A two-day tutorial in Gyeonggi, Korea, 30-31 October, will arm ICT experts in the region with the skills necessary to perform the roles of Rapporteur or Editor in the standardization work of ITU-T.
 
The event is sponsored by the Korean government and ITU-T and will be hosted by the Korea ITU Committee. The tutorial will be delivered by Gary Fishman, former Chair of the ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG). Watch a video interview with him here.

Rapporteurs are responsible for coordinating standardization work undertaken within a particular “Question” of an ITU-T Study Group. A “Question” refers to a specific area of study and a Rapporteur will oversee work on multiple standards within that subject area, while at the same time liaising with other Questions and Study Groups to ensure that suites of complementary standards are produced in a coordinated manner. An Editor coordinates the construction of particular standard (ITU-T Recommendation); incorporating and consolidating contributions to a standard, and liaising with other Editors, Questions and Study Groups as appropriate.
 
The upcoming tutorial is part of ITU-T’s ongoing efforts to increase the efficiency and harmonization of the work performed by ITU-T Study Groups. The tutorialwill address, inter alia:

• Leadership within working groups;
• Role, authority and responsibility of Rapporteurs and Editors;
• ITU basic texts as they relate to Rapporteurs and Editors;
• Approval procedures for Recommendations, annexes, handbooks, etc.

Visit the event’s webpage here

Registration form: TSAG Meeting

Virtual meeting of the TSAG ad hoc group on working methods,  17 & 18 April 2012

Registration form

TSAG

TSAG, the group that acts as the steering group for all ITU-T Study Groups will trial a cutting-edge remote participation platform that will allow ITU-T members to join meetings remotely and collaborate in the six official ITU languages, with full simultaneous interpretation.

Participants simply need log on using a standard web browser to join the meeting from any location that has a good quality high-speed connection. To profit from interpreted audio feeds participants will also have to dial-in via a standard telephone line.

Logging onto the system will take participants into a ‘virtual meeting room’, where they can see a list of participants, interact with others via online chat and video links, and view meeting documents. ITU interpretation services mean verbal interventions can be made in any of the supported languages.

The new platform will greatly enrich the quality of discussions, further narrowing the ‘standardization gap’ which tends to favour participants from wealthier nations, and allowing many more people from different countries and cultures to join the discussion.

The platform is based around the Adobe Connect software suite, with compatible pods provided by Refined Data Solutions Inc. in partnership with ZipDX (multilingual functionality) and Caption First (captioning).

The innovation also represents a significant milestone in ITU’s efforts to become carbon neutral, reducing the need for delegates to travel to and from meetings.

Pre-registration is necessary in order to use the new platform. For more information, see TSAG TD 311 and http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/tsag/remote-participation.html for details.

Meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), Geneva Switzerland, 10 - 13 January 2012

Collective Letter 4

TSAG

Meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

Geneva, 28-30 April 2009

Registration form

See ITU-T TSAG Collective Letter 1 for more information.

TSAG Home

Meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

Geneva, 02-09 July 2008

Registration Form

See TSAG Collective Letter 6 for more information.

TSAG Home

An Information Note from the ITU IS Department is available to help you configure your laptop for the ITU's Wireless LAN.

• ITU's Wireless LAN facilities for Delegates NEW! [Ver.10 Updated 28.11.2007]

See the EWM FAQs page

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.

Next meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

Geneva, 3-7 December 2007

Registration Form

See TSB Collective-letter 5/TSAG for more information.

TSAG Home

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.

PP-06 Decisions on review of the International Telecommunication Regulations and subsequent actions

The ITU Antalya Plenipotentiary Conference, after considering a number of input documents from Member States, adopted Resolution 146, which resolved that a review of the International Telecommunication Regulations should be carried out.

It resolved that ITU-T should carry out a review of the ITRs, engaging with the other Sectors as may be required, with ITU-T as the focal point, and that the fourth World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) should consider emerging telecommunications policy and regulatory issues, with respect to international telecommunication networks and services, for the purpose of understanding them and possibly developing opinions as appropriate.

More...

Next meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (including meeting of the Seminar Coordination Committee (SCC))
 
Geneva, 26 February - 1 March 2007

Registration Form

See TSB Collective-letter 4/TSAG for more information.

