Register now for the Technical Symposium at ITU Telecom World 2011
A Technical Symposium, to be held during ITU Telecom World
2011 being staged in Geneva on 24–27 October, will take an indepth
look at cutting-edge technological developments that are
defining and influencing the future of networks and services in
areas such as e-health, e-government, and next-generation wireless
standardization and deployment.
Co-sponsored by the Communications Society (ComSoc) of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the
symposium will focus on the trends shaping tomorrow’s information
and communication technology (ICT) industry, featuring
insights direct from research and development organizations.
Designed for engineers and technical specialists, the event will
be free of marketing hype.
Twelve themes will be discussed: Security Issues in Future
Networks; Green Solutions for Sustainable Growth; Innovations
in Broadband; Improving Healthcare through eHealth Services;
New Concepts for Future Networks; Efficiency Challenges of
eGovernment; LTE Deployment Challenges; Broadband Networks
for Rural Service Delivery; Small Cells in Future Wireless Networks;
Standardization in Practice; Cognitive Management of Spectrum;
and Dependability of Emerging Economies on ICT.
To ensure a high-calibre, wholly original programme, presentations
will be selected via peer review by a panel of experts
drawn from technical committees and study groups of influential
organizations such as IEEE and ITU–T (ITU’s Telecommunication
Standardization Sector).
Delegate registration for ITU Telecom World 2011 is now
open. Participating delegates also have the chance to be part of
the high-level networking and knowledge-sharing taking place
throughout the week in Geneva. Delegates registering before
mid-September will benefit from “early bird” discounts.
The full programme of the ITU Telecom Technical Symposium,
including session timings and speakers is available at:
http://world2011.itu.int/sites/default/files/Event_Calendar.pdf.
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| Photo credit: AFP |
| Celebrating independence in the world’s newest nation |
Country code 211 assigned to South Sudan
On 14 July 2011, ITU announced that the world’s newest nation,
the Republic of South Sudan, has officially been assigned the
international dialling code 211, following the country’s formal
recognition as a United Nations 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.
On independence and recognition by the United Nations
General Assembly, a country can apply to ITU for a country code.
In this case, ITU officials had been in contact with South Sudanese
officials since January 2011 to explain the procedures in the case
of independence, which meant the country code could be preallocated
and assigned as soon as the UN General Assembly gave
South Sudan recognition.
The global country code numbering system is defined in
an ITU standard known as ITU–T Recommendation E.164. ITU
communicates this information to other Member States and the
world’s telecommunication operators in a publication called the
ITU Operational Bulletin. In addition to the country code, the
Government of the Republic of South Sudan will be assigned a
mobile country code and a signalling area/network code, which
facilitates all telephone calls by indicating how they should be
routed.
ITU’s message to global climate change conference
Ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17),
which will take place in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November
to 9 December 2011, participants in the ITU Symposium on ICT
and Climate Change, held in Accra, Ghana, on 7–8 July 2011
renewed calls for global leaders to recognize the power of information
and communication technologies (ICT) to mitigate and
adapt to the effects of climate change.
An outcome document calls on ITU, as the UN specialized
agency for ICT, to lead a coalition urging COP-17 delegates to
look to the enormous potential of ICT to cut emissions across
all sectors. The document advocates a “closed loop” approach
to manufacturing and recycling, in order to reduce the need to
extract and process raw materials. It also emphasizes the value
of ICT in monitoring deforestation, crop patterns and other environmental
phenomena.
Specific mention of ICT in the COP-17 negotiating text as an
element of national adaptation or mitigation plans, along with
the adoption of an agreed method for measuring the carbon
footprint of ICT equipment, would provide an incentive to the
ICT industry to invest in developing countries, help reduce the
digital divide, and at the same time contribute to fighting climate
change — a win-win scenario. ITU is already actively developing
a method that could serve as a reliable global benchmark for
assessing the carbon footprint of a wide range of ICT equipment.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré stressed the Union’s
commitment to providing the technical know-how to mitigate
and adapt to climate change. “It is now clear to most observers
that ICT have a very important role to play here. Recognition of
this at the international level will provide countries with a solid
argument to roll out climate change strategies with a strong ICT
element,” he stated.
Speaking at the opening of the Ghana symposium, Malcolm
Johnson, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization
Bureau, said: “Today, a world without ICT is unthinkable. ICT
are integrated into almost all parts of our society and economy.
Yet while the increasingly widespread use of ICT has changed
people’s lives dramatically and boosted economic growth, the
success of technology means it is itself a growing contributor
to greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, ICT probably
provide the most significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in the major high emissions industries of energy
generation, waste disposal, building and transport. This is a message
we must carry to COP-17.”
ITU launches a project on ICT and
climate change in Ghana
During the event, ITU launched a project on ICT and climate
change in Ghana, which will be based on two pillars. The first
will look at how ICT can be used to help Ghana adapt to the
effects of climate change, and will be led by the Ministry of
Communications and sponsored by Research in Motion (RIM).
