ITU-T e-FLASH
Telecommunication Standardization Sector
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ITU acts to cut roaming charges
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ITU members from the public and private sectors have agreed on
measures to reduce ‘bill-shock’ whereby consumers are faced with
unexpected and excessive charges for mobile roaming. They have
approved a number of measures to empower consumers and encourage
operators to lower tariffs. These measures (Recommendation ITU-T
D.98) will represent the first truly international agreement taking
steps towards lowering roaming costs.
Read
full press release |
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ICT stakeholders set out carbon commitments
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Industry leaders outlined their commitment to a green agenda with a
Declaration issued at the end of ITU’s Green Standards Week which
was organized together with TechAmerica Europe and hosted by
Microsoft in Paris. Agreed by over 150 participants from the private
and public sectors, the document includes carbon commitments from
leading ICT companies including: Alcatel-Lucent; AT&T; Cisco; Dell;
Fujitsu; Hewlett Packard; Huawei; Infosys; Intel; KPN; Microsoft;
Nokia Siemens Networks; Orange, Telecom Italia and Telefónica.
Read
full press release |
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ITU Forum on C&I for the Arab and African Regions
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ITU is to host a Forum on Conformance and Interoperability for the
Arab and African Regions. The event will focus on the ITU Conformity
and Interoperability programme, and will be held 5-7 November 2012,
in Tunis.
The Forum will address the following questions: tasks,
efforts and priorities to be fulfilled in the international
standardization field to increase interoperability of products
between various providers/manufacturers; capacity building and the
creation of test centres in the Arab and African regions;
accreditation; certification; mutual recognition agreements for
quality certificates; testing experience for system and network
solutions; services and parameters of network functionality for
ensuring quality of service (QoS).
Detailed information on the event is available
here.
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Briefing session on proposals submitted to WCIT-12 and WTSA-12
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Briefing sessions for ITU members on proposals submitted to WCIT-12
and WTSA-12 will be held at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, on 8 and 9
October 2012. The sessions will be chaired by Mohamed Al-Ghanim,
Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority,
United Arab Emirates. The WCIT-12 session will take place the full
day on Tuesday 8 October and the morning of 9 October and the
WTSA-12 session will follow that afternoon.
These meetings will provide participants with the opportunity
to explain their proposals, exchange views and have a better
understanding of each other’s proposals and positions. The
Secretariat will provide two documents, one for WCIT and one for
WTSA, showing the consolidated proposals submitted by 1 October
2012..
For further information please refer to
Circular 1025
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Job Vacancy: Study Group Advisor
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ITU is inviting applications for the post of Study Group
Advisor, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB),
at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The successful candidate will provide secretariat
support to an ITU-T Study Group; assisting the
management team and working groups by, inter alia,
studying all contributions and consulting with the
submitting bodies, preparing draft texts
(recommendations, reports, questions, etc.) and
providing input on the technical accuracy and
comprehensiveness of all such texts.
Applicants should have at least seven years of
experience in the field of ICTs/ telecommunications,
including at least three at the international level. A
Doctorate in a related field can be considered as a
substitute for three years of working experience.
Expertise on service definition, numbering,
naming, addressing requirements and resource assignment
including criteria and procedures for reservation and
assignment would be an advantage. In addition knowledge
of tariff and accounting matters (including costing
methodologies) for international telecommunication
services and related telecommunication economic,
accounting and policy issues would be an
advantage.Standards from the ITU are at the heart of
modern information and communications technologies
(ICTs). For more information see:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/info.
The Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
(TSB) provides essential logistical support to ITU-T’s
10 Study Groups including electronic working facilities
and meeting management. It also manages promotion,
workshops, membership, documents, finance, the website
etc. It is the body responsible for providing cohesion
to ITU-T’s standards making process.
An attractive package of salary (132,499 -171,699
USD without dependents; 142,285-185,624 USD with
dependents [Net of Tax]) plus international allowances
and benefits is offered (subject to eligibility).
The closing date for applications is 5 November
2012.A detailed vacancy notice and application form,
including remuneration, can be downloaded here.
Applications using the form must be sent to
recruitment@itu.int or by post to ITU Human Resources
Administration Division, Place des Nations, CH-1211,
Geneva 20, Switzerland.
Applications must reach ITU by the closing date. |
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In Memoriam: John Larmouth
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ITU regrets to announce the death of Professor John Larmouth
(1941-2012), a great contributor to the work of ITU-T and a lifelong
proponent of the virtues of international standardization.
