GLOBAL COOPERATION

In its quest for ever more timely development of effective, stable standards for new equipment and services, ITU recognizes the vital importance of close cooperation with recognized global and regional standards bodies.

Collaboration with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) helped speed the release of Recommendations ITU-T H.248 and ITU-T Y.1310, which were developed through efficient working partnerships between experts from both organizations. An IP-Telecoms interworking workshop was also sponsored by ITU during the course of the year, with the aim of helping ITU and IETF experts proactively identify forthcoming standardization issues relating to Internet Numbering, Naming, Addressing and Routing.

At the same time, an important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ITU and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), ensuring ETSI and ITU-T access to one another’s work programme and reinforcing a commitment to joint development work. A second MoU on e-business was also signed by ITU, the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, defining frameworks for e-business scenarios, interoperability standards and product definition data standards.

Finally, four new organizations were accorded ITU-T accreditation for communication and normative referencing; the Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Forum, the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), the Ecma International, and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). Accreditation of these organizations permits cross-referencing of their texts in ITU-T Recommendations, to speed standards development activities.