The second, which will be led by Ghana’s Environment Protection
Agency with sponsorship from Vodafone Ghana, will look at how
telecommunications in that country can reduce their own greenhouse
gas emissions. This project will be the first test of the ITU’s
assessment method, as set out in Environmental Assessment for
the ICT Sector.
The Ghana event was the sixth ITU symposium on ICT, the
environment and climate change. It followed successful events
in Kyoto, London, Quito, Seoul and Cairo, beginning in 2008.
It was the first to address the broader issue of sustainable development,
identifying a number of possible recommendations
from the ICT sector that could be presented to the 2012 United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD 2012
or Rio+20). It was opened by John Dramani Mahama, Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana, and welcomed more than
350 delegates from around the world, as well as some 40 people
participating remotely.
Further information about ITU´s activities on climate change
is available at www.itu.int/climate.
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| Photo credit: |
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New ITU App Challenge calls for IPTV creativity
ITU’s latest global Application Challenge encourages developers
around the world to create innovative Internet Protocol television
(IPTV) apps running on ITU standards.
Applicants are encouraged to think creatively about the IPTV
platform and the opportunities it offers. The best app submitted
by an individual or small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) will
be awarded USD 10 000, thanks to sponsors Sumitomo Electric
Networks, Inc. and Dentsu Inc. There is a separate category for
corporate entries. Winners will receive their awards at a special
event at the ITU Telecom World 2011 show in Geneva in October.
While highlighting the rapidly expanding range of the IPTV
ecosystem, this latest ITU App Challenge is designed to stimulate
ground-breaking ideas from all corners of the globe. “ITU has
pioneered a raft of standards for IPTV, which are set to transform
global viewing habits. Global standards such as these will be key
to take-up,” said Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General, ITU.
“With this technology we have all the advantages of traditional
”linear” television combined with the flexibility that the Internet
offers.”
IPTV represents a major new business opportunity for telecommunication
companies, content providers and existing
broadcasters. ITU’s IPTV standards cover a wide range of topics
including interactive services, content location, terminal specifications, metadata and quality of service (QoS).
Companies from Brazil, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
France, and elsewhere have already incorporated ITU’s IPTV
standards in commercial television and set-top-box products. In
China and Japan, ITU IPTV is already deployed with several million
subscribers. And a test service is being conducted in Singapore.
ITU App Challenge entrants are encouraged to be creative in
areas such as:
linear (channel service) broadcast television, electronic programme guide and video on demand games e-government, e-publishing, e-commerce, e-learning and e-health services photo albums user-generated content fixed-mobile convergence.
The deadline for registering for the competition is
16 September 2011, and entries must be submitted by
23 September. Full details are available at:
www.itu.int/challenges/iptv/.
ITU teams up with leading Asian standards organizations to bring new technologies to market more quickly and at lower cost
ITU has signed an agreement with key Asian standards developers
that will mean new technologies come to market quicker
and at lower cost. Japan’s Association of Radio Industries and
Businesses (ARIB); China Communications Standardization
Association (CCSA); the Republic of Korea’s Telecommunications
Technology Association (TTA); and Japan’s Telecommunication
Technology Committee (TTC) have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with ITU recognizing ITU as the pre-eminent
global ICT standards body. The agreement seeks to smooth
the way for regional standards, developed in these four key regional
bodies, to be internationally recognized. This will enable
product manufacturers to more efficiently incorporate globally
standardized solutions in their products, leading to greater economies
of scale and lower costs to consumers.
The agreement will bring better access for ARIB, CCSA, TTA
and TTC to international standards-making activities, allowing all
partners to profit from information sharing on the standardization
aspects of nascent technologies. The MoU will also encourage
the identification of topics for joint work programmes in order
to avoid duplication.
“China, Japan and the Republic of Korea have been at the
forefront of the development of many of the technologies that
underpin the information society. At the same time, all three
countries have shown a commitment to the development of the
international standards that provide the interoperability needed
to seamlessly connect the world. This agreement cements the relationship
between ITU and four premier standards organizations
in the region”, said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré.
Masayoshi Wakao, Secretary General of ARIB considers that
“This MoU presents an enormous range of benefits to the ICT industry.
While our joint efforts will benefit all participating organizations,
the real winners will be industry and ultimately consumers.
More efficient and effective global standardization activities
will facilitate an open global market for systems, lowering costs
and providing for global interoperability.”
Zemin Yang, Secretary-General of CCSA, confirms that “ITU
is the globally recognized leader in international ICT standards.
CCSA is a long-time contributor to and supporter of the ITU standards
process. We welcome the opportunity to join with regional
partners to improve efficiency and underline this relationship.”
Keun-Hyeob Lee, President of TTA also welcomed the MoU as
the foundation for further strengthening the relationship among
the five organizations. “TTA believes that this MoU will create
the momentum for moving forward with international standardization
of newly emerging ICT technologies”, he said. Yoichi
Maeda, CEO of TTC added that the MoU leverages expertise in
some of the most technologically innovative minds in the world
today. “This is a sign of visionary and constructive thinking”, he
commented.
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