ITU Latest News

16 May 2013 - Press Release: ITU Award goes to President Ueli Maurer of Switzerland, Volkmar Denner of Bosch and Jean Todt, President of F.I.A.

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 17, 2013 - Felipe Massa, Formula-1 Ferrari driver, simulates road safety...

- Workshop to progress Software-Defined Networking standardization

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:52 +0000

An ITU workshop on software-defined networking (SDN) will gather a global selection of standardization experts to progress SDN standards-development with one aim to establish efficient coordination of future work.

SDN is a promising route towards the introduction and realization of network virtualization, a major shift in networking technology which will give network operators the ability to establish and manage new virtualized resources and networks without deploying new hardware technologies. ICT market players see SDN and network virtualization as critical to countering the increases in network complexity, management and operational costs traditionally associated with the introduction of new services or technologies.

SDN proposes to decouple the control and data planes by way of a centralized, programmable control-plane and data-plane abstraction. This abstraction will usher in greater speed and flexibility in routing instructions and the security and energy management of network equipment such as routers and switches.

The upcoming workshop responds to Resolution 77 - Standardization work in ITU-T for software defined networking agreed by the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai, UAE, 20-29 November 2012. SDN was emphasized as a strategic priority for ITU-T by the meeting of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Group, 18 November 2012 (The 2012 CTO Meeting Communiqué can be found here). The Global Standards Symposium (GSS-12) held the day preceding WTSA-12, 19 November 2012, acted on the recommendations of the CTO Group by taking SDN as one of its points of focus and feeding the conclusions of its SDN discussion into WTSA-12.

The workshop will take place at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 4 June 2013, within the annual meeting of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), 4-7 June 2013. It will be co-chaired by Wei Feng, Huawei, China, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 11 (Signalling requirements, protocols and test specifications); and Chae-Sub Lee, Kaist, Republic of Korea, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 13 (Future networks including cloud computing, mobile and NGN). Confirmed speakers include representatives of ITU-T Study Groups 11 and 13; the University of Tokyo, Japan; MIIT/CATR, China; Cisco Systems; the ETSI Industry Specification Group on Network Function Virtualization (ISG NFV); and the Open Networking Foundation (ONF).

More information on the workshop can be found here.

- New ITU-IEC metadata standard for cross-platform IPTV

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:28:52 +0000

Cooperation between ITU and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has produced a new metadata standard to enable rights information interoperability in IPTV services. The standard provides a framework for communicating data such as that accompanying material under copyright, to ensure that multimedia content can be shared legally across different platforms.

Recommendation ITU-T H.751 Metadata for rights information interoperability in IPTV services is technically aligned with IEC 62698 Multimedia home server systems Rights information interoperability for IPTV. The parallel standard is the product of collaboration between experts from IEC Technical Committee 100 (Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment) and ITU-T Study Group 16 (Multimedia coding, systems and applications).

Metadata refers to data describing aspects of other data, or information about information presented in the form of structured, encoded data that describe characteristics of information-bearing entities to aid in the identification, discovery, assessment and management of the described entities (Recommendation ITU-T Y.1901).

IPTV metadata is information on multimedia services and content which provides a descriptive and structural framework for managing IPTV services spanning television, audio, video, text, graphics and data. Rights information metadata in particular refers to information on the rights granted to end-users of multimedia content, stipulating pre-defined utilization functions including permissions to view/hear, copy, modify, record, excerpt, sample, store or distribute content; restrictions on times or hours content can be played, viewed or heard; and obligations such as payment.

To date, a lack of interoperability in rights information metadata has meant that consumers are at risk of being locked into solutions offered by a single service provider. A users purchased rights to multimedia content are dependent on and bound to the rights held by the service provider. In addition, service providers employ different technologies and systems in the management of digital content and associated rights information.

ITU-T H.751 | IEC 62698 provides clear mechanisms or rules for flexible digital distribution that allows for simple exchanges of content, enabling service providers to implement common interpretation and integration of rights information. The standard targets interoperability to ensure that service providers and device manufacturers can easily exchange rights information across their current content management systems. It gives the high-level specification of the metadata for rights information interoperability (RII), defining the common semantics and core elements on RII. In other words, it finds the greatest common denominators in rights expressions (syntactic embodiments of rights) to encourage the mutual use of rights information.

The standard also specifies rights-related information such as content ID, permission issuer ID and permission receiver ID used to bridge between rights-related metadata. The rights information covered by ITU-T H.751 | IEC 62698 includes rights- and security-related metadata described in Recommendation ITU T H.750 High-level specification of metadata for IPTV services.

15 May 2013 - Press Release: Cybersecurity on global agenda at information society forum

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 16, 2013 - ITU develops partnerships with Member States and industry...

15 May 2013 - Press Release: Significant progress on key issues of Internet Governance

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 16, 2013 - ITU Conference gathers stakeholders from government, industry and civil society to debate international Internet public policy-related issues ...

- Winning App converts SMSs to sign languages

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:06:09 +0000

ITU announced the winners of its ICT Innovation Application Challenge during the 2013 WSIS Forum on 15 May. The challenge is part of ITUs efforts to tap the power and interoperability of ICTs in promoting sustainable prosperity and business in emerging economies. The winner of the $5000 prize for the best app from an individual was MMSSign from Prof Mohamed Jemni, University of Tunis. The corporate app category was awarded to Senmobile Ltd for the application Defarlou which is a mobile order management system for entrepreneurs. Prizes for the application challenge were sponsored by Nokia Siemens Networks.

Making mobile phones accessible is still a challenge particularly in developing countries. Videophones are the preferred method of communicating for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, but, they require significant bandwidth and computer processing power to compress and decompress video in real time. The MMSign application converts text messages to a video sequence in sign language. The animations are avatar-based animation obtained by automatic interpretation of text into sign language.

SenMobile Ltd is a technology startup that specializes in innovative mobile solutions targeting the general population. Défarlou is a simple and compact ordering management application designed for entrepreneurs in developing countries. It can record orders and due dates, search for a specific order, keep track of order status and client payments, and send an SMS directly to the client when the order is ready to be delivered or picked-up. Originally designed with business owners of emerging markets in mind and developed in Senegal, défarlou means order in Wolof. The app is developed in Java ME and works on Java ME feature phones and smartphones.

More information on the apps can be found here.

13 May 2013 - Press Release: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum opens in Geneva

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 14, 2013 - Consensus-oriented multi-stakeholder debate around Internet issues...

13 May 2013 - Media Advisory: World Telecommunication and Information Society Day ceremony on 17 May

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 14, 2013 - ITU Award presentation to President Ueli Maurer of Switzerland, Volkmar Denner of BOSCH and Jean Todt of FIA...

- Workshop extends ITU-T work on human exposure to electromagnetic fields

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:59:14 +0000

ITU members have affirmed their commitment to the responsible consideration of health effects associated with the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that underpin wireless communications. ITUs standards-making arm (ITU-T) has long been engaged with the subject of human exposure to ICT-emitted EMFs and an ITU workshop in Turin, Italy, 9 May 2013, has concluded with a Call to Action giving further impetus to this work.

Man-made sources of electromagnetic fields include those generated by ionizing radiation and the electricity provided by the power sockets in our homes. ICTs such as mobile phones and wireless routers emit higher-frequency electromagnetic radiation to transmit information through the air.

The ITU Workshop on human exposure to electromagnetic fields was organized in partnership with the Ministry for Economic Development of Italy , supported by Huawei and hosted by Telecom Italia at its innovation laboratories in Turin.

The Call to Action encourages ITU-T Study Group 5 (Environment and climate change) to lead cooperation among standards development organizations (SDOs) in the interests of harmonized international EMF standards. In particular it calls on ITU-T to extend its work on human exposure to EMFs by developing and promoting EMF information and education resources accessible to all communities; establishing specialised EMF assessment and accreditation training programs for developing countries; and promoting open online compliance and reporting systems as well as the development of a standardized online system to demonstrate compliance with international EMF standards. Read the full text of the Call to Action here.

The workshop offered policy makers an overview of EMF and also sought to identify further actions through which to respond to WTSA Resolution 72 Measurement concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields . First agreed by the 2008 World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly in Johannesburg (WTSA-08) and revised by 2012s WTSA in Dubai (WTSA-12), Resolution 72 recognizes the integral role that wireless technologies are playing in bridging the digital divide and responds to developing countries concerns with the risks of human exposure to EMF and local communities growing resistance to the deployment of radio installations in their surrounds. Specifically, the Resolution stresses the value of ITU-T guides on the use of international EMF-focused standards, with particular emphasis on those relating to measurement methodologies.

Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU: The rational solution to citizens concerns regarding exposure to EMFs is to ensure that the actions of national regulators and network operators are accompanied to the greatest possible extent by transparency and communication with citizens. Compliance with international standards and associated reporting mechanisms assures citizens that regulators and network operators have complied with international best practices in deploying base stations, thereby safeguarding citizens health.

ITU-T Study Group 5 studies health considerations associated with wireless communications under Question 7/5 "Human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) due to radiocommunication systems and mobile equipment" . The resulting ITU-T Recommendations give operators, manufacturers and government agencies the tools required to assess the EMF levels attributable to telecommunication and radiocommunication systems and to verify compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommended human-exposure guidelines set out by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the IEEE International Committee Electromagnetic Safety (ICES).

