ITU-T e-FLASH
Telecommunication Standardization Sector
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ITU-WHO Workshop produces roadmap
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A joint ITU-WHO workshop on "e-Health standards and
Interoperability" at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 26-27 April,
gathered experts from the healthcare and ICT communities to discuss
means of leveraging today’s advanced communications capabilities to
achieve more efficient, cost-effective and equitable health services
worldwide.
Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU's Telecommunication
Standardization Bureau (TSB) opening the event: "With a growing,
ageing, population in the 21st century, it is clear that one of the
areas where ICTs can help make the greatest difference is in the
provision and delivery of healthcare. ICTs are now understood to
play a pivotal role in increasing efficiency and quality in delivery
of health care, and reducing risk and suffering, particularly among
the most vulnerable communities in developing countries. However, in
e-health unfortunately standardized solutions are rare.
Interoperability is a key determinant of e-Health’s efficient and
equitable rollout. This is not an area where we can afford to have
costly squabbles over proprietary technologies. International
standards will bring down costs, increase access, and improve
efficiencies.
"The workshop showcased innovative healthcare technologies
and policy frameworks already in force, and pointed to areas where
interoperable ICT standards could further stimulate such
innovations’ development and implementation.
The workshop hosted a lively exchange of ideas and brought
healthcare and ICT experts together to form the relationships
certain to underpin the development of next-generation healthcare
services. The workshop’s closing session focused on the future of
e-Health standardization which, judging by the volume of input
received from attendees, represents the beginnings of what is sure
to be a very fruitful collaboration between ITU and WHO. It was
suggested at the event that ITU and WHO provide a platform to lead
these discussions, with the participation of the key e-health
stakeholders.
For more on this story
More information on the workshop
here. |
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Strong set of message from industry ahead of WCIT
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A meeting of European network operators last
week (covered in this
press release),
concluded with a strong set of messages from
industry ahead of the forthcoming World
Conference on International
Telecommunications (WCIT).
The meeting, convened by ITU and the
European Telecommunications Network
Operators’ Association (ETNO) drew a
positive focus on the possibility of the new
treaty strengthening ICT sector development.
Concluding, Malcolm Johnson, Director of
ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization
Bureau, noted the following points had been
made:
- The new treaty
should address the current disconnect
between sources of revenue and source of
cost to ensure a win-win for all players.
- It should facilitate the benefits of
Internet being brought to all the peoples of
the world in particular by encouraging
broadband roll-out and investment.
- It should focus on telecom issues
without involving the geopolitical agenda,
in particular Internet governance, and
emphasise the importance of liberalization
and privatisation, and should recognize the
role of the private sector and market based
solutions.
- Should remain high level principles
providing light touch regulation that
encourages investment and innovation and
that any economic aspects should have a
stringent impact analysis taking account of
the different levels of development in
countries around the world. It should be
flexible recognising that tomorrow’s world
will be very different to today’s.
- Should foster the right conditions to
allow markets to flourish within a long term
vision backed by sustainable business
models.
- That WCIT will be an opportunity to
address many of the concerns of industry and
so industry should be active in the
preparatory process, in particular an input
on behalf of ETNOs membership would be very
welcome.
- That ITU should organise an
information session after all the regional
groups have concluded their preparations
possibly in September.
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New guide on exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields
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At its most recent meeting, 11-19 April,
ITU-T Study Group 5 – ITU’s
lead Study Group on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and
electromagnetic effects – consented Recommendation ITU-T K.91:
Guidance for assessment, evaluation and monitoring of the human
exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF).
Recognizing that a significant part of the infrastructure
needed to bridge the digital divide involves wireless technologies,
the K.91 guide was created in response to developing nation concerns
with the risks of human exposure to RF EMF and local communities’
growing resistance to the deployment of radio installations in their
surrounds.
The new Recommendation responds to Resolution 72 of the 2008
World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly in Johannesburg
(WTSA-08) which called upon ITU-T, and in particular Study Group 5,
to expand and accelerate its work in this domain.
Specifically, SG 5 was urged to regularly update its guides
on the use of ITU-T publications to achieve EMC and safety, with
particular emphasis on those relating to measurement methodologies.
