A Strong Year of Collaborations

Throughout 2024, we continued to build synergies with SDOs and Industry Forums such as Global Cities Hub, OASC, ISO, IEC, TM Forum, LoRa Alliance, and oneM2M.

Joint Coordination Activity on Internet of Things and Smart Cities and Communities (JCA-IoT and SC&C)

The JCA-IoT and SC&C provides a visible contact point for IoT and its applications including smart cities and communities (SC&C) activities. This would also help to coordinate with external bodies working in the field of IoT and SC&C and enable effective two-way communication with these bodies.

The JCA-IoT and SC&C held its 29th meeting, on 2 July 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland.

IEC-ISO-ITU Joint Smart Cities Task Force (J-SCTF)

In 2024, the Joint IEC-ISO-ITU Smart Cities Task Force (J-SCTF) continued to strengthen collaboration among ITU, ISO, and IEC. The initial tenure, which was extended by two years beyond its original end date of October 2022, remains ongoing, allowing the task force to advance its important work.

Collaboration with oneM2M

ITU and oneM2M collaborate on the development and adoption of IoT standards.
oneM2M developed a set of technical specifications for a common M2M service layer that can be readily embedded within various hardware and software, and relied upon to connect the myriad of devices in the field with M2M application servers worldwide. These technical specifications have been transposed into ITU-T Recommendations (Y.4500 series) to avoid market fragmentation and duplication of standardization efforts.

Cooperation with Global Cities Hub

In 2024, the ITU formalized a strategic cooperation agreement with the Global Cities Hub to strengthen collaboration on smart cities initiatives. This partnership aims to leverage the collective expertise to advance smart, sustainable city frameworks. By working together, ITU and Global Cities Hub will support city leaders in adopting international standards, promoting knowledge sharing, and driving innovations that enhance urban resilience, sustainability, and digital transformation on a global scale.

Cooperation with OASC

ITU has also embarked on a new collaboration with the Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) network, with a specific focus on implementing Recommendations ITU-T Y.4505 on Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) in cities. By aligning efforts, ITU and OASC aim to accelerate the adoption of standardized frameworks for interoperability, ensuring that cities can scale their digital transformation initiatives efficiently while fostering an open ecosystem that benefits inhabitants and urban communities globally.

Collaboration with LoRa Alliance

ITU and LoRa Alliance have joined forces to develop vital international standards recognized by the low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) community for IoT. This collaboration grows the agenda forward for the industry and accelerates digital transformation across economies. Buildings these synergies among standardization efforts to better support the Internet of Things and smart cities and communities. The technical specification from LoRa (LoRaWAN® 1.0.4 Specification) has been transposed into Recommendation ITU-T Y.4480 “Low power protocol for wide area wireless networks”.