Question 7/5 has produced EMF Estimator software that calculates the cumulative radio frequency exposure levels in the vicinity of transmitting antennas. Part of Recommendation K.70 Mitigation techniques to limit human exposure to EMFs within vicinity of radiocommunication stations , EMF Estimator contains a library of transmitting antennas radiation patterns for a wide range of radio communication and broadcast services. A typical application for EMF Estimator would be the calculation of EMF levels in a local community from a cellular base station or community broadcast service.

Another key reference for standards implementers is Recommendation ITU-T K.91 Guidance for assessment, evaluation and monitoring of the human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) .ITU-T K.91 provides guidance on methods to assess and monitor human exposure to RF EMF in areas with surrounding radiocommunication installations; based on existing exposure and compliance standards in the frequency range of 9 kHz to 300 GHz. While existing standards are product or service-oriented, the K.91 guide is intended for the examination of areas accessible to people in the real environment of currently operated services with many different sources of RF EMF.

12 May 2013 - Press Release: WSIS Project prizes awarded following global contest

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 13, 2013 - Outstanding achievement in implementing ICT strategies recognized...

12 May 2013 - Press Release: ITU partners with Kofi Annan Foundation and One Young World to launch 'Diálogos con Kofi Annan: en directo' en el Foro de la CMSI de 2013

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 13, 2013 - ...

12 May 2013 - Press Release: WSIS Forum focuses on post-2015 development agenda

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 13, 2013 - Emerging trends and innovation in ICT addressed ...

09 May 2013 - Press Release: ITU appoints First Lady of Nigeria as its Child Online Protection Champion

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 10, 2013 - The Secretary-General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Dr Hamadoun I. Touré today appointed the First Lady of Nigeria ...

- Smart sustainable cities need holistic approach, say global stakeholders

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:32:21 +0000

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have a crucial role to play in tackling the developmental challenges facing the cities that are becoming our primary choice of habitation in the 21st century, concluded participants attending the 8th ITU Symposium on ICT and Environment Change, held in Turin, 6-7 May.

An estimated 65% of the worlds population now lives in cities. With an additional 1.3 million people moving from rural to urban areas every week, by 2050 more than six billion people will be living in urban agglomerations. In addition, the size of conurbations continues to grow, with the number of mega-cities of over 10 million inhabitants growing from just two in 1950 to 22 by 2015, 17 of which will be located in the developing world.

The symposium highlighted the importance of a globally coordinated approach and internationally standardized technologies in the creation of new smart sustainable cities. Greater integration of ICTs into urban planning will greatly facilitate opportunities for economic growth and social well-being, from better access to education and healthcare through to improved prospects of employment and living standards. The symposium concluded by issuing a call for stronger advocacy at the international level and for ICT policies to be integrated into the ongoing dialogues on urban development within the UN and other organizations.

Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General, ITU, Rapid urbanization and high-density populations foment innovation and economic growth but also give rise to social, economic and environmental challenges, as cities infrastructures develop slower than the influx of new inhabitants. ICTs can make our cities safer, cleaner, and more convenient places to live.

Full press release

08 May 2013 - Press Release: Smart sustainable cities need holistic approach, say global stakeholders

Wed, 08 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Geneva: May 09, 2013 - Technology will be key to meeting urban development challenges ...

- Microsoft tops up the BSG Fund

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:00:55 +0000

Microsoft, a long-standing member of ITU, has put forward a voluntary contribution of $40,000 to the Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) Fund maintained by ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).

The $40,000 is Microsofts most recent contribution to the BSG Fund, which owes its health to Canada, Cisco Systems, Korea Communications Commission, Microsoft and Nokia Siemens Networks.

David A. Heiner, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation: The participation of developing countries in ITU-T standardization work is crucial in harnessing the full potential of international standards to enhance cooperation, trade and economic development. Microsoft is pleased to support this initiative that seeks to enhance the inclusiveness of ITU-T's international standardization programs.

The BSG Fund provides invaluable financial assistance in carrying out the work programme outlined by Resolution 44 of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly. Resolution 44 was adopted in Johannesburg in 2008 (WTSA-08) and revised in Dubai in 2012 (WTSA-12) and aims to, inter alia:

Facilitate the participation of developing countries in the ICT standards development process
Allow developing countries to profit from access to new technology development
Ensure that the requirements of developing countries are taken into account in the development of international standards (ITU-T Recommendations)

Fulfilling the objectives of Resolution 44 demands considerable commitments of ITU-T resources and contributions to the BSG Fund make an appreciable impact in this regard.

The use of contributions for specific purposes is undertaken only with the agreement of the sponsor. Parties interested in contributing to the BSG Fund are encouraged to contact the BSG secretariat at bsg@itu.int

More information on ITU-T activities to Bridge the Standardization Gap can be found here

- Frugal Information Systems take 1st prize at Kaleidoscope 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:54:50 +0000

Mihoko Sakurai and Jiro Kokuryo (Keio University, Japan); Richard Watson (University of Georgia, USA); and Chon Abraham (College of William and Mary, USA) took home 1st prize of 5,000 USD at the recent ITU Kaleidoscope conference: Building Sustainable Communities.

The winning paper is titled Sustaining life during the early stages of disaster relief with a Frugal Information System: Learning from the Great East Japan Earthquake. It advocates for the use of cell phones and the mobile Internet as the standard platform in creating information systems which prioritize resilience over robustness. Greater resilience is said to be achieved by deploying resources as frugally as possible and thereby limiting the number of resources exposed to damage in the event of a disaster.

Cybersecurity, climate change, future networks, cloud computing, optical wireless networks, and the resilience of telecoms infrastructure to natural disasters were just some the topics addressed by academic papers presented at the 2013 Kaleidoscope conference: Building Sustainable Communities.

Hosted by Kyoto University, Japan, 22-24 April and informed to a great extent by lessons learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake Kaleidoscope 2013 sought to identify emerging ICT developments able to effect the change needed for communities to meet challenges posed by the new millennium.

Kaleidoscope 2013 was organized by ITU and technically co-sponsored by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan (IEICE) and was held at the invitation of Japans Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

Additional support was provided by NICT, NTT, OKI, KDDI, NEC, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Huawei Japan, Telkom South Africa, Blackberry, TTC, Waseda University (Japan), the Institute of Image Electronics Engineers of Japan (IIEEJ), the ITU Association of Japan, and the European Academy for Standardization (EURAS).

The event attracted over 180 delegates from 25 countries. 99 papers were submitted for review, 30 of which were presented at the conference by virtue of their being accepted for publication in the Kaleidoscope Proceedings and IEEE XPlore.

The other authors of award-winning papers sharing a prize fund of 10,000 USD were:

2nd prize (3,000 USD): Telebiometric Information Security and Safety Management. Phillip H Griffin (Booz Allen Hamilton, USA).
3rd prize (2,000 USD): Innovation Management of Electrical Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Standards in the Sino-European Context Martina Gerst, Xudong Gao (Tsinghua University, P.R. China).

The winning papers all share a close connection with on-going ITU-T standardization work. The first-prize submission will feed into the work of the ITU-T Focus Group on Disaster Relief Systems, Network Resilience and Recovery (FG-DR&NRR); the second-prize paper is of interest to ITU-T Study Group 17 (Security); and the third-prize winner ties in with the work of ITU-T Study Group 5 (Environment and climate change).

In addition, Dr Akihiro Nakao from University of Tokyo, Japan delivered a keynote address entitled Deeply Programmable Network; Emerging Technologies for Network Virtualization and Software Defined Network (SDN). SDN was recently made a strategic priority for ITU-T by the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai, UAE, 20-29 November 2012.

ITU Kaleidoscope conferences are peer reviewed academic events with a Steering Committee, and a 140-member Technical Programme Committee responsible for evaluating the submitted papers through a double-blind peer-review process.

- ICTs, driver distraction and standardization: Technical reports published

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:04:30 +0000

The ITU-T Focus Group on Driver Distraction has presented its final deliverables in the form of five technical reports to form the basis for ITU-Ts accelerating standardization work in the driver distraction arena.

Established in February 2011, the Focus Group has been instrumental in raising awareness around ITU-T activity on driver distraction and the scale of this workload, as well as in providing clear direction to ITU-Ts driver-distraction work plan. The group has also been successful in opening lines of communication with key organizations and drawing new expertise into the ITU-T standardization process.

The Focus Groups five technical reports describe user interface requirements for automotive applications; system capabilities for improving the safety of driver interaction with applications and services; and approaches being used to enable external applications to communicate with a vehicle. The reports are freely available here.

The conclusions put forward by the reports are being taken up by the two groups leading ITU-Ts standardization work on driver distraction, Study Group 12 (Performance, QoS and QoE) and Study Group 16 (Multimedia coding, systems and applications). New related work items calling for external coordination and collaboration may also be addressed by the Collaboration on ITS Communication Standards.

ITUs engagement with driver distraction originated with Resolution 1318 - ITU's role in ICTs and improving Road Safety adopted in April 2010 by ITUs governing body, ITU Council. The Resolution was made in response to the fact that, as stated in Resolution 1318, driver distraction and road-user behavior, which includes among many examples texting, text messaging, interfacing with in-vehicle navigation or communication systems, are among the leading contributors to road traffic fatalities and injuries.

An ITU-T Technology Watch report entitled "Decreasing Driver Distraction" was published in August 2010, playing a role in kick-starting the work of the Focus Group. The report is a succinct overview of the relationship between ICTs and driver distraction and also discusses the core issues at play when viewed from a standardization perspective.

Looking ahead, this years World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on 17 May is themed, ICTs and improving road safety. A highlight of the event will be ITUs presenting the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Award to eminent personalities in recognition of their leadership and dedication to the field.

