Executive summary of the SG2 meeting

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Executive summary:

Cluster of SG2-related meetings
(Operational aspects of telecommunications and ICTs)
Virtual, 25-28 August and Geneva, 1-5 September 2025

1     Overview

In order to progress work between two study group meetings spaced by 12 months, SG2 decided to hold this cluster of SG2-related meetings in a particular format:

• WP2/2 met virtually from 25 to 28 August;
• The Questions in WP1/2 (no WP1/2 meeting) met physically in Geneva from 1 to the morning of 5 September;
• A SG2 plenary was held in the afternoon of 5 September.

The agenda of the plenary, which was approved without changes, is available in SG2-TD157R1/PLEN.

The plenary was attended by 121 participants, with 35% of female participants, from 35 countries (30 Member States were represented). Participation details for the plenary may be found in Section 6 below.

The meeting received 62 Contributions (analysis in SG2-TD165R1/PLEN) and handled 278 TDs. Delegates reviewed 106 incoming Liaison Statements and agreed to send 29 outgoing Liaison statements (SG2‑TD168R1/PLEN).

There was no special sessions on developing country issues or on vocabulary during this cluster of meetings.

The next SG2 meeting will take place, as follows, from 4 to 13 February 2026:

• 4-6 February: fully virtual meetings of those Questions wishing to meet;
• 9-13 February: physical meeting in Geneva of all Questions and working parties, with an opening plenary on Monday, 9 February.

The complete schedule of meetings may be found in SG2-TD186R1/PLEN.

2     Major outcomes

The Study Group took the following decisions:

• A number of decisions on numbering issues were taken, which are reflected in section 3 below;
• Two Recommendations were approved under TAP;
• Two Recommendations were determined under TAP;
• Two Recommendations were re-Determined under TAP;
• Eight Recommendations were Consented under AAP;
• It was agreed to re-number one Recommendation;
• One technical report was agreed;
• 15 new work items were initiated.

2.1    Recommendations ​Approved during closing plenary (TAP, Resolution 1)

Comments were received on Determined revised ITU-T E.118 from Malta, Russian Federation, Sweden and Türkiye, and on Determined revised E.156, from Russian Federation and Sweden during the TAP consultation phase. These issues were resolved by the SG2 experts, and an updated version of the text was Approved at the closing plenary.

Due to the existence of ITU Council Decision 601, which has precedence over this ITU-T Recommendation, the publication and implementation of Recommendation ITU-T E.118, as approved by ITU-T Study Group 2 at its plenary on 5 September 2025, will be suspended until the ITU Council, at its 2026 session, abrogates the said Decision 601 (see Council Document C25/38).  In the meantime, the version of Recommendation ITU-T E.118 approved in May 2006 remains in effect.

Comments were also submitted in respect of Determined revised ITU-T E.164 by Malta, Russian Federation, Sweden and UK, and in respect of Determined new Recommendation ITU-T E.370 (ex E.dit), from Korea, Malta, Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and US.  SG2 experts believed that these comments were too fundamental to allow approval and decided to re-Determine the two Recommendations.

2.2    Recommendations Determined during closing plenary (TAP, Resolution 1)

2.3    Recommendations re-Determined during closing plenary (TAP, Resolution 1)

2.4    Recommendations Consented during closing plenary (AAP, ITU-T A.8)

2.5    Recommendations re-numbered

2.6    Technical reports Agreed during closing plenary

2.7    New work items

SG2 initiated ten new work items:

3     Numbering

The usual reports on numbering issues, including NCT, misuse, status of Q.708 SANC and ISPC assignments, and Universal International Numbers, will be submitted to the next full meeting of SG2.

Despite this, a number of numbering issues were submitted to the Study Group, which were considered and the following decisions taken:

• Refer any applications from non-members to the Study Group for information, to help inform future work in Q1/2 on membership-related considerations for assignment criteria if needed.
• Refer any applications from SIOs to the Study Group for consideration and guidance.
• Adopt a strict adherence to clause 6.2.7 of Rec. ITU-T E.190 (especially fn. 1), i.e., reclaim resources if annual membership fees are not paid in full by the initial payment due date of 31 March each year, regardless of the divergence with the 6-month grace period approach allowed by the ITU Financial Resources Management Department (FRMD).
• Initiate the reclamation process accordingly for Affinna One Srl, or any other applicants who seek to pay membership fees in installments (as a consequence of the requirement above to pay in full by the initial payment due date).
• Address the application from RGTN Wholesale B.V. by:
• Not assigning an 88x IC for the purposes described in the application;
• Informing the applicant of the existence of CC +979 and other country codes for revenue share purposes; and
• Requesting clarification from the applicant on how they would like to proceed (e.g., amending the service description in their application to allow reconsideration for an 88x IC, or applying instead for CC +979 or other country codes for revenue share purposes, etc.), noting that in all cases, national regulations need to be complied with.
• Address the application from SpaceX by continuing to refrain from making any assignment until draft revised Recommendations ITU-T E.164 and ITU-T E.164.1 are approved (at which point the substantive merits of the application would be considered vis-à-vis the new criteria).
• Include a reference to the requirements of clause 6.2.7 of Rec. ITU-T E.190 in the standard assignment letter and consider copying relevant numbering points of contact for assignees on any reminder correspondence from FMRD to that member relative to invoice payments.

4     Future meetings

The meeting agreed to the Chairman's proposal for future SG2 meetings and interim activities (SG2‑TD186R1/PLEN).

•               SG2, 4-13 February 2026 (Virtual/Geneva);
•               SG2, 2-11 September 2026 (date and venue TBC);
•               SG2, 3-12 March 2027 (date and venue TBC);
•               SG2, 1-10 December 2027 (date and venue TBC);
•               SG2, 5-14 July 2028 (date and venue TBC).

Interim activities planned by Study Group 2

5     Contribution summary

62 Contributions published:

• 22 contributions for WP 1/2;
  
• 22 contributions on NNAI topics, all but one existing work items (E.IoT-NNAI, E.101, E.164, E.212, E.169, E.195, E.118);
• 1 NWI in WP1/2;
• 40 contributions for WP2/2 (all of them from Chinese entities) on network operation and management.  30 are on existing work items;
• 10 NWIs in WP2/2:
• Six in Q5/2;
• Two in Q6/2;
• Two in Q7/2;

6     Participation statistics for the SG2 plenary

7       SG2 membership activity

New SG2 Associates since February 2025:

1. SIMBA Telecom Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)
2. Myriota PTY (Australia)
3. Simsalasim Germany GmbH (Germany)
4. A1 Telekom Austria AG (Austria)
5. Best Telecom Company Limited (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
6. Société française du radiotelephone (SFR) (France) ​