Recommendation ITU-T K.91 acknowledges that a variety of
methods exist to assess human exposure to RF EMF, that each carry
different advantages and disadvantages, and that the choice of a
method depends on the needs and circumstances of its user. K.91
therefore provides guidance on methods to assess and monitor human
exposure to RF EMF in areas with surrounding radiocommunication
installations; based on existing exposure and compliance standards
in the frequency range of 9 kHz to 300 GHz. This includes procedures
to evaluate exposure levels and to demonstrate compliance with
exposure limits.
While existing standards are product or service-oriented,
K.91 is intended for the examination of areas accessible to people
in the real environment of currently operated services with many
different sources of RF EMF. It does however also make reference to
standards and recommendations related to EMF compliance of products.
For more on the work of SG 5, see the group’s webpage
here. |
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Theme for ITU Kaleidoscope 2013: Building Sustainable Communities
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Building Sustainable Communities, the fifth ITU Kaleidoscope
conference, will be hosted by the University of Kyoto, Japan, 22-24
April 2013. Kaleidoscope-13 is being organized by ITU with the
technical co-sponsorship of IEEE ComSoc and the Institute of
Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE) of
Japan, with financial support from Telkom SA, and in partnership
with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of
Japan, Waseda University, the Institute of Image Electronics
Engineers of Japan (I.I.E.E.J.), and the European Academy for
Standardization (EURAS).
Kaleidoscope events are peer-reviewed academic conferences
with the aim of increasing dialogue between academics and experts
working on the standardization of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs).
A
call for papers has been issued and invites submissions by
10 September 2012. A prize fund totaling $10,000 will be awarded to
the three best papers, which will also be featured in a special
edition of IEEE Communications Magazine. Additionally, young authors
presenting their papers at Kaleidoscope-13 will receive Young Author
Recognition certificates and all the papers presented will be
archived in the IEEE Xplore online catalogue.Kaleidoscope-13 aims to
identify emerging ICT developments able to effect the socio-economic
change needed for communities to meet the challenges posed by the
new millennium. Sustainable communities will be those that prepare
as well as they can for future challenges, and this will require a
careful balance of human-centric technology and sound ethical
values.
ICT standards will be key to enabling the co-evolution of
technology and sustainable communities. Developing these standards
will require concerted global efforts by stakeholders across
industry sectors. Kaleidoscope-13 therefore promotes collaboration
in this regard and will highlight the multidisciplinary nature of
future ICTs.In addition to an exhibition of local universities’
curricula, the presence of high-level keynote speakers, and the
presentation of invited papers, Kaleidoscope-13 will host the third
Jules Verne’s Corner, a space giving air to the ideas of futurists
and science fiction writers.
Following Kaleidoscope-13, a one-day Workshop on ITU and
Academia, 25 April 2013, will provide information on ITU’s Academia
membership category and will present and discuss the
standards-focused activities of ITU’s academic members.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact the ITU-T
Kaleidoscope secretariat at kaleidoscope@itu.int.
For additional information, see the event’s webpage at:
http://itu-kaleidoscope.org/2013. |
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New ITU-T standards target improved energy efficiency of ICT equipment
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At its recent meeting at ITU Headquarters in
Geneva, 11-19 April,
ITU-T Study Group 5 –
ITU’s Study Group on environment and climate
change – consented two new ITU-T standards
(Recommendations) targeting increased energy
efficiency of ICT equipment.
The first Recommendation provides a
specification of the direct current (DC)
interface between power-feeding systems and
connected ICT equipment, and the second
defines energy efficiency metrics and
measurement methods to assess the energy
efficiency of telecommunication equipment.
Recommendation ITU-T L.1200 specifies
a DC current interface able to operate using
a power source of up to 400 Volts, which
allows higher energy efficiency and
reliability than can be achieved using
lower-voltage power feeding solutions. The
Recommendation standardizes a power feeding
system applicable to all ICT equipment
defined in a location using these power
sources such as: telecommunication centres;
radio base stations; data centres; and
customer premises. Additionally, the DC
interface will simplify the use of renewable
energy sources producing DC output such as
photovoltaic generators and fuel cell
systems.
Recommendation ITU-T L.1310 defines
energy efficiency metrics and measurement
methods for telecommunication equipment
including: wired as well as wireless
broadband access; optical transport
technologies; routers; switches; mobile core
network equipment; and small networking
equipment used in homes and small
enterprises. L.1310 defines metrics which
evaluate ICT equipment’s energy efficiency
through a comparison between its technical
performance and its energy consumption. The
Recommendation also details measurement
methodologies to verify energy efficiency
figures produced in accordance with L.1300.