In addition, an upcoming workshop hosted by ITU and UNECE at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 27 June 2013, will address Intelligent transport systems in emerging markets drivers for safe and sustainable growth. This workshop includes a session dedicated to driver distraction which will host Scott Pennock (BlackBerry), former Chairman of the now terminated Focus Group, to present the outcomes outlined by the groups technical reports and to discuss the likely course of corresponding ITU-T standardization work.

Scott Pennocks recent article on the QNX Auto Blog provides the rationale for tackling driver distraction in ITU-T and also summarizes the use cases and user scenarios targeted by forthcoming ITU-T Recommendations.

- ITU called on to enable smart water management

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:54:59 +0000

Participants in an ITU workshop held for the benefit of government and private-sector technology leaders in the Nile River Basin have agreed a Call to Action which charges ITU with mobilizing its global membership to enable smart water management.

The smart integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in water networks adds communication, monitoring, analysis and control capabilities, increasing efficiency and reliability in water supply, improving delivery of water to crucial sectors like agriculture and health, and reducing water consumption and waste.

The ITU workshop ICT as an enabler for smart water management, was held in Luxor, Egypt, from 14-15 April 2013, hosted by Egypts Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The event was the first of its kind, and reflects the growing importance and acceleration of smart-water standardization work in ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).

Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General, ITU: The importance of sufficient supplies of good quality water is recognized in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of which is to halve the number of people without safe access to water by 2015. One of the many ways in which ICT will be central to the post-2015 development agenda is through supporting greater agility and efficiency in water management frameworks.

Full press release

- 8th ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:54:00 +0000

Smart Sustainable Cities is the theme of the 8th ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change to be held in Turin, Italy, 6-7 May 2013. The free of charge event is open to all and will bring together a global selection of specialists in the field from top policy makers to thought leaders in business, engineering, standardization and research to critique recent efforts in the development of smart cities and to determine the best path forward in the task of leveraging ICTs to enhance cities environmental sustainability.

The 2013 Symposium is organized by ITU in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and will be hosted by Telecom Italia at its innovation laboratories in Turin. The event builds on the success of previous Symposia held from 2008 to 2012 in Kyoto, London, Quito, Seoul, Cairo, Accra and Montreal.

The upcoming Turin Symposium will address challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to a greener, more resource-efficient global economy through mitigation and adaptation to climate change; tackling e-waste; disaster preparedness; methodologies to assess the environmental impacts of ICTs; and cost-effective ICTs to empower smart cities and societies. Items on the Symposiums agenda include:

Energy efficiency, clean power and the smart grid as engines for urban sustainable growth
Assessing environmental impacts in cities
Integrated ICT solutions for smart sustainable cities and empowered citizens
Tackling e-waste and solid waste issues in cities
ICTs to monitor the climateClimate change adaptation and emergency telecommunications in urban areas
Smart sustainable cities

The Symposium will be held in conjunction with the first meeting of the ITU-T Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities, 8 May 2013, and a Workshop on Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields, 9 May 2013.

Find more information on the Symposium including details of how to register here.

- World Standards Day poster competition launched

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:30:52 +0000

The 2013 World Standards Day poster competition will award a cash prize of 1,500 Swiss francs to the creator of the poster that best illustrates the theme: "International standards ensure positive change".

The winning poster will provide the visual identity to World Standards Day, 14 October 2013, an international day of observance recognized worldwide since 1970. In addition to the first prize of 1,500 Swiss francs, the poster competitions three runners-up will each receive a cash prize of 500 Swiss francs.

Coordinated by IEC, ISO and ITU, World Standards Day celebrates the collaborative efforts of the thousands of public and private-sector experts that volunteer their time and expertise in the development of international technical standards.

International standards represent the consensus view of the worlds leading experts in industry sectors ranging from energy utilities and energy efficiency to transportation, management systems, climate change, healthcare, safety, and information and communication technology (ICT). Contributing their knowledge in service of the public interest, experts in these and many other subjects come together to create standards that share innovation with all the worlds countries and so provide business, government and society with a solid platform for positive change.

The deadline for submissions to the poster competition is 10 June 2013. Designers are welcome to submit more than one entry to the competition.

The competitions Facebook page will provide interactive guidance to potential entrants throughout the course the competition. The winning poster will be decided by a public vote wherein all interested parties will vote for their favourite poster.

The competitions Twitter account will announce key dates and point followers to relevant supporting information.

See the themes and winning posters of previous World Standards Days here and more on this year's competition here.

- WSC Academic Day and ICES approaching

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:25:56 +0000

The 2013 World Standards Cooperation (WSC) Academic Day will be held in Sophia Antipolis, France, 14 June 2013. This year's theme is: Education in standardization for future managers Needs and prospects.

The World Standards Cooperation (WSC) was established in 2001 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in order to strengthen and advance the voluntary consensus-based international standards systems of IEC, ISO and ITU.

WSC Academic Day promotes dialogue between universities and the international standards community, raising awareness and fostering cooperation and joint initiatives. The event will trigger the launch of new initiatives including exchanges of material, new courses on standardization, contributions of industry experts to university courses, and new or strengthened partnerships between standards bodies and academia.

At the same venue and during the two days before the WSC event, the 8th conference of the International Cooperation on Education about Standardization (ICES) will take place. 12 April is the deadline for the submission of academic papers to be considered at the event.

The Call for Presentations welcomes theoretical or empirical papers as well as case studies on education about standardization, in particular those that address the theme of 2013s conference: Industry needs standards. What does industry expect from standards education?

The 8th ICES conference is hosted by the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute (ETSI) and supported by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).

Industry needs for standardization education is the core theme of 2013s conference, addressing what more standards bodies and academia can do to aid industrys engagement in the standardization process and thereby strengthen standards marketplace implementations.

For more information, visit the ICES and WSC Academic Day homepage here

- In Memoriam: Cynthia Waddell

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:00:31 +0000

It is with the deepest regret that I announce the death of my colleague and close friend, Dr. Cynthia Waddell, a lifelong advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities and a world-renowned expert in disability rights law, public policy and electronic and information technology.

The improving accessibility of technologies, the built environment and the job market owes an incredible amount to Cynthias achievements over a lifetime dedicated to enhancing social inclusion for the roughly 650 million people across the world living with some form of disability.

Cynthia was held in the highest esteem by all those fortunate enough to have worked with her. She will be sorely missed by her colleagues, friends and the millions of people around the globe to have benefited from her tireless advocacy and activism.*

*This is an extract from a blog piece in tribute to Cynthia Waddell. Entitled Accessibility Loses a Great Champion, the article is authored by Andrea Saks, Convener of ITUs Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF) and Coordinator of the Internet Governance Forums Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD).

Read the full blog piece here

- New Agenda seeks to transform e-waste into opportunity

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:52:30 +0000

Geneva, 3 April 2013 Representatives of Central American governments, private companies, universities and non-governmental organizations have agreed on a 20-point Agenda aiming to promote advances in the handling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) in the region. Key will be the application and identification of business models that leverage recycling opportunities and create new employment.

The new Agenda was agreed by the 86 participants in the ITU/UNEP Workshop for Capacity Building on Environmentally Responsible Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), organized in San Salvador, March 19-21 with the support of ITU Sector Member Telefónica.

The Agenda emphasizes increased collaboration between all parties, as well as the development of online learning programmes and workshops aimed at policy-makers. It calls on ITU and UNEP/PACE to assist Central America and the Caribbean in the development of regulations, legislation and international standards to mitigate e-wastes potentially damaging effects on the environment and the health of local populations.

Full press release

- Product built to ITU standard demo'd at Study Group meeting

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:58:12 +0000

ITU-T member EXFO took the opportunity at the recent meeting of Study Group 12 to demonstrate a new product based on Recommendation ITU-T Y.1564.

ITU-T Y.1564 defines a test methodology to assess and troubleshoot the proper configuration and performance of an Ethernet network to deliver Ethernet-based services. The standard has already gained momentum in the test and measurement industry.

With multiclass Ethernet services being deployed globally, products built according to the standard can aid the deployment of Ethernet services and assist the validation of service-level agreements.

Bruno Giguère, of EXFO was on hand to demonstrate a product from the companys range of Ethernet field-testing instruments (FTB-200 chassis with an FTB-8130NGE test module). Giguère was the editor of the Recommendation and played a key role in its development. He says that his companys particpation in the standards process is an important way of showing leadership and demonstrating that it is not waiting for standards but playing an active role in actually producing them.

Fully adapted to todays mobile backhaul, commercial and wholesale services, the new ITU-T Y.1564 standard is truly beneficial for our customers to optimize the quality of service and reduce operational costs, said Étienne Gagnon, EXFOs Vice-President, Wireline Division and Corporate Marketing.

- Egypt to host first ITU Smart Water event

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:43:31 +0000

An upcoming ITU workshop on ICT as an Enabler for Smart Water Management will be held in Luxor, Egypt on 14-15 April 2013.

Economic growth, seasonal climatic conditions and rising population are all affecting availability of water resources. Moreover, a number of effects linked to climate change, such as lengthy droughts and extreme weather events, are worsening the situation. Water shortages are at the core of many of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of which is to reduce by half the number of people without safe access to water by 2015. According to the UN World Water Development Report, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater.

ICT provides a unique opportunity for water stakeholders to obtain information in near real-time about a number of physical and environmental variables such as temperature, soil moisture levels and rainfall through web enabled sensors and communication networks. Smart metering technologies can also provide individuals, businesses and water companies with information about their own water use, thus raising awareness about usage, locating leakages and having better control over water demand.