TSAG Home

Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID) Input Documents
 
   No.     Title

   25R1   TSB Draft documents allocation

   26      Rapporteur Group Q6/17 Response LS to Q15/13 on ITU-T studies on security aspects of NGN IdM

   27      Q9/17 Rapporteur Group meeting LS on Privacy Protection framework for Networked RFID Services

   28      ITU-T Q6/17 Rapporteur Group meeting Response to Liaison statement on Identity Management (SC 27 N 5193)

JCA-NID Home

Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID) Input Documents
 
   No.  Title

   10   Draft List of contact points for the participating entities (V.1)

   24   Draft list of documents

   25   Draft documents allocation

JCA-NID Home

Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID) Input Documents
 
   No.  Title

   21   Proposal for a JCA-NID action plan

   22   JCA-NID mode of operation

JCA-NID Home

Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID) Input Documents
 
   No.  Title

   14   Development models of network aspects of identification systems (including RFID) (NID) and proposal on approach for the standardization

   15   A Proposed NID Service Reference Architecture and Some Terminologies

   16   Next Steps of Networked ID Standardization Activity in ITU-T on the Basis of the Analysis of Networked ID Applications

   17   Summary of the results from TSAG and mission of JCA-NID

   18   Proposed Working Structure of JCA-NID

   19   A Focus Group Proposal for NID-related standardization activities

   20   Draft Agenda for the 1st JCA-NID meeting

JCA-NID Home

Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID) Input Documents
  
   No.  Title

1. Circular letter
2. Contributions related to RFID
3. TSAG WP 4 Report (TSAG-R16)
4. TSAG-TD-GEN-0261: Final draft for "Proposed ITU-T strategy for standardization issues on network aspects of identification with harmonized standardization cooperation"
5. TSAG-TD-GEN-0314: Report for Business Models and Service Scenarios for network aspects of identification (including RFID)
6. TSAG-TD-GEN-0315: Final draft for "Review report of standardization issues on network aspects of identification including RFID"
7. TSAG-TD-GEN-0316: Final draft for "Proposed ITU-T strategy for standardization issues on network aspects of identification with harmonized standardization cooperation"
8. TSAG-TD-GEN-0317: Convener’s report on the work of the Correspondence Group on network aspects of identification (including RFID)
9. Tentative list of topics of common interest
10. List of contact points for the participating entities (not yet available)
11. LS on information from Daidalos
12. LS on ITU-T studies on security aspects of NGN Identity Management (IdM)
13. LS on Y.idserv-reqts (NGN service requirements for ID-based applications)

JCA-NID Home

TSAG approved at its meeting (Geneva, 3-7 July 2006), the establishment of a Joint Coordination Activity on Network Aspects of Identification Systems (including RFID) (JCA-NID). Mr. Pierre-André Probst (OFCOM, Switzerland) was appointed as the Convenor of this activity.

JCA-NID is open to members and designated representatives of relevant Standards Development Organization and Forums.

The terms of reference of the JCA-NID are:

• To examine the proposed deliverables of the correspondence group on network aspects of identification systems (including RFID), in order to improve them and use them as baselines texts. Comments are invited on the deliverables from the membership and SGs
• To further develop and analyze the list of standardization items and associated roadmap
• To forward specific standardization issues to relevant SGs and other SDOs as appropriate
• To act as a single point of contact within ITU-T with other SDOs in order to avoid duplication of work
• To examine the best way to make available the most urgent deliverables on network aspects of identification systems (including RFID) (in particular, proposing the creation of focus group(s) for the most urgent topics with corresponding terms of reference).

The JCA-NID activities will report its progress to TSAG.

The first meeting of JCA-NID will be held on 19-21 September 2006.

JCA-NID Home

On 4 and 5 April 2006 the TSB Director convened a consultation meeting to consider possible measures to take care of the IPTV studies within the ITU-T (TSB Circular 71). A result of the consultation meeting was an agreement to establish, according to provisions of Recommendation A.7, a Focus Group on IPTV. A website for the focus group has been established at http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/IPTV/index.phtml

Subsequent to the agreement at the consultation meeting, TSAG, at its meeting 3 to 7 July 2006, decided that the parent of the IPTV Focus Group should be Study Group 13 and that a Joint Coordination Activity (JCA) should be established amongst the management of the concerned study groups to provide an interface to the IPTV Focus Group.

The IPTV-JCA will work primarily by correspondence but can also meet in association with meetings of Study Group 13 where necessary. In addition urgent issues requiring attention can be flagged up at any time and the JCA can convene as appropriate to take action.

