICT standardization gap refers to the shortage of human resources in developing countries, relative to developed ones, in terms of being able to participate effectively in the standards-making and implementation process. Standards are an essential tool in bridging the digital divide, in reducing costs, and bringing vital aid to developing countries in building their infrastructure and encouraging economic development.

Over 160 participants from 38 countries took part in the meeting, with several countries being represented at government Minister or company CEO level. The conclusions of the Forum, outlining the importance of addressing the standardization gap, will be provided as input to the upcoming Connect Africa summit to be held in Kigali, 29-30 October.

The Forum was formally opened by H.E. Albert Butare, Minister of State in charge of Energy and Communications. He drew attention to the country’s National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI) Plan where the aim is to focus on the benefits of ICTs for national development and prosperity so that by 2020 Rwanda will have achieved middle-income status as a knowledge-based economy. The Minister welcomed the support being given by ITU and the international community in helping Rwanda to achieve its goals.

Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, speaking in Kigali at the opening of the Forum, said: “The significance of the standardization gap is that it contributes to the persistence of the wider digital divide in ICTs. That is because one of the underlying causes of the digital divide is unequal access to technology and the ability to implement and use that technology. The process of technology transfer and implementation will happen much faster when African engineers can participate in standards development, particularly at the requirements-gathering stage, and are familiar with the relevant standards.”

Meeting participants agreed that a sustained commitment to raising standards awareness and to capacity-building is of particular importance and the meeting called on the ITU to step up its efforts, welcoming ITU’s organisation of a Global Standardization Symposium to address the issue. This will be held on 20 October 2008 just ahead of the next World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-08), planned for South Africa.

A chairman’s report from the Forum is available online as well as a full set of presentations: here.

A group of young African researchers presented their project MalariaControl during the Global Forum on Youth and ICT for Development (Geneva 24-26 September 2007), co-hosted by the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) and ITU.

MalariaControl, is a partnership comprising the Swiss Tropical Institute, the University of Geneva, the European Organization for Nuclear Research and the NGOs International Conference Volunteers and Informaticiens sans Frontières. Using Volunteer Computing (VC) it develops simulation models of transmission dynamics and health effects of malaria. The models represent an important tool for malaria control - optimal strategies for new vaccines or chemotherapy can be determined.

VC is used because the simulation of the full range of transmission patterns relevant for malaria control is complex and extremely computer intensive. The approach was popularised in 1999 with the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence: SETI@home.

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays a key role in reaching Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs were agreed at the Millennium Summit (New York, 6-8 September 2000), where 192 United Nations Member States and all the world’s leading development institutions agreed to try to achieve the - eight - goals by the target date of 2015. The goals range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.

In VC, a type of distributed computing, software clients installed on privately owned computers around the world perform calculations to progress in complex research fields. Home computers are idle most of the time. Owners donate their computer's idle CPU time, memory and network connection for distributed research. VC contains aspects of Grid Computing, see the three point checklist by scientist Ian Foster (PDF).

The open-source software client for VC, called BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing), can be downloaded for various computer platforms.

VC has also been discussed as a tool to carry out research on environmental phenomena and disaster prevention.

ITU-T is establishing an ''Expert Group'' which will review the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs). 

The ITRs are an international treaty whose purpose is to promote the development of telecommunication services and their most efficient operation while harmonizing the development of facilities for worldwide telecommunications.

The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) was requested by the Plenipotentiary Conference of 2006 to start the review process of the ITRs, which was last updated in 1988. The review is considered appropriate in light of the changing ICT environment characterized by convergence of telecoms, IT, broadcast as well as other industry sectors and also the liberalization of telecoms markets.

The Expert Group will examine the existing ITRs. The output of the ITU-T review will feed into a World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) scheduled for 2012. A different process, the World Telecommunication Policy Form (WTPF), will consider emerging telecommunications policy and regulatory issues with respect to international telecommunication networks and services.

The first meeting of the Expert Group will be held in Geneva, 10-11 October 2007. Information relating to the expert group will be available on the ITU-T website here . Information on the WTPF is available on the ITU-T website here.

Recognizing that satellite systems could be an important part of emerging Next Generation Networks (NGN), an ITU-T Workshop entitled “Satellites in the NGN?” will take place 13 July 2007 in Montreal, Canada. Following the workshop, the third meeting of the Intersector Coordination Group on Satellite Matters (ICG SAT) will take place.

The objectives of the workshop, hosted by ATIS, include examination of the role of satellite systems in NGN, and development of a perspective on current and future NGN standards. Participation is open to all interested parties.

Sessions will give an overview of NGN, examine QoS and QoE (E for experience), IPTV and mobility support, network management and requirements for disaster relief.

The role of the ICG SAT is to monitor and coordinate the work programmes of the relevant Study Groups in ITU-R and ITU-T in relation to the use of satellites. It aims also to draw the attention of the relevant Study Groups to emerging technologies and perform gap analysis to identify new work areas.

Following up on advice from ITU-T Study Group 2 (see previous story), the Director of TSB has assigned E.164 country code 888 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the purpose of facilitating the provision of an international system of naming and addressing for terminals involved in disaster relief activities in an area of a country that has been cut off from the national telecommunications system of that country.

This separate, alternate naming and addressing system will continue in operation until such time as normal telecommunications can be restored and the disaster location is once more part of the national telecommunications infrastructure. The use of any numbering resource will therefore be relatively short lived and the resource may be re-used at a later date for another location.

Subsequent digits of the codes (for example, identification codes under the E.164 code) will be allocated and administered by OCHA.

The numbering resources are assigned solely for the use of UN emergency responders and not for other purposes. The commercial aspects of the use of the numbering resource will be negotiated between OCHA and the appropriate operators and service providers. In addition, the Mobile Network Code (MNC) 88 under the E.212 shared Mobile Country Code 901 has been assigned to OCHA for the same purposes.