Organized by ITU at the kind invitation of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Egypt this first ITU workshop to address this serious topic will address a number of issues including: weather forecasting; technological solutions and standards; smart metering; climate smart agriculture; water governance, institutions and regulations; stakeholder engagement; and planning water resources and land use.

It will result in a Call For Action for countries in the Nile River Basin area to implement best practices for smart water management in agriculture, consumption in cities, river flow forecasting to prevent calamities such as flooding and identification of leakages in the water distribution network.

More.

- Academic contribution focuses on video quality

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:41:02 +0000

Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, an ITU-T academic member, made a significant contribution to the current meeting of ITU-T Study Group 12, on a method of video quality of experience (QoE) monitoring which drills deep into network performance, identifying service degradation by precisely calculating video stalling and rebuffering times.

Progressive download video services, such as YouTube, are responsible for a major part of the data volume in the telecommunication networks. Streaming video quality depends on sustainable throughput during transmission. To ensure acceptable video quality, the customer's perceived quality (QoE) needs to be monitored.

Experts have been calling for algorithms that provide measurement results that can give insight to end user QoE, that can in turn be used for network planning and traffic engineering. The Chemnitz University contribution was timely as a separate contribution to the same meeting called for exactly such a method to be developed.

The contribution proposes a network-based parameter-extraction applicable to video QoE estimation that allows for transparent monitoring without the need to install tools at end-user devices or on the server.

Study Group 12 has considered the contribution as part of a new international standard (ITU-T Recommendation). Consequently the two authors, Thomas Knoll and Marcus Eckert, will have their contribution recognised internationally.

Knoll and Eckert chose to supplement their formal presentation to Study Group 12 with an implementation and online demonstration, which according to the study group Chairman, Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor, was a first that gave delegates an unprecedented opportunity to see exactly how the contribution could be applied.

Participation of academics in the work of ITU-T provides invaluable networking opportunities and the chance to gain an understanding of the requirements of the industry.

More details can be found in the contributions (ITU members only) here and here. Alternatively here or for contribution details and publications.

- Advisory group looks at patents inclusion in standards

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:10:56 +0000

Meeting at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 21-22 March 2013, the TSB Directors Ad Hoc Group on IPR (IPR AHG) has continued making headway in its bid to ensure protection of the integrity of the standards-development process by clarifying aspects of ITUs Patent Policy and related Guidelines the Unions main tool to manage the challenges associated with the incorporation of patents in standards (ITU-T Recommendations).

The licensing of standards-essential patents (SEPs) on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms is a cornerstone of the standards-development process. The incorporation of SEPs on a RAND basis incentivizes the inclusion of cutting-edge patented technology in technical standards, while also ensuring that the holder of a SEP cannot abuse the dominant market position it gains from widespread adoption of a voluntary technical standard.

The IPR AHG has been active for over fiften years, providing a forum for experts to exchange views on IPR matters and offer advice on the best approach to the patent-standard relationship.

In recent months, certain stakeholders as well as competition authorities have raised concerns regarding the increase in standards-related patent litigation as well as the possible use of SEPs to exclude competitors from a market. American and European regulators have in addition expressed concerns with the possible use of SEPs to pressure standards implementers into accepting higher royalties in bi-lateral licensing negotiations also referred to as patent hold-ups an act which undermines the aims of RAND to the disadvantage of standards implementers, hurting the consumers ultimately shouldering these higher costs.

Against this backdrop, ITU held a high-profile Patent Roundtable in October 2012 which assembled all the key private-sector and regulatory players to unravel the source of SEP-related litigation and to plot the course to an appropriate remedy.

Acting on the conclusions of this Roundtable, the IPR AHG is currently undertaking an accelerated series of meetings, targeting two specific questions:

the conditions under which companies that have made RAND commitments should or should not be allowed to seek injunctions; and the clarification of the meaning of the word "reasonable" in the RAND context.

The next meeting of the IPR AHG will take place at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 25-26 April 2013.

A video message from the TSB Director to the IPR AHG can be viewed here.

- New ITU standards on cloud computing, ubiquitous networks and emergency telecoms

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:54:27 +0000

ITU members have agreed new standards (ITU-T Recommendations) on cloud computing, smart ubiquitous networks and security requirements for the interconnection of emergency telecoms services.

The standards were agreed at a recent meeting of ITU-T Study Group 13 Future Networks including cloud computing, mobile and next-generation networks. The meeting also agreed the publication of three new technical papers:

Migration scenarios from legacy networks to NGN in developing countries
How to increase QoS/QoE of IP-based Platform
Mobility Management in ITU-T: Its Current development and Next Steps Heading Towards Future Networks

The SG13 meeting finalized the approval of Recommendation ITU-T Y.2705, Minimum Security Requirements for Interconnection of Emergency Telecommunications Service (ETS), and reached first-stage approval (consent) of the first ITU standards on cloud computing:

Recommendation ITU-T Y.3501, Cloud computing framework and high-level requirements
Recommendation ITU-T Y.3510, Cloud Computing Infrastructure Requirements
Recommendation ITU-T Y.3520, Cloud computing framework for end to end resource management

Other noteworthy standards reaching first-stage approval include two new recommendations on smart ubiquitous networks, a central force in the evolution towards more human-centric ICTs:

Recommendation ITU-T Y.3041, Smart Ubiquitous Networks Overview
Recommendation ITU-T Y.3042, Smart Ubiquitous Networks Smart Traffic Control and Resource Management Functions

Following the adoption of a Resolution on Software Defined Networking (SDN) at last Novembers World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai, much discussion was also dedicated to planning the course of ITUs standardization work on this important work area. In addition, ITU-T Study Group 17 participants were invited to discuss the division of work between the two groups as it relates to standards for security in cloud computing.

More information on ITU-T Study Group 13 is available here

- ITU-T Study Group 11 jumpstarts Conformance and Interoperability Programme

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:22:13 +0000

ITU has approved an action plan to drive its Conformance and Interoperability (C&I) Programme and has revamped the Joint Coordination Activity which marshals C&I work undertaken across ITUs various expert groups.

Conformance with international standards is one of the core principles underlying the global interoperability of ICT networks and devices. The C&I Programme was initiated at the request of ITUs membership in light of the challenges faced by developing countries in improving interoperability and battling counterfeit goods.

ITU-T Study Group 11 Protocols and test specifications was charged with coordinating the C&I Programme by last Novembers World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai.

Meeting at ITU headquarters in Geneva, 25 February to 1 March 2013, SG11 approved a C&I action plan in line with WTSA-12s revision of Resolution 76 on Studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU Mark programme.

The SG11 meeting also saw substantial progress made in ITUs collaboration with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and advanced the groups ongoing work on software-defined networking (SDN). Read news on these achievements here.

The Joint Coordination Activity on C&I testing (JCA-CIT), which now falls under the leadership of SG11, will support the coordination of the ITUs C&I activities while also acting as the first point of contact for organizations interested in contributing to this work. SG11 has revised JCA-CITs governing Terms of Reference and has appointed a new Convener in Mr. Martin Brand from Telekom Austria, an active SG11 member over the previous study period and appointed an SG11 Vice-chairman by WTSA-12. The next meeting of JCA-CIT will be held electronically, 25 April 2013, and detailed participation instructions will be provided on the JCA-CIT homepage.

Delivering on a central objective of the C&I program, SG11s meeting reached first-stage approval (consent) of five new testing suites to become international standards (ITU-T Recommendations).

The meeting also hosted a presentation delivered by the Executive Secretary and Chairman of IECEE, the Worldwide System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components. IECEE presented on its conformance assessment scheme and encouraged ITU to make full use of this platform in carrying out the C&I Programme.

In addition, SG11 produced an initial list of key technologies within its mandate which the group considers suitable for C&I testing. This will remain a living list and it forms input to the first pillar of the four-pillar C&I Programme which delineates C&I work into four separate but interdependent categories:

1) conformance assessment;

2) interoperability events;

3) human resource and capacity building; and

4) assistance in the establishment of test facilities in developing countries.

More information on ITUs C&I Programme is available here

More information on ITU-T Study Group 11 is available here

- Smart Seoul: Case study of a smart city

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:40:26 +0000

ITU-Ts latest Technology Watch report covers Seouls emergence as a smart city applying information and communication technologies (ICTs) as basic infrastructure to improve service delivery, citizen happiness, and economic and environmental sustainability. Read or download the full report here.

The report will feed into the work of the recently established ITU-T Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities (news on the formation of the Focus Group here). With the new activities ITU aims to better facilitate collaboration among national regulators, mayors networks, citizens, standards bodies, equipment manufacturers, civil society and other smart-city stakeholders.

Authored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, with support from ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), Seoul a case study offers an overview of the conceptual underpinnings of Seouls smart-technology agenda as well as descriptions of a number of the smart services available to citizens.

Seoul, the Republic of Koreas capital city, is just one of many cities across the world to embrace ICTs as tools to boost economic and environmental efficiency, enhance government transparency and improve social welfare.

Rapid urbanization and high-density populations are powerful engines of innovation but also give rise to social, economic and environmental challenges as cities infrastructures develop comparatively slower than influxes of city inhabitants.

Cities today account for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 60-80% of global energy consumption and it is estimated that, by 2050, 70% of the worlds population will be urban. Smarter, cleaner, more efficient cities are thus imperative to sustainable growth strategies and will also be crucial to boosting cities competitiveness and attractiveness as players in our global economy.

