Bangkok, Thailand, 26 August 2014
Opening Address
Mr Toshiyuki Yamada, Secretary-General of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
Dr Sayed Mostafa Safavi, Chairman of ASTAP
Mr Kaoru Kenyoshi, Chairman of the APT C&I Coordination Committee
Distinguished colleagues
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning and welcome to this 2nd APT/ITU Conformance and Interoperability Event.
I would like to thank APT Secretary-General for the excellent collaboration between the APT Secretariat and ITU Secretariat, both the Regional Office here in Bangkok and the TSB in Geneva, in organizing this event.
Conformance and interoperability (C&I) events are demanding to organize, and this event would not have been possible were it not for the support we have from APT.
This week is the second Joint APT/ITU Conformance and Interoperability Event, the first held last year in conjunction with the 22nd APT Standardization Program (ASTAP-22) in September, and it is the first time we have added a workshop to the interoperability testing and showcasing.
I would like to thank Mr Kaoru Kenyoshi, an active leader on C&I both in ITU and APT, for his role in organizing this event together with Mr Stuart Davies of the APT secretariat.
Conformance with international standards is a core principle underlying the global interoperability of information and communication technologies, or ICTs.
Products and services developed in conformance with ITU-T standards should provide the interoperability needed for users of these products to make use of them anywhere in the world, regardless of who has manufactured them and who is offering the service.
Standards provide the common platforms that promote interoperability and compatibility – they limit the risk of vendor lock-in, create a larger, more competitive marketplace, and thereby reduce costs.
ITU’s standardization sector (ITU-T) has three main objectives:
- To develop interoperable, non-discriminatory, international standards
- To assist in bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries
- To extend and facilitate international cooperation among international and regional standardization bodies
Promoting C&I testing is of crucial value in serving these objectives. Indeed this was the view of ITU’s membership when, at the World Telecommunication Assembly (WTSA) in Johannesburg in 2008, ITU-T was mandated to expand its activities in this field.
We have since implemented a Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) programme, which rests on four key pillars:
1. A public database that will list products conforming to ITU standards
2. Interoperability testing events, testing the interoperability of various manufacturers’ products, such as the one here this week.
3. Capacity-building, and
4. Assisting in the establishment of regional or sub-regional test centres in developing countries
This programme was endorsed at the 2010 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. It is a long-term programme that will change for ever the way ITU produces standards. The programme is under continuous review and is endorsed at each annual ITU Council meeting. As was stated at this year’s Council, the C&I Programme is now one of the most important activities in ITU.
The last WTSA in Dubai in 2012 reviewed the programme and appointed ITU-T Study Group 11 with coordinating its implementation.
With the support of ITU-T’s industry members, we have developed a market-driven C&I programme which bears a strong developmental dimension thanks to the contribution of ITU’s Development Sector (ITU-D).
The programme is an ambitious one.
Its aims cannot be achieved by ITU alone, and we have been successful in establishing partnerships with leading conformance assessment and accreditation bodies such as the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), IECEE and ISO/CASCO. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is another partner in the programme, as are a range of testing laboratories: CERT in Tunisia; CPqD in Brazil; Sintesio in Slovenia; Telecom Italia’s Tilab; and Russia’s Central Science Research Telecommunication Insitute (ZNIIS).
The Regional Organisations such as APT are other important partners, in organising events such as this one highlighting the conformance and interoperability concerns of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as identifying the location of future test centres.
A recent product of the C&I programme has been the publication of a set of ‘Basic Guidelines’ to ‘Establishing Conformity and Interoperability Regimes’. A ‘Complete’ version of these Guidelines is in the pipeline, and they will be the subject of an upcoming series of training and consultation events around the world.
We are in for a very informative day, and I look forward to receiving feedback on your experience of this event as well as your suggestions as to the topics you would like to see addressed by future C&I events in this region.
It is only with your input that we can improve our services to Asia and the Pacific, and so I encourage you to contact us to ensure that ITU-T continues to meet your needs.
We have an excellent panel of speakers and representatives of the companies participating in the testing and showcasing to present, demonstrate and share experience on C&I-related activities. I would like to thank all moderators, speakers, and companies participating.
I wish you all a very productive, informative and enjoyable workshop.