John embarked on his career in computing at Cambridge
University where he earned a PhD in Pure Mathematics and Computing.
After another ten years at Cambridge, as a researcher and technical
officer involved in the provision of the university’s computing
service, John took up a position at the University of Salford, where
he founded and directed the university’s Information Technology
Institute and retired as Professor Emeritus of Telematics.
Alongside his academic career, John’s active involvement in
international standardization spanned thirty four years; beginning
in 1978, and leading to his 2001 founding of Larmouth Training &
Protocol Design Services Ltd., a consultancy specializing in ASN.1,
biometrics, and computer protocol design using ASN.1.
For the past 14 years, John served as a Rapporteur in ITU-T
Study Group 17 (Security), playing a crucial role in the successful
development and implementation of ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation
One), and particularly in the notation’s support for XML (Extensible
Markup Language). He worked as the Editor of ITU-T Recommendations
and ISO and IEC International Standards, including ITU-T X.1082, IEC
80000-14 and several standards in ISO/IEC JTC1/SC37 (Biometrics). He
was Rapporteur and Convenor of the joint work on ASN.1, Object
Identifiers (OIDs) and associated registration in ITU-T SG 17 and
JTC1/SC6.
ASN.1 is a standardized notation used to describe the data
structures carried by messages exchanged between communicating
parts. Ratified as a standard in 1984, the industry-shaping
specification language today boasts a long record of reliability and
interoperability, supporting the exchange of information in any form
(audio, video and data) and used in applications ranging from
telecommunications to parcel tracking, power distribution, banking
and biomedicine. The success of ITU-T’s series of ASN.1 standards
was in large part due to John’s prowess as a writer and editor of
technical standards, with the adoption of this series owing a great
deal to his role in increasing the clarity of successive editions.
His book, ASN.1 Complete, is available on the web and in print.
Many standards define certain objects for which unambiguous
identification is required. This is achieved through the assignment
of an object identifier (OID) to an object by a Registration
Authority, making the assignment available to all interested
parties. The naming structure is a ‘tree’ structure that allows the
identification of objects in a local or international context,
without being limited by registration authorities or the number of
objects they can register. John’s leadership in this effort included
authoring the 2010 ITU Handbook on Object identifiers (OIDs) and
their registration authorities.
John is survived by wife, Carol, and twins, Sarah-Jayne and
James. |
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High-level ITU talks address rampant patent litigation
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In light of recent patent disputes that have caused shipments of
goods to be impounded at docks and the worldwide increase in
standard essential patent (SEP) litigation, ITU will host a
high-level roundtable discussion between standards organizations,
key industry players and government officials at ITU headquarters in
Geneva, on 10 October 2012.
The
ITU Patent Roundtable will address the worldwide surge in
patent litigation and the growing lack of adherence to standards
bodies’ existing patent policies. Topics include potential
improvements to existing policy frameworks, entitlement to
injunctive reliefs, and definitions of what constitutes a royalty
base.
Discussions on the relevance of current arrangements based
around reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) patent policies will
be a key focus. RAND-based policies have thus far been an effective
way of managing natural tensions between patent holders, standards
implementers and end-users. However, the definition of what
constitutes ‘reasonable’, and whether or not holders of SEPs are
entitled to injunctive relief are now emerging as major points of
contention.
Full Press Release |
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ITU GeSI report uncovers opportunity to decrease e-waste
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A new ITU-Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) report reveals
that standards for the manufacture of external power supplies (EPS)
could enhance their reliability and extend their lifecycle while
decreasing their average weight by up to 30 per cent. This could
eliminate 300,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, the report estimates.
Putting this in context, this amount of waste, equivalent to sixty
per cent of current annual EPS e-waste, would form a 300km
truck-jam, every year.
Full press release |
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Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and ICTs: the Case of Ghana
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ITU, the Ministry of Communications of Ghana, the National
Communications Authority of Ghana and the Environmental Protection
Agency of Ghana, in cooperation with the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, have published a report
Climate Change
Adaptation, Mitigation and Information & Communications Technologies
(ICTs): the Case of Ghana.
The report written by Angelica Valeria Ospina (University of
Manchester), Cristina Bueti (ITU), Keith Dickerson and David
Faulkner (Climate Associates), focuses on exploring an increasingly
important question: How can developing countries effectively
integrate ICT tools within climate change adaptation and mitigation
strategies?