All published ITU-T Technology Watch reports are available free of charge here

- Rising participation in ITU work on protocols and test specifications

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:38:47 +0000

Meeting at ITU headquarters in Geneva, ITU-T Study Group 11 Protocols and test specifications received 72 participants from 22 countries, representing a 53 per cent increase over the participation numbers recorded for its previous meeting in June 2012.

The meeting saw substantial progress made in ITUs collaboration with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and also advanced the groups ongoing work on software-defined networking (SDN) and conformance and interoperability (C&I) testing. Read news on the meeting's C&I achievements here.

OpenGeoSMS is a standard maintained by OGC, originally developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Study Group 11 continues to collaborate with OGC with a view to formalizing OpenGeoSMS as an international standard (ITU-T Recommendation). The standard uses Short Message Service (SMS) to exchange location-based information and is considered particularly important in providing relief to individuals affected by natural disasters.

Expanding and accelerating standardization work on software-defined networking (SDN) was one of the key directives issued by ITUs membership at last Novembers World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai.

In the interests of greater speed and flexibility in routing instructions, security and energy management of network equipment such as routers and switches, SDN proposes to decouple the control and data planes and allow for programmable interfaces to these planes; letting software do the job traditionally performed by the control plane.

ITUs standardization work on SDN started in ITU-T Study Group 13 Future networks including cloud computing, mobile and next-generation networks. SG 13 standardizes SDNs functional requirements and architectures, and SG 11 thus works closely with SG 13 as it builds on this work by developing SDNs signaling requirements and protocols.

SG 11s recent meeting in Geneva received contributions calling for new SDN work items, including:

Scenarios and signaling requirements for software-defined BAN (SBAN)
Framework of signalling for SDN
Scenarios and signalling requirements of unified intelligent programmable interface for IPv6

The next meeting of SG 11 is scheduled to take place in Uganda, 6-15 November 2013, in collocation with the next meeting of SG 13 to strengthen the collaboration between these groups.

More information on ITU-T Study Group 11 is available here

More information on ITU-T Study Group 13 is available here

- Central American workshop to promote environmentally sound e-waste management

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:41:31 +0000

San Salvador, El Salvador will host a Central American Workshop for Capacity Building on Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), 19-21 March 2013. The workshop will provide training on the application of global best practices in environmentally responsible e-waste management, covering e-wastes collection, repair, refurbishment, recycling and disposal.

Electrical and electronic waste (known as WEEE or e-waste) is the worlds fastest-growing source of waste. Eco-friendly disposal and recycling mechanisms will mitigate e-wastes negative environmental and health effects, but will also create new employment opportunities while recycling critical raw materials and decreasing resource-dependency.

The upcoming workshop is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Secretariat of the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions (SBSR), a body administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The event is organized in partnership with the Basel Convention Regional Center for Central America and Mexico (BCRC-CAM); the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD); the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN); the Central American Regional Technical Commission on Telecommunications (COMTELCA); the Salvadoran General Superintendency for Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET); and the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE) established under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

The workshop is the first joint training activity undertaken by ITU and SBSR, and participation is free of charge.

The event will outline e-waste management methods detailed by ITUs international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) and ITUs Toolkit on End of Life Management for ICT Equipment.

The workshop will also present PACEs Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) Criteria Recommendations; its Guideline on Environmentally Sound Testing, Refurbishment and Repair of Used Computing Equipment; its Guideline on Environmentally Sound Material Recovery/Recycling of End-of-Life Computing Equipment; and its Guidance on Transboundary Movement (TBM) of Used and End-of-Life Computing Equipment.

Other sessions will discuss the role that standards and policies play in tackling e-waste by encouraging the application of global environmental best practices and by underscoring the implementation of national and regional e-waste management strategies.

The workshop will conclude with a session inviting equipment manufacturers, government representatives and leading e-waste recycling specialists to discuss the development of Central Americas sub-regional systems for e-wastes repair, refurbishment, recycling and disposal.

The workshop will be conducted in English and Spanish.

More information on the workshop, including a provisional programme and an online registration form, can be found here

More information on ITU-T activities on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change can be found here

- ITU Blog: Working with our Members to promote ICT access for persons with disabilities

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:38:14 +0000

According to the World Report on Disability issued jointly by the World Health Organization and the World Bank approximately one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability.

The importance of extending ICTs to persons with disabilities and special need has become more critical than ever.

Within this context, Article 8B in the recently amended International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) calls on ITU Member States to promote access for persons with disabilities to international telecommunication services.

The ITU Development Bureau has been supporting ITU Members to ensure accessible ICTs for persons with disabilities through a range of activities and resources.

Read more...

- ITU establishes Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:54:03 +0000

ITU-T has established a new Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities to assess the standardization requirements of cities aiming to boost their social, economic and environmental sustainability through the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their infrastructures and operations.

ITU-T Study Group 5 Environment and climate change agreed the formation of the new Focus Group at its meeting in Geneva, 29 January to 7 February 2013.

The creation of the Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities answers a Call to Action on Smart Sustainable Cities proposed in September 2012 at ITUs 2^nd Green Standards Week in Paris. Smart Sustainable Cities is also the theme of ITUs 3^rd Green ICT Application Challenge.

Cities are powerful engines of economic growth, fuelled by intensive interpersonal communication and high concentrations of specialized skills. Urbanizations advantages are however mirrored by significant sustainability challenges, with cities today accounting for over 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 60-80 per cent of global energy consumption.

Given that an estimated 70 per cent of the worlds population will live in cities by 2050, sustainable urbanization has become a key policy point to administrations across the world. Here ICTs have a crucial role to play by increasing environmental efficiency across industry sectors and enabling such innovations as intelligent transport systems (ITS) and "smart" water, energy and waste management.

The Focus Group will act as an open platform for smart-city stakeholders such as municipalities; academic and research institutes; non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and ICT organizations, industry forums and consortia to exchange knowledge in the interests of identifying the standardized frameworks needed to support the integration of ICT services in smart cities.

Focus Group leadership team:

Chairman
- Silvia Guzman, Telefónica

Vice-Chairmen
- Pablo Bilbao, Federation Argentina de Municipios

- Flavio Cucchietti, Telecom Italia

- Sekhar Kondepudi, National University of Singapore

- Nasser Saleh Al Marzouqi, UAE

- Franz Zichy, USA

- Ziqin Sang, Fiberhome Technologies Group

Specific tasks and deliverables of the Focus Group include:

- Defining the role of ICTs in environmentally sustainable smart cities, and identifying the ICT systems necessary to the development of a Smart Sustainable City.

- Collecting and documenting information on existing smart city initiatives and technical specifications, focusing in particular on the identification of standardization gaps.

- Identifying or developing a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to gauge the success of smart-city ICT deployments.

- Establishing relationships and liaison mechanisms with other bodies engaged in smart-city studies and development.

- Identifying future smart-city standardization projects to be undertaken by its parent group, ITU-T Study Group 5.

- Developing a roadmap for the ICT sectors contribution to Smart Sustainable Cities, providing cohesion to the development and application of technologies and standards.

The meeting also agreed first-stage approval (consent) of the latest addition to ITU-Ts L.1400 series of standardized methodologies to assess the environmental impact of ICTs. The consent adds ICT projects to the list of ICT deployment scenarios covered by ITU-Ts environmental impact assessment methodologies. The new methodology (ITU-T L.1430) provides a framework to measure reductions in GHG emissions and energy consumption resulting from implementations of ICT projects including smart buildings, smart transport, and telepresence or videoconferencing services.

More information on ITU-T, Environment and Climate Change here

- ITU standards underpin transcontinental IPTV experiment

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:14:59 +0000

For the second year running, ITU-standardized IPTV technologies have been deployed in an international IPTV experiment held in conjunction with the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, 5-11 February 2013. The experiment ran over ITUs IPTV IPv6 Global Testbed and was successful in its ambitious attempt to employ ten software-defined networks (SDNs) simultaneously.

ITU headquarters in Geneva received high-definition IPTV content from the head-end server in Japan via a native end-to-end IPv6 connection, participating alongside broadcasters, government agencies, network operators, manufacturers and research institutes from Japan, Singapore and the Philippines.

IPTV services were used to live-stream scenes from Sapporo and to provide supporting Video on Demand (VoD) segments, accompanied by integrated social media tools and a remotely-provided captioning service. A particular achievement was the use of RISE, a next-generation Internet based on OpenFlow, to deliver IPTV content to Singapore where IPv4 and IPv6 were combined virtually (more on ITU and IPv6 here).

Core ITU standards underpinning the experiment included Recommendation ITU-T H.721s IPTV terminal for Video on Demand (VoD) and Linear TV, and ITU-T H.762s Lightweight Interactive Multimedia Environment (LIME) for interactive IPTV services.

Building on the success of similar events in 2012, Japans National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Hokkaido Television Broadcasting (HTB) and OKI continue to provide the infrastructure underlying what has become known as ITUs IPTV IPv6 Global Testbed.

The experiment was organized by NICT and conducted over its IPv6 research network, Japan Gigabit Network-eXtreme (JGN-X). Other participating organizations included ASTEM, MediaEdge, NTT, NTT Communications, NTT Electronics and Sumitomo Electric Networks from Japan; the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Singapore; Ateneo de Manila University, Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) and the Information and Communications Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST ICTO) from the Philippines; and Swisscom from Switzerland.