For more on the work of SG 5, please
see the group’s webpage
here. |
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New ITU-T Technology Watch Report looks at Privacy in Cloud Computing
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The latest
ITU-T Technology Watch report discusses the privacy
concerns associated with cloud computing, the role privacy-enhancing
technologies (PETs) could play in alleviating them and the
standardization activities currently engaged with the topic.
Cloud computing represents a major change in the way
information is managed, especially as it relates to personal data.
Cloud is expected to positively impact users’ IT budgets and costs
of ownership, but could also threaten the relevance of traditional
security, trust and privacy mechanisms.
The rollout of cloud services has introduced a number of
questions related to information privacy and security:
- Who are the stakeholders in the cloud computing market?
- What are their roles and responsibilities?
- Where is the data stored?
- How is the data replicated?
- Which legal frameworks are applied to data processing in a cloud environment?
- How will service providers meet expected levels of security and privacy?
The adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies will depend on
the existence of uniform ways to handle personal data, which must be
agreed at the international level. Developing technical standards in
this regard is a means to achieve international consensus on such
issues, and compliance with these standards will aid in
demonstrating countries’ and businesses’ adherence to the associated
legal and regulatory frameworks.
Authored by Stéphane Guilloteau, France Télécom Orange,
France and Venkatesen Mauree of ITU, the report, as well as
additional information on cloud-computing privacy, is available at
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/techwatch/Pages/cloud-computing-privacy.aspx.
Experts from industry, academia and research communities are
invited to submit topic proposals and abstracts for future reports
in the Technology Watch series. For more details, please contact the
Technology Watch team at tsbtechwatch@itu.int. |
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M2M Focus Group attracts healthcare vertical
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The first meeting of ITU-T’s new
Focus Group on M2M service layer
(FG M2M), 17-18 April, attracted a large number of experts from the
healthcare and ICT fields to discuss the M2M standardization
requirements of vertical healthcare markets.
The open meeting was well-attended in Geneva and via remote
participation, receiving 57 delegates from 17 countries;
representing members and non-members of ITU, and composed of four
government representatives, twenty-six from the private sector and
nine from academic and research institutions. Among the delegates
were seven representatives of healthcare organizations including
World Health Organization (WHO) and Continua Health Alliance.
The Focus Group’s structure and working methods were central
topics in this foundational meeting, as was its work plan laying out
the group’s objectives and deliverables. The FG will focus on M2M in
the healthcare context and was divided into three Working Groups;
the first looking at M2M use cases and service models, and the
second at determining the requirements and architectural framework
of the M2M service layer. The third deals with M2M Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs) and protocols and will begin its work
when sufficient progress has been made by the first two Working
Groups.
Also of note was the appointment of the group’s Chairman and
Vice-Chairmen:
Chairman: Heyuan Xu, CATR (China)
Vice-Chairmen:
Marc Berrebi, eDevice (France)
Marco Carugi, ZTE (China)
Robert Istepanian, Kingston University (UK)
Hyoung Jun Kim, ETRI (Korea)
Monique Morrow, Cisco Systems (USA)
The next meeting of FG M2M will take place in Beijing, 26-28
June 2012, hosted by CCSA/CATR. The deadline for contributions to
this meeting is 18 June. Provisional dates for the third meeting in
Geneva are 29-31 August, and the fourth will take place in November,
in the USA (TBC).
To follow the activities of FG M2M, see the group’s webpage
here. |
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Treaty to give new impetus to ICT sector development
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European telcos propose constructive input to global ICT treaty
Geneva, 20 April 2012 - European operators meeting at a joint
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and European
Telecommunications Network Operators’ (ETNO) event have agreed that
upcoming revisions to the treaty that governs international
telecommunications should act as a positive catalyst for the future
development of ICT, to benefit all countries.
Meeting in Brussels this week to discuss preparation for the
World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) which
will be held in Dubai, 3-14 December, ITU representatives described
the mechanisms for input into the WCIT process and some of the
emerging themes. An open discussion allowed industry to present its
views.
All participants agreed that revisions to the International
Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) should foster the right
conditions to allow markets to flourish within a long term vision
backed by sustainable business models.
Full press release |
INFORMATION LINKS |
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