Ghana’s experience, illustrated in the report, demonstrates
that ICTs can help developing countries to unlock those
opportunities, and overcome the challenges posed by climate change
through e-enabled adaptation and mitigation responses.
The contribution of this report is two-fold. It presents the
potential of ICTs towards adaptation and mitigation through the
concrete case of Ghana, illustrating the challenges and
opportunities faced by developing countries in this field. The
report complements this analysis by offering concrete lessons
learned and practical suggestions aimed at developing country
decision makers and practitioners, thus fostering the adoption of
novel, ICT-supported approaches to climate change adaptation and
mitigation.
The case of Ghana represents a successful model to be
replicated in other developing countries to build resilience against
climate change using ICTs.
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Guidance on Green ICT Procurement
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ITU together with the European Telecommunications Network Operators’
association (ETNO) has launched a new report giving
Guidance on
Green ICT Procurement.
The report was launched during the forum on Environmental
Sustainability for the ICT Sector, which took place on 20 September
2012 in Paris (France) as part of the second ITU Green Standards
Week.
This report aims at guiding ICT companies in adopting
sustainable business practices.
Aimee Torres, ITU consultant, author of the report: “ICT
companies have the power and legitimacy to innovate, transform and
dematerialize the economy, but the increasing proliferation of
information and communication technologies has raised concerns about
the environmental consequences of these technologies… All kinds of
business practices and procurement decisions should, and can, be
made with a greener perspective.”
The report proposes a structured step-by-step procurement
process, outlining green principles to be applied by the ICT
industry when procuring goods, products and services, answering the
questions: How to buy? What to buy? Whom to buy from?
To achieve effective procurement practices, the author
reiterates the need to foster effective standardization in these
processes.
Full story |
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Review of Mobile Handset Eco-Rating Schemes
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A
Review of Mobile Handset Eco-Rating Schemes was another of a raft
of reports launched at the second Green Standards Week in Paris this
week. The publication outlines eco-ratings schemes developed by
mobile telecommunication operators to measure the sustainability and
environmental performance of their products to consumers.
Achieving environmental sustainability is one of the major
challenges of our times. To support the behavioral change of
consumers towards more sustainable purchasing, industries have
developed schemes to provide information on a product’s relative
sustainability, especially with regard to environmental aspects.
These eco-rating schemes generally cover three broad
categories — the company, the supply chain and the device itself.
This report shows that there is no scheme that could be
considered a perfect view of sustainability; however, each does
attempt to provide a broad perspective of the sustainability impact
of the manufacture, use and disposal of a mobile handset.
Based on this study, areas that eco-rating schemes should
consider as best practice are identified. To drive further
improvements, ITU-T Study Group 5 is encouraged to take the lead on
integrating the best elements of each scheme into a single scheme to
simplify the process for consumers, mobile operators and
manufacturers. |
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Greening ICT Supply Chains
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ITU together with the United Nations University (UNU) has launched a
report containing results of a Survey on Conflict Minerals Due
Diligence Initiatives.
The report
Greening ICT Supply Chains – Survey on Conflict
Minerals Due Diligence Initiatives was launched during the forum on
Greening ICT Supply Chain, which took place on 18 September 2012 in
Paris, France as part of the second ITU Green Standards Week.
International concern has been raised about the so-called
Conflict Minerals issue, referring to minerals (namely tin,
tantalum, tungsten and gold) mined in conditions of armed conflict
and human rights abuses.
These minerals are key inputs for products of the Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. Their sourcing from the
African Great Lakes Region - one of the largest sources of these
minerals - is taking place in the heart of two of the most important
ecosystems on the planet: the Congo Basin Ecosystem and the
Albertine Rift. Unsustainable management of how minerals are
accessed, extracted, processed and transported can irreversibly
endanger the surrounding environment.
While the conflict and human rights aspect of ICT supply
chains originating from the African Great Lakes Region garners much
of the current international attention, the environmental aspect has
been overlooked. This survey details existing initiatives (national
and international legislation, as well as industry-, government- and
multi-stakeholder led activities) aimed at providing the ICT sector
with guidance to conduct due diligence on their supply chains to
ensure that their sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold does
not contribute to conflict and human rights violations and does not
harm the environment.
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INFORMATION LINKS |
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