Such experiments together with ITU IPTV Interoperability events are important steps towards broadening the IPTV market through globally-interoperable services. Standardized IPTV will lead to a whole new market for innovation, and ITU standards will ensure this market remains open, competitive and accessible to all.

ITU-T Study Group 16 is producing the standards required to drive widespread adoption of IPTV. Global standards will lower the costs of these services for vendors and consumers, avoiding costly format wars and enabling rollouts of the technology to a scale not achievable with proprietary solutions.

For more on ITU-Ts work on IPTV, please see ITUs IPTV Global Standards Initiative.

- Demo of multimedia standards for a better quality of life

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:13:25 +0000

ITU headquarters in Geneva has hosted a showcase of ITU-standardized multimedia solutions targeting a better quality of life through innovations in high-definition content delivery, interactive entertainment, e-health services, and the accessibility of audiovisual media to persons with disabilities.

The demonstrations were given by prominent market players and research institutes for the benefit of delegates attending meetings of ITU-T Study 16 (Multimedia) and Study Group 9 (Broadband cable and TV); the expert groups responsible for IPTV and Smart Cable TV standardization, respectively.

IPTV demonstrations included ASTEMs (Japan) remotely-provided subtitling and captioning solution for IPTV services; a mobile IPTV service from South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; and selected applications from ITUs 2nd IPTV Application Challenge: "A better quality of life".

The 2nd IPTV Application Challenge booth showcased an IPTV e-health application using Continua Health Alliance-compliant e-health devices integrated with ITU-T IPTV services, developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research (Singapore) and the NTT Service Integration Lab (Japan). The booth also featured an accessibility-oriented application from Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) designed to teach its user how to communicate using sign language.

Core ITU standards underlying the IPTV showcase included Recommendation ITU-T H.721s IPTV terminal for Video on Demand (VoD) and Linear TV, and ITU-T H.762s Lightweight Interactive Multimedia Environment (LIME) for IPTV services. The IPTV equipment was provided by OKI and Sumitomo Electric Networks.

On the Smart Cable TV front, KDDI demonstrated an implementation of Recommendation ITU-T J.296s integrated broadcast cable set-top boxes. The demo highlighted advanced smart cable features to undergo future standardization a project currently being discussed by ITU-Ts Focus Group on Smart Cable TV (FG SmartCable) which has approved an intensive action plan aimed at finalizing its deliverables by October 2013. The group has scheduled three physical meetings for 2013: in April, Cambridge (UK); June, Atlanta (USA); and September, Tokyo (Japan).

In addition, an ETRI demo gave experts a view of the enhanced quality of images compressed using a hardware implementation of the newly consented ITU-T H.265 | ISO/IEC 23008-2 high efficiency video coding (HEVC). HEVC is the successor to the Primetime Emmy award winning ITU-T H.264 video compression codec. The new standard ITU-T H.265 will need only half the bit rate of its predecessor and this doubling of compression efficiency will be essential to the provision of high-quality video in mobile applications and ultra-high definition TV (UHDTV).

ITU-T Study Group 16 and Study Group 9 are producing the standards required to drive widespread global adoption of innovative multimedia solutions such as IPTV and Smart Cable TV. Global standards will lower the costs of these services for vendors and consumers, avoiding costly format wars and enabling rollouts of the technology to a scale not achievable with proprietary solutions.

For more on ITU-Ts work on Smart Cable TV, please see ITU-Ts Focus Group on Smart Cable TV.

For more on ITU-Ts work on IPTV, please see ITUs IPTV Global Standards Initiative.

- Public Online Consultation on Internet Issues

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:46:37 +0000

On 10 July 2012, the ITU Council resolved that the Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet) would hold online consultations for all stakeholders on certain policy issues to be decided by the Group. Council also resolved that all stakeholders could submit their responses to a reflector set up by the ITU and that all responses received from stakeholders would be posted, without edits, to the CWG-Internet website.

On 31 January 2013 the Council Working Group decided that Open Consultations would be convened on the following issues:

Issue 1: Consultation on effectively countering and combatting spam.
Issue 2: Consultation on international public policy issues concerning IPv4 addresses.
Issue 3: Consultation on developmental aspects of the Internet.

Read more and submit your views

- Fully Networked Car 2013: The Future of Vehicles

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:18:39 +0000

An upcoming workshop on the Fully Networked Car, the eighth event in the series, will host an international selection of experts to discuss the latest developments in the intelligent transport space with a view to building consensus on the best path towards global standards for a safer, cleaner and far more connected driving experience. Responding to rapid progression in the sophistication of intelligent transport systems (ITS), the workshops discussions will conclude by setting the standardization agenda and industry priorities for the coming year.

Organized by IEC, ISO and ITU under the banner of the World Standards Cooperation, the Fully Networked Car 2013 The Future of Vehicles is being held 6 March 2013 at Palexpo in Geneva. It will take place within the Geneva International Motor Show. With 6 March being the final press day of the Motor Show, workshop participants will gain exclusive insight into car manufacturers latest products as well as their visions of what consumers can expect in the future.

Fully Networked Car 2013 will be moderated for the second consecutive year by Richard Parry-Jones, a former executive at Ford Motor Company, and it will analyze developments in the automotive sphere with a particular focus on the ICT standardization needed to support recent advances in automotive ICTs. The workshop will assemble industry-leading minds from both the automotive and ICT communities; moving towards better collaboration by these industry sectors and thus more efficient development and adoption of the global standards needed to drive large-scale rollouts of ITS.

So-called cooperative ITS in which vehicles communicate with each other and with the infrastructure around them has the potential to enable more efficient traffic management, less congestion, fewer accidents and lower volumes of greenhouse gas emissions. Standards for cooperative ITS will thus be a central topic at Marchs workshop, as will energy efficiency and standardization work concerning electric vehicles and smart grids.

Other key topics will be standardization to minimize driver distraction and enhance vehicle safety as the use and inclusion of ICTs in automobiles increases, as will comparisons of the tremendously different ITS challenges and opportunities encountered by developing and developed countries.

Registration to attend the event closes 22 February 2013.

More information is available here

To drive the creation of an internationally accepted, globally harmonized set of ITS communication standards, ITU and other organizations with ITS activities have established an open collaboration group that next meets 21-22 March 2013 in Beijing, China.

- 3rd Green ICT Application Challenge: Deadline extended

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:06:33 +0000

The submission deadline for the 3rd Green ICT Application Challenge has been extended from 30 April to 30 June 2013. The Challenge has also welcomed new supporters in the United Nations University (UNU), Solving the e-Waste Problem (StEP) and BlueVia.

Organized by ITU in partnership with Telefónica, the Challenge will award a prize of 5,000 USD to the creator of the app that best promotes Smart Sustainable Cities and environmental sustainability in urban areas.

Developers can submit concepts individually or as part of a team. Submissions must be original and should deal with one of the following subjects: transport and mobility; management of energy, water, health services or waste; adaptation to climate change; town planning, including smart buildings; and smart sustainable societies, community participation and environmental education.

The winner will be selected according to criteria including impact, scalability, the degree of innovation, feasibility, the quality of the implementation plan and the business model. In addition, priority will be given to applications that can help developing countries to solve environmental problems in an urban context.

The Challenge launched 20 December 2012. Full Press Release here

- Focus Group learns from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:30:36 +0000

Attendees of the fourth meeting of ITUs Focus Group on Disaster Relief, Network Resilience and Recovery (FG-DR&NRR) will participate in a one-day technical tour of Sendai city, the area hardest hit by 2011s Great East Japan Earthquake, visiting affected telecommunication installations and R&D sites specialized in the study of network resilience and recovery.

Organized by ITU-T and hosted by Japans Ministry of Internal affairs and Communications (MIC) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), the fourth meeting of FG-DR&NRR will take place in Tokyo, Japan, 5-8 February 2013.

The meeting is preceded by an ITU workshop on e-Health services in low-resource settings: Requirements and ITU role, 4-5 February 2013, at the same venue. FG-DR&NRR participants are encouraged to attend this workshop, and particularly the afternoon sessions on the 5th where e-health applications related to disaster relief will be on show.

ITU-T Focus Groups are tasked with initiating work on new standardization challenges as input to the ITU-T Study Groups. Focus groups have a great deal of flexibility to decide their structure and working methods and participation is free of charge and open to non-members of ITU.

FG-DR&NRR was established in January 2012 at a meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG). The group coordinates ITU-Ts current work in the disaster relief field, and is expanding this work into two important new areas: (1) disaster relief for individuals (to notify relatives, friends or employers of a victims situation) and (2) disaster relief guidance (to show victims the routes to evacuation shelters, home, etc.).

Read more on FG-DR&NRR and its upcoming meeting here

- New video codec to ease pressure on global networks

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:27:15 +0000

Successor to award-winning standard to unleash new innovation
Geneva, 25 January 2013 A new video coding standard building on the PrimeTime Emmy award winning ITU-T H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC was agreed by ITU members today.

The new codec will considerably ease the burden on global networks where, by some estimates, video accounts for more than half of bandwidth use. The new standard, known informally as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) will need only half the bit rate of its predecessor, ITU-T H.264 / MPEG-4 Part 10 Advanced Video Coding (AVC), which currently accounts for over 80 per cent of all web video. HEVC will unleash a new phase of innovation in video production spanning the whole ICT spectrum, from mobile devices through to Ultra-High Definition TV.

ITU-Ts Study Group 16 has agreed first-stage approval (consent) of the much-anticipated standard known formally as Recommendation ITU-T H.265 or ISO/IEC 23008-2. It is the product of collaboration between the ITU Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG).