IPTV Joint Coordination Activity (IPTV-JCA) Home

With the agreement of the TSAG meeting 14-18 March 2005, a Joint Coordination Activity on Home Networking (JCA-HN) was established. Mr. Andrew Nunn (BT, UK) was appointed as the Convenor of this activity.

The scope of the JCA-HN was decided following a meeting held immediately after the ITU-T workshop Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking, 13 – 14 October 2005, Geneva and discussions at the TSAG meeting 7-11 November 2005. The name “Home Network Initiative” will be used to describe work in this field spanning ITU-T Study Groups.

JCA-HN will:

• Co-ordinate the Home Network Initiative activity across all the relevant ITU-T Study Groups (e.g. currently ITU-T SGs 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17) and liaise with relevant ITU-R SGs (currently, SGs 1 and 6).
• Seek cooperation from external bodies working in the field and disseminate information received from these bodies to the relevant ITU-T Study Groups.
• Identify what should be standardized by ITU-T
• Prepare a roadmap for this standardization activity

More on JCA-HN

Next meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

Geneva, 7-11 November 2005

Registration Form

See TSB Collective-letter 2/TSAG for more information.

TSAG Home

ITU-T’s Technology Watch was created following a decision by the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-04) in October 2004. Technology Watch will survey the ICT environment, focusing on new/emerging technologies and examining market trends in order to capture new topics for standardization work.The terms of reference for the group were established at a meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), March 2005.

Objectives
Develop timely market-oriented international standards on specific topics
Increase cooperation between research institutes, academia, private sector, forums and consortia
Align and harmonize the studies and research among different standards developing organizations (SDOs), therefore avoiding duplication of work

Technology Watch Correspondence Groups
Technology Watch Correspondence Groups provide a platform for members and non-members, to share views, ideas and needs on new emerging technologies.

Gathering Info on New Technologies
Those that are working at the cutting edge of technology - universities, research and development bodies, industries etc - will find in Technology Watch a platform to discuss and observe emerging technologies and subsequently their need for standardization. As technologies mature the need for international standards becomes more important and so Technology Watch seeks to bring together all interested parties, from all over the world.

More on ITU-T's Technology Watch

More technical standards in support of telecommunications for disaster relief (TDR) and early warning (EW) should emerge following a decision by the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG). The decision to create an action plan addressing this topic was also influenced by the joint Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)/ITU meeting on the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) for disaster reduction held in Bangkok, 28 February 2005.

TSAG encouraged all ITU-T study groups to increase related standardization activity and production of other materials such as handbooks.

ITU-T Recommendations already produced in the field include specifications that allow for preference to be given to emergency calls in a disaster situation. Additionally, ITU- T earlier established a Partnership Coordination Panel on Telecommunications for Disaster Relief (PCP TDR) that includes representatives of different ITU Study Groups, other standards developing organizations (SDOs), intergovernmental agencies and relief organizations, and aims at providing a channel to exchange views and experiences on TDR.

March’s meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) agreed on the terms of reference for a new group to monitor academia, industry, research institutes and other SDOs to identify new subjects for study by ITU-T. 

To begin with the Technology Watch will use mainly electronic working methods to stimulate discussion, gather information and generate contributions for new work items.

One of the first topics that the group will examine are the network aspects of radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID is the much-touted system that enables data to be transmitted by a tiny portable device, called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed according to the needs of a particular application. 

Grid Computing is another area that is being examined for future standardization needs. Grid computing offers a model for solving massive computational problems by making use of the unused resources of large numbers of disparate computers treated as a virtual cluster embedded in a distributed telecommunications infrastructure.

In response to ITU-T’s growing workshop programme the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) has established a Seminar Coordination Committee (SCC). This follows a strengthening of the secretariat team dealing with these events. 

ITU-T organizes a number of workshops and seminars to progress existing work areas and explore new ones. The events cover a wide array of topics in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) and attract high-ranking experts as speakers, and attendees from engineers to high-level management from all industry sectors. 

The SCC is responsible for coordinating the development of ITU-T’s annual programme of seminars and workshops and providing guidelines for the organization and evaluation of these events. Among other things SCC will ensure that the needs of developing countries are taken into account, and that each event produces a report that covers lessons learned and recommended follow-up actions. 

The group will work closely with study group management and, where relevant, involve other ITU sectors.