Executive summary of the first meeting of Study Group 5 in the 2009-2012 study period (Geneva, 24-28 November 2008)

Introduction

The first meeting of Study Group 5 in the 2009-2012 study period was held in Geneva from 24 to 28 November 2008. The SG 5 meeting was attended by 70 delegates representing 40 ITU-T Members and Associates. The meeting considered a total of 17 contributions and 94 Temporary Documents. The meeting was devoted to the organization of the study group and the preparation of the work during the new study period.

1. Structure

WTSA-08 (Johannesburg) appointed the chairman and vice-chairmen of Study Group 5 as follows:

Chairman:	Mr Ahmed Zeddam (France)
Vice Chairmen:	Mr Tariq H. Al-Amri (Saudi Arabia) Mr Darren Carpenter (United Kingdom) Mr Héctor Carril (Argentina) Mr Philip Day (Australia) Mr Sung-Chul Kang (Republic of Korea) Mr Guy-Michel Kouakou (Côte d’Ivoire) Mr Alexander Tsym (Russian Federation) Mr Li Xiao (China)

Study Group 5 decided to have two Working Parties:

WP1/5 – Damage prevention and safety

Chairman: Mr Philip Day (Australia)
Vice-Chairman: Mr György Varju (Hungary)
WP2/5 – Electromagnetic fields: emission, immunity and human exposure.

Chairman: Mr Mitsuo Hattori (Japan)
Vice-Chairman: Mr Darren Carpenter (UK).
For WP2/5, the chairman and vice-chairman will rotate after two years.

The allocation of Questions to each Working Party is listed on the SG5 website. It was also decided to allocate Question 14/5 (Guide and terminology) directly to the plenary, as this question should be in relation with all SG5 questions.

2. Nomination of Rapporteurs

In order to guarantee the smooth workflow, SG5 decided to nominate a Rapporteur and an Associate Rapporteur for each study Question. The list is published on the SG5 website.

3. Nomination of Liaison Rapporteurs

To avoid any duplication of work between different standardization bodies and assure a permanent contact, SG5 nominated Liaison Rapporteurs to the relevant international and regional organizations. The list is published on the SG5 website.

4. Revision of study Questions

WTSA-08 allocated Questions C/6 and E/6 from former Study Group 6 to Study Group 5.

After examination of the wording of Question 7/5 (previously C/6), Study Group 5 found that the major part of this question was already covered by Question 1/5, and decided to revise Question 1/5 to cover the tasks given in Question 7/5 that fall under its mandate. The remaining part is more relevant to Study Group 15 and a liaison statement was sent to this effect (see COM 5 – LS 1). Question 7/5 was therefore proposed for deletion.

In order to avoid overlap between Question 10/5 (previously E/6) and Question 8/5, the title of Question 10/5 and the wording of both questions were revised.

Study Group 5 at its meeting 25-28 November 2008 agreed on the revised wording and agreed to submit the above-mentioned draft questions for approval at the next meeting.

5. Revision of the work programme

During the examination of each Question, the work programme was reviewed and updated. The complete work programme can be consulted from SG5 webpage.

6. Consented Recommendations and other publications

6.1 Consent of Recommendations

Consent was reached on 3 new Recommendations and on 1 revised Recommendation, as shown in the following Tables.

New Recommendations

ITU-T Rec. No.	Provisional Number	Title	Question
K.77	K.var	Characteristics of Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) for the protection of telecommunications installations	13/5
K.78	K.hemp	HEMP immunity guide for telecommunication centres	15/5
K.79	K.emc	Electromagnetic (EM) characterization of the radiated environment in the 2.5 GHz ISM band	16/5

Revised Recommendations

ITU-T Rec. No.	Title	Question
K.11	Principles of protection against overvoltages and overcurrents	13/5

6.2 Other publications

SG 5 approved the revision of the following documents that will be published on the web:

• K-series Terminology;
• Guide to the use of ITU-T Publications produced by Study Group 5 aimed at achieving Electromagnetic Compatibility and Safety

 

7. Technical session

According to the decision of the last SG5 meeting, a Technical Session entitled “Injury to persons touching electrical and electronic equipment inside a structure due to lightning” was arranged for Wednesday afternoon.

The session consisted of the following topics and presenters.

Title	Speaker
Introduction	Mr. Ahmed Zeddam
Lightning Hazardous overvoltages	Mr. Phil Day
Risk and risk components, Use of surge protective devices	Mr. Célio Fonseca Barbosa
K.injury	Mr. Phil Day
Conclusions, questions, comments	All speakers

A result of the discussions is that it was agreed to proceed with a draft new Recommendation K.injury on the reduction of risk of injury to people (related to users of telecommunication equipment in private buildings) due to overvoltages and overcurrents on telecommunication lines due to lightning.

8. Next meeting

As per TSAG (July 2008) decision, the next meeting of SG5 was planned to be held in October 2009. However it was felt that this is too long a period and it was agreed to hold an additional meeting in May 2009. Taking into account new Resolution 72 of WTSA-08 on EMF issues, the May meeting will probably be held in Côte d’Ivoire, combined with a one-day workshop specifically addressing developing countries EMF problems. The date and venue will be confirmed later.