Full Press release

- ICT Innovation Application Challenge: Deadline extended

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:07:35 +0000

The registration deadline for ITUs ICT Innovation Application Challenge has been extended from 22 January 2013 to 12 February 2013.

Launched in November 2012, the Challenge aims to promote sustainable, equitable economic growth in emerging economies by unearthing apps targeting the social and economic inclusion of traditionally underserved communities.

Winning apps will be those that improve the quality of life experienced by citizens of developing countries, especially for communities at the financial or geographic margins of society. Suggested areas of focus include mobile health, mobile money, e-learning, e-government and intelligent transport systems.

The best app submitted by an individual or small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) will be awarded USD 5,000, courtesy of Nokia Siemens Networks. Winners will receive their awards at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum in Geneva, 13-17 May 2013.

Register here as a Challenge entrant, by 12 February 2013.

- ITU e-Health Workshop II

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:31:32 +0000

An ITU workshop "e-Health services in low-resource settings: Requirements and ITU role" will take place in Tokyo, Japan, 4-5 February 2013, at the kind invitation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan.

The workshop is a follow-up to the Joint ITU-WHO workshop on e-health Standards and Interoperability held in Geneva, April 2012. It aims at facilitating information sharing between e-health experts and to increase the understanding between developed and developing countries of what are the common threads, the different priorities and the challenges for the implementation of e-health services in low-resource settings.

The overarching goal is to identify a comprehensive roadmap for ITU activities towards implementation of e-health services in low-resource settings that includes the necessary standardization and interoperability studies. In addition, the results of this workshop will feed into the work of the relevant ITU-D and ITU-T Study Groups as well as the ITU-T Focus Group on Machine to Machine (M2M) Service Layer.

The workshop is open to interested participants and experts from the Asia-Pacific region, ITU Member States, Sector Members, ITU-D and ITU-T Study Group Associates, including representatives from regional and international organizations.

More information can be found here.

- WTSA Results online

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:07:13 +0000

The 50 Resolutions and one Opinion approved by the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA12) are now online together with the modified ITU-T A-Series Recommendations that guide the work of ITU-T.
WTSA-12 which took place from 20 to 29 November 2012 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, defined the next study period for ITU-T.

Please note that the Editorial Committee will meet 9-10 January 2013 in Geneva for its final meeting, so there may still be editorial changes to the texts. WTSA-12 also appointed the leadership of the ten ITU-T study groups, the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), regional groups and the Standardization Committee for Vocabulary and the Review Committee (see http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/wtsa12/Pages/wtsa12-results-chairmen.aspx). >

The Plenary reports are available here.

- 3rd Green App Challenge Targets Urban Sustainability

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:25:10 +0000

Call for applications to focus on Smarter Cities

Geneva, 20 December, 2012 ITU together with Telefónica will today launch the 3rd Green ICT Application Challenge. A prize of 5,000 US dollars will be awarded to the application that best helps to promote Smart Sustainable Cities and environmental sustainability in urban areas.

The impact of urban areas on natural resources necessitates a path of sustainable growth and development for the expansion of cities. It is expected that 70 per cent of the world population will be urban by 2050, and that most of this growth will occur in less developed countries. Cities currently emit 71 per cent of total greenhouse gases and consume between 60 and 80 per cent of the worlds energy. Innovative use of ICTs can drive solutions to make cities more efficient and sustainable.

Full press release

- World Radiocommunication Seminar 2012 (WRS-12)

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The World Radiocommunication Seminar 2012 is being held in Geneva, 3-7 December 2012, focused on the regulatory aspects of the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits, in particular, with the application of the provisions of the ITU Radio Regulations. Consideration of the latest technological aspects of radiocommunication, including broadcasting, is also on focus.

More than 450 participants from 99 countries were registered at this event.

The first two days are dedicated to cover aspects of international frequency management and radiocommunication standardization of the terrestrial and space services, including related work of the ITU-R Study Groups. The last three days will enable participants to get hands-on experience with ITU notification procedures as well as with the software and electronic publications made available by the Radiocommunication Bureau to the Administrations of ITU Member States and to the ITU-R Sector Members.

WRS-12 provides an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the revised regulations following the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12), which concluded in February this year. WRS-12 also aims to provide participants with essential technical and regulatory background information to assist them to prepare for the next ITU World Radiocommunication Conference to be held in Geneva, 2 - 27 November 2015.

WRC-15 website: www.itu.int/go/wrc-15
Radio Regulations (edition of 2012) now available online at: www.itu.int/pub/R-REG-RR/en

- Close of WTSA-12 marks the start of a new era for ITU-T

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:12:12 +0000

Adopting six new Resolutions, ITUs membership has called on ITU-T to expand its work on e-health, software-defined networking (SDN) and e-waste. In addition, members have called for the establishment of a Review Committee to ensure that ITU-Ts structure continues to meet the needs of the continually evolving and convergent ICT landscape, particularly as collaboration with vertical markets increases. This will help to enable such innovations as e-health, intelligent transport systems, smart grid, mobile money and e-learning.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA 12

Full release

- ITU members resolve to end discriminatory access to the Internet

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:24:08 +0000

WTSA-12 has adopted a Resolution inviting ITU Member States to refrain from taking any unilateral and/or discriminatory actions that could impede another Member State from accessing public Internet sites and using resources, within the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution and the WSIS principles.

Noting the global and open nature of the Internet as a driving force in accelerating progress towards development in its various forms and that discrimination regarding access to the Internet could greatly affect developing countries; Resolution 69, Non-discriminatory access and use of Internet resources, invites affected ITU Member States to report to ITU on any unilateral and/or discriminatory actions that could impede another Member State from accessing public Internet sites and using resources, within the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution and the WSIS principles.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Study group leadership appointed

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:22:44 +0000

Plenary at WTSA-12 today appointed the leadership of all ten ITU-T study groups and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG).

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Plenipot goes Busan style in 2014

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:16:53 +0000

These representatives of Korea Communications Commission used the buzz of WTSA-12 to introduce delegates to Busan, host city of ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014.

Busan is located on the south-eastern tip of the Korean Peninsula. The countrys second largest city is known for its seafood, beautiful beaches, hot springs and scenic mountains.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- SDN Resolution to boost Internets agility

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:15:12 +0000

A weekend full of concentrated work in ad-hoc and drafting groups has resulted in the adoption of new Resolutions, the latest targeting Software-defined Networking (see earlier article on an e-waste Resolution).

Pending WTSA-12 Plenary approval, the new Resolution on Software-defined Networking (SDN) instructs ITU-T Study Group 13 (Future Networks including mobile and NGN) to expand and accelerate its work in the SDN domain.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- New Resolution to clean up e-waste

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:04:56 +0000

Committee 4 has agreed a new Resolution on e-waste, charging ITU to strengthen its activities in this arena and to assist ITU Member States in instituting policy frameworks that limit e-wastes negative environmental effects.

The Resolution arrives against a backdrop of a rapidly progressing ICT industry, increasing consumption of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and a marked increase in e-waste, which, as a result of global mismanagement, has led to negative environmental and health effects, particularly in developing countries.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- ITU Blog: EU Parliament Resolution on WCIT flawed

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:34:43 +0000

As a citizen of Italy and as a person who is familiar with the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) and the proposals presented to that body, I must express my deep disappointment at parts of the Resolution on this topic that was adopted by the European Parliament.

The EU Resolution seems to be based on a flawed understanding of WCIT and of ITU.

I personally dont understand why European parliamentarians did not obtain correct information either directly from the ITU Secretariat or from their Member State representatives, who are familiar with WCIT-12 and ITU...

Full article

- Compromise found, ITU standard for remote management of network access devices approved

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:34:26 +0000

ITU-T Study Group 15 Chairman, Yoichi Maeda, today presented a compromise proposal developed by several delegations which cleared the way for approval of Recommendation ITU-T G.9980. The standard defines requirements for service providers remote management of networked devices in customers homes.

The compromise was achieved after including a statement in the scope of the Recommendation which reminds implementers and users to comply with all applicable national and regional laws, regulations and policies.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Bangalore workshop on sustainable rural communications

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:04:21 +0000

An upcoming workshop entitled Bridging the Standardization Gap: Sustainable Rural Communications is set to discuss information and communication technologies (ICTs) as enabling elements of socio-economic development in emerging markets. The event will focus on sustainable business models to extend telecommunications and broadband access to people living in rural or remote areas.

Taking place in Bangalore, India, 17-18 December 2012, the event is hosted by the Global ICT Standardization Forum for India (GISFI) together with ITU. It is supported by Huawei India, and will be followed by the Eleventh GISFI Standardization Series meetings, 19-20 December 2012.

Participants will discuss the difficult task of increasing access to ICTs in remote areas by providing sustainable incentives for network operators to extend high-cost infrastructures to currently low-revenue markets. How ICT standards might encourage such infrastructure investment will be a key topic of discussion, as will ICT innovations and emerging technologies in this arena.

Also of key relevance will be discussions around the need to aid developing countries in the establishment of national standardization secretariats that can help to define a countrys standardization requirements and channel participation in regional and international standardization work.

Bridging the Standardization Gap is one of the core objectives of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Expanding the standardization capacities of developing countries will lead to international standards that truly reflect the needs of all the worlds countries. It will enable standards-savvy policy makers and private-sector executives to implement standards as best-practice tools in rolling-out broadband infrastructure and driving homegrown ICT innovation.

More information on the workshop here...

