ITU-T e-FLASH
Telecommunication Standardization Sector
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Roundtable on the effectiveness of patent policies
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ITU is organizing a roundtable on the effectiveness of RAND-based
(reasonable and non-discriminatory) patent policies, 10 October
2012.
The ITU Patent Roundtable is being held in light of the recent
worldwide increase in patent litigation, and possible lack of
adherence to standards bodies’ existing IPR (Intellectual Property
Rights) policies.
The event, which will be run using a World Café methodology, will
provide a neutral venue for industry, standards bodies and
regulators to exchange ideas that will guide future discussions on
whether current patent policies and existing industry practices
adequately respond to the needs of the various stakeholders. It will
bring together standards bodies, industry players and government
representatives from around the world aiming to find solutions to
the key issues today affecting the ICT industry’s engagement with
patents and standards.
More here. |
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ITU event closes with green call to international community
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Participants at the
7th ITU Symposium on
ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change
have issued a Declaration that encourages
ICT manufacturers to make their products
more easily upgradable without need for
replacing the entire device. The call to
promote a life cycle approach in the design
of ICTs (eco-design) also means better
taking into account how components in a
device can be recycled. Reducing e-waste and
providing incentives and encouragement for
e-waste take back schemes were just some of
the issues included in the Declaration
issued at the end of the event on Friday, 31
May.
The Declaration adopted by the
approximately 150 participants at the event
also called for enabling policies to
encourage investment in smart technologies
and ICT based clean technologies (cleantech)
as a way of promoting green growth and
sustainable development. In addition the
support of ITU methodologies to measure the
impact of ICT and a recommendation to ramp
up research and development on the use of
ICTs for monitoring, mitigating and adapting
to the effects of climate change are
mentioned.
Full press release |
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ITU signs Memorandum of Understanding with IAF and ILAC
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ITU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the
International
Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The MoU strengthens the
three organizations’ commitment to cooperation and collaboration,
and will lend further impetus to the development of ITU-T's
Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) programme.
ITU international standards (Recommendations) seek above all
to enable the interoperability of ICT products and services,
allowing people access to the Information Society regardless of
their location or chosen ICT device. Conformance with ITU’s
international standards increases the probability that an ICT
vendor’s products will interoperate with those of other vendors.
ITU’s C&I program is taking measures to increase the
conformance and interoperability of ICT goods. A key part of this
initiative lies in the adoption of test suites applicable to ITU
international standards, and in the implementation of accredited
conformity assessment activities including the establishment of a
global network of regional conformance testing centres – tasked with
evaluating products’ degree of compliance with ITU’s international
standards, and thereby assessing the associated likelihood of
interoperability.
Accreditation bodies independently evaluate the compliance of
conformity assessment bodies against recognized international
standards, verifying their competence and impartiality. Overlaying
this assessment role is the peer evaluation of accreditation bodies
that in turn provides the foundation for the ILAC Mutual Recognition
Arrangements (MRAs) and the IAF Multilateral Recognition
Arrangements (MLAs) signed between accreditation bodies around the
world. Such agreements encourage consumer confidence in tested
products, increase market opportunities, encourage trade and
technology transfer, and contribute to the removal of technical
barriers to trade.
For more on ITU’s C&I programme, see ITU’s
C&I portal.
Full story. |
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New: Database access to MCCs and MNCs
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An online database of mobile country codes (MCCs) and mobile network
codes (MNCs), defined by
Recommendation ITU-T E.212: The
international identification plan for public networks and
subscriptions, is the latest addition to ITU-T’s
International
Numbering Resources (INR database).
MCCs are used to identify mobile telephony installations in
wireless telephone networks and are used in combination with MNCs to
uniquely identify network operators. The new database also provides
listings of shared international mobile telephony codes, and MCC+MNC
configurations used extra-territorially (MCC+MNC assigned to an
operator in one country, but used in another through the
establishment of a foreign base station by that operator).Slaheddine
Maaref, Tunisie Telecom: “In the past, authoritative MCC+MNC
information was available only through
ITU-T’s Operational Bulletin.
The online database is thus a welcome addition to ITU-T’s services;
offering me information of a quality and accuracy comparable to that
of the Bulletin, but with the added benefits of real-time updates to
its content and an ability to select and export only the information
I am looking for.”
