1st Meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) Opening Address by Dr. Pekka Tarjanne Secretary-General Geneva, 1 June 1993 Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Strategists, Dear Friends, During the last few years the ITU has gone through a major restructuring. * The APP in December 1992 created a "new ITU" with new structures designed to adapt the Union on a continuous basis to changes in the telecommunications environment. * Among the key features of the new ITU structure are the groups that will be put in place to provide strategic advice and guidance to the new ITU sectors, advice which will come not only from our traditional Administration Members, but from non-Administration "small-m" members as well. * The new Standardization Sector got off to a "running start", thanks to the fact that the first World Telecommunications Standardization Conference had the good fortune to open on March 1, 1993, the very day that the new ITU structures came into effect. * The WTSC was successful in completing the work of the former CCITT and beginning the process of planning and organizing the work of the new Standardization Sector. WTSC reorganized the structure of the Study Groups, identified questions to be studied in the next cycle, and fine-tuned the accelerated approval process. It was, of course, also successful in setting up TSAG and electing Bob Horton as Chairman. * As the first of the new strategic advisory groups to be formally established, TSAG will hopefully set a good example for the other sectors by giving good advice to the Director and the Bureau, advice which will continue the work of improving the ITU standardization process, in response to the changing needs of our customers. Challenges Facing TSAG * The Standardization Sector faces a number of critical challenges, and TSAG is expected to play a key role in helping members deal successfully with these challenges. * One of the most important challenges is to shift from a technology-driven approach to standardization, which tended to be the way the ITU operated in the past, to a more market-oriented approach. This is necessary because of the changes that are taking place in the telecommunications environment. - The rapid pace of technological change is shortening innovation and product life cycles; - The changing structure of the telecommunications industry is increasing competition among different industry players and accelerating the industry's drive to bring technologies to market more quickly. At the same time, it is creating new patterns of convergence and cooperation, in some cases between previously unrelated businesses (e.g. the U.S. West - Time/Warner deal); - Major telecommunications users are demanding and getting a stronger role in defining performance requirements for telecommunication goods and services. * In this new environment, the setting of priorities has become a key strategic challenge. The ITU will look to TSAG for advice on which standards should be given priority and on when they will be required by the market. With this strategic information, we will be able to manage the standardization process and allocate resources to achieve the results which our members need, and are entitled to expect from the world's leading telecommunications standardization forum. * Reaching our priority targets in the new, market-oriented standardization environment will require continued improvements in our working methods. Again, we look to TSAG for advice on how the ITU standardization process can be refined and developed so that work is carried out more efficiently, with the flexibility required to adapt to changing market conditions. * Another important challenge facing TSAG is to help the ITU define its role in relation to other standardization bodies. In general, I believe that we currently enjoy good, cooperative relationships with both regional and other international standardization organizations. However, as we look ahead we can see that many factors can and will influence our relationship with these bodies. These factors include developments in the global economy, in international trading relationships, and other geopolitical developments, in addition to purely technical developments and changes in the telecommunications industry. In this situation, the proper balance between the standardization activities of the ITU and the various regional standardization organizations is clearly an important strategic issue. * Turning from these broad considerations to issues that are a little closer to home, the final challenge I would like to propose for your consideration is to give us good advice on the relationship between the three sectors of the "new ITU", as well as on our overall strategic directions. In your previous existence as the Res. 18 advisory group, you have already had some discussions with your counterparts in Radiocommunications on the boundaries between the two sectors. These discussions will continue later this week, and will, I am sure, lead to a good result. I would like to suggest that similar discussions should take place with the Development Sector Advisory Board, which should be in place before your next meeting. to examine ways in which the developing countries can play a greater role in the standardization process. As well, the World Telecommunications Advisory Council (WTAC), which advises me on overall ITU strategy, has indicated its interest in opening a dialogue with TSAG. Bob Horton and Theo Irmer participated in the WTAC meeting in Singapore two weeks ago. So, dear friends, from what I have said you will understand that your work will be very important, crucial, not only for our standardization sector, but the expectations are high for the whole of the ITU and thus the global telecommunications family. Good luck and Bon courage!