Access to the database is a membership benefit available only
to
ITU Member States and
ITU-T Sector Members.
The database is navigable through such search criteria as
codes, countries/regions or network operators. Search results can be
exported to MS Word or Excel files, and can be bookmarked as
favourites in one’s Internet browser. |
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New ITU standards on next-generation 3D multimedia services
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Meeting in Geneva, 30 April to 11 May,
ITU-T
Study Group 16 – ITU’s lead study group on
multimedia coding, systems and applications
– in collaboration with the ISO/IEC JTC1
SC29 Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) -
agreed to the development of 3D extensions
to the Primetime Emmy award winning H.264
and the new High Efficiency Video Coding
(HEVC) standard. Further, building on the
HEVC collaboration under the JCT-VC (see
previous story), SG 16 also agreed to a Call
for Proposals for Scalability Coding
Extension to the new video codec.
In addition SG16 has approved the
first ITU-T Recommendation on digital
signage: ITU-T H.780, Digital signage:
Service requirements and IPTV-based
architecture. It is the first in a series of
ITU-T standards aiming to stimulate the
roll-out of digital signage technologies.
Centrally-managed, large-scale networks of
high-definition digital displays are of key
value to companies in targeting and engaging
with consumers, as well to municipalities
and governments in communicating vital
information to the public. The proprietary
nature of current digital signage solutions
not only restricts the integration of
applications across different networks and
vendors, but also makes solutions more
expensive and can be prohibitive for small
and medium enterprises. ITU International
standards are therefore required as the
common platform to unlock the industry’s
multi-billion dollar potential.
The meeting also saw various new and
updated voice and image coding standards
entering the approval process. The complete
list of results can be found
here. |
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ITU-T establishes new Focus Group on Smart Cable Television
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ITU-T has established a new Focus Group on Smart Cable Television
(FG SmartCable). FG SmartCable aims to map the Smart Cable
Television landscape and thereby provide the foundations for ITU-T’s
future standardization work in this regard.
Information and communication technology (ICT) is enabling
the provision of innovative audiovisual experiences over cable
networks; from ultra-high definition and 3D television to
cable-based video communication and telepresence, interactive home
environment control/monitoring, and improvements to broadcasting
technology itself.
The group will in particular analyse the system requirements
and capabilities to support Smart Cable Television, and identify
study areas to support the development of Smart Cable Television
standards development in ITU-T.
The first meeting of FG SmartCable was held at ITU
Headquarters in Geneva, 19-21 June 2012.
ITU-T Study Group 9 – Television and sound transmission and
integrated broadband cable networks – is the parent group to FG SmartCable.
The group will cooperate and collaborate with other ITU Study
Groups, and other standardization communities active in the field
including universities, research institutes.
For more information on FG SmartCable, please see the group’s
webpage here , or contact the group’s secretariat at
tsbfgsmartcable@itu.int. |
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Joint Coordination Activity on Child Online Protection established
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ITU has established a new Joint Coordination Activity on Child
Online Protection (JCA-COP) to coordinate the COP work across ITU’s
sectors and Study Groups as well as cooperate with outside
stakeholders engaged in COP. ITU-T Study Group 17 is the parent
group to JCA-COP, and will leverage its well-developed network of
ICT security stakeholders to harmonize these different elements to
ensure a unified approach to the creation of global COP standards.
JCA-COP is chaired by Ashley Heineman of the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), USA.
In keeping with its
Terms of Reference, JCA-COP will
coordinate the COP work already underway within ITU-T (particularly
that of SGs 2, 9, 13, 15, 16 and 17), and will liaise with ITU-R,
ITU-D and
ITU’s Council Working Group on COP.
JCA-COP seeks to study and understand the composition of the
COP ecosystem as it relates to the most relevant stakeholders, and
technical, legal or regulatory questions. It will act as the first
point of contact for any organization interested in ITU-T’s work on
COP, and will also actively pursue means of collaborating with
external bodies working in the field.
JCA-COP’s internal coordination mandate is thus accompanied
by an external research and outreach capacity; to be carried out in
a globally-inclusive manner. Cooperation and collaboration with
external bodies is always crucial to ITU-T’s standardization work,
and it will ensure that ITU’s forthcoming COP standards are agreed,
and consequently implemented, on an international basis.
More information:
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INFORMATION LINKS |
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