- e-health: Committee 4 approves new Resolution

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 19:59:04 +0000

e-health, the use of ICTs in healthcare, has been a strong feature of this Assembly. The extensive discussion in GSS and a dedicated side event complement the Committee 4 agreement on a new Resolution on e-health.

Pending final WTSA-12 Plenary approval, Information and communication technology applications and standards for improved access to e-health services instructs the Director of TSB, Malcolm Johnson, to collaborate with Brahima Sanou, Director of ITUs Telecommunication Development Bureau, to prioritize and coordinate work on e-health in the years to come.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Telecommunications crucial when disaster strikes

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 07:44:14 +0000

Recent events have clearly demonstrated the need for telecommunications networks to be resilient to natural and human-induced disasters, as they are critical to rescue efforts and restoring normality in the wake of disasters.

The third and last side event 23 November, 18h00, Room E will review aspects of network resilience and telecoms infrastructure recovery following disasters and how these requirements can be reflected in ICT standardization. In addition, the panel will showcase ICTs supporting disaster relief for individuals (e.g., to enable victims to notify next of kin) and disaster relief guidance (e.g., to guide those affected to evacuation shelters or hospitals).

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- USD 5,000 for your innovative App

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:09:44 +0000

A cash prize of USD 5,000 is offered to the winner of a new ITU Application Challenge seeking to uncover apps extending the reach of mobile health, mobile money, e-learning, e-government and intelligent transport systems.

The ICT Innovation Application Challenge was launched tonight at the ICT Innovations side event. The challenge aims to promote sustainable, equitable economic growth in emerging economies by unearthing apps targeting the social and economic inclusion of traditionally underserved communities.

More at http://www.itu.int/go/challenges/ictinnovation.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- ICT innovation side event

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:59:09 +0000

The second of the three WTSA side events will take place at 18h00 on Thursday 22 November in Room E, here at the Dubai World Trade Center.

Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, will open the event and four invited speakers will share their experience on ICT Innovations in emerging economies.

Ajay Ranjan Mishra is the Chairman of ITU-T Focus Group bridging the gap: from innovation to standards and will moderate the side event. He will also give a talk about the objectives of the Focus Group, and on the progress made so far.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Work in Committees gets underway

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:28:17 +0000

WTSA-12's opening session under the Chairmanship of Mohammed Gheyath (Executive Director, Policies & Programs/Information & E-Government Sector, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, UAE) saw the approval of committees' structure and leadership.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- Bright future for academic membership

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:25:33 +0000

At an event dedicated to academia at WTSA-12, academic members of ITU-T have expressed their belief that ITU-T membership represents a valuable opportunity for academics to bring their research to life through standardization, exchange ideas with other experts, and raise the profiles of their institutions.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- A word with Heidi Thomas, broadcast captioner at WTSA

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Behind the scenes, The Assembly met with Heidi Thomas. Heidi works for Caption First, a captioning service provider.

A realtime text stream from WTSA-12 is available at http://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-WTSA.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- e-Health: one swallow does not make a summer?

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:55:32 +0000

Despite the remarkable potential of e-health as an agent for improvement in quality, safety, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of healthcare, adoption has been slow. While more and more countries adopt e-health solutions, lack of interoperability is a barrier to adoption and scalability.

The first of three WTSA side events will take place at 18h00 this evening in Room B, here at the Dubai World Trade Center.

Four invited speakers will share their experience in the e-health domain and address challenges faced in the adoption of ICT-enabled healthcare services and applications.

This post originally from The Assembly a blog covering WTSA12
full release

- ITU Blog: Clarification needed during Open Letter season

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:25:29 +0000

It is with great surprise and disappointment that ITU notes the joint letter signed by Greenpeace International and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) which was addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon regarding the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12).

The assertions in the open letter cannot go unchallenged, as many of the issues raised are misleading, inaccurate and grounded in conjecture.

It is unfortunate that this letter was drafted, dispatched and made public without any consultation with ITU Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadoun Touré or ITU as an organization.

A number of misleading inaccuracies which are contained in the letter could have been dispelled before being made public.

Read more...

- Second ITU Global Media Briefing on WCIT-12

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:50:04 +0000

In December in Dubai, ITU membership will meet to discuss possible revision of the International Telecommunication Regulations, a global treaty governing the way international telecommunications traffic is managed. On September 17, ITU held a second global media briefing entitled WCIT: Myth versus Fact. An audio archive and comprehensive presentation on challenges and opportunities of the WCIT event is available online.

WCIT-12 website

- Briefing Sessions on proposals submitted to WCIT-12 and WTSA-12

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:41:11 +0000

Based on the presentations of proposals of Member States and Regional Groups already submitted to WCIT-12 and WTSA-12, the Briefing Sessions on proposals submitted to WCIT-12 and WTSA-12 will provide participants with the opportunity to explain their proposals, exchange views and have a better understanding of each others proposals and positions. The briefing sessions will be held at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva, on Monday, 8 and Tuesday, 9 October 2012 and will be chaired by Mr. Mohamed Al-Ghanim, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates.

The session on WCIT-12 will open on 8 October at 0930 hours and will end on 9 October at 1230 hours.
The session on WTSA-12 will follow that on WCIT on 9 October from 14h30 to 17h30.

Interpretation will be provided into the six official languages of the Union.

More >

- WCIT 2012: an opportunity to create an open, innovative and sustainable ICT environment

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:56:42 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré and Chair of the Executive Board of the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) Luigi Gambardella met today at ITU headquarters in Geneva. During their discussion they stressed the importance of the World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12), which will review the International Telecommunication Regulations, or ITRs. They said that an update of this international treaty will lay the framework to support continued growth and an innovative and sustainable future for the telecommunication and information and communication technologies (ICTs) sector.

Dr Touré noted that the 1988 ITRs opened the door for the telecommunication revolution of the 1990s and notably privatization, liberalization, and new technologies such as mobile. Now its time to take the next step and open the door for the broadband revolution of the next decade, so that all the worlds people can gain access affordable, equitable, high-speed fixed or mobile access to voice, video and data.

Mr Gambardella stated that WCIT-12 allows us to address the need for a new ecosystem for communications, enabling operators and service providers to meet the huge challenges that are being driven by the rapid rise in data traffic, while allowing users to continue enjoying the benefits brought about by the Internet and other technologies."

The ITRs set out the basic principles for ensuring that networks can connect smoothly and efficiently across borders and among technologies. However, the environment has changed dramatically since their last revision in 1988. The growth in traffic puts a strain on network resources and risks worsening users' experience of connectivity. The ITRs need to reflect changes in markets and technologies, while allowing innovation to continue.

The ITU membership, which includes ETNO, sees WCIT-12 as an opportunity to agree on a new and sustainable model for international communications, favouring innovation, openness and consumer choice. ETNO believes that improved user experience would be encouraged by allowing commercial agreements between players on end-to-end quality of service. The association has put forward a proposed revision to the ITRs that it believes would ensure that the framework is future proof.

- ICT Discovery museum now open to the public!

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:09:23 +0000

ITUs museum of the evolution and exciting future of information and communication technologies (ICT), ICT Discovery , opened its doors to the public on Friday, 18 May. The museum was officially opened at a reception on 15 May by ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Touré, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (founding partner) Permanent Mission in Geneva, Obaid Salem Saeed Al Zaabi, and the Mayor of Geneva, Pierre Maudet.

ICT Discovery is where ITU highlights the history of ICT, demonstrates their achievements, and how they have completely transformed our lives. We also take a look at the future and the wonderful opportunities that may be brought about by the new technological developments that could be just around the corner, Dr Touré explained to the approx. 100 guests in attendance.

ICT Discovery is the fascinating story of ICT told from the very heart of the industry, stated H. E. Mr Al Zaabi. We are really honoured to be the ICT Discovery founding partner.

Ambassador Obaid Salem Saeed Al Zaabi, Permanent Mission of UAE in Geneva, the Mayor of Geneva, Pierre Maudet, and the ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Touré, lead the preview tour at the opening reception.

On behalf of the City of Geneva, Pierre Maudet expressed a particular honour in the city hosting ITU on its territory as the international organization in charge of telecommunications that is today demonstrating its interest in our populations pedagogy.

On hosting Genève, Ville Vivante as its first temporary exhibition - a City of Geneva project which visualizes the 15 million digital traces left by citizens with their mobiles on one day in the city the Mayor expressed his joy that ICT Discovery can demonstrate the link between the global vision developed within ITU and the application of ICT made at a local level.

H.E. Ms Jasna Matic, Secretary of State for Digital Agenda (Serbia), and members of the Serbian delegation enjoy the Ville Vivante temporary exhibition.

ICT Discovery is open from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 17:00 at ITUs Montbrillant building, 2 rue de Varembé, 1202 Geneva. The Genève, Ville Vivante temporary exhibition is on display between 18 May and 10 August 2012. Entrance to both the permanent collection and temporary exhibition is free-of-charge.

The winner of our museum naming competition, Nethmi Karunajeewa, tests the Samsung tablet audio-visual guide with her Father and finds out how radio really works during the preview tour.

Come join us on the journey through our connected world!

Web: http://www.ictdiscovery.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ICTdiscovery

Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/v/ict-discovery/4f18199d0039aaaa1d5ff683

- WRC-12 Photos (General pictures and Delegates pictures), Jan 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

- RA-12 Photos (General pictures and Delegates pictures), Jan 2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

- ITU joins the UN System to provide its perspectives on a Green Economy

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:15:05 +0000

Against a backdrop of the multiple crises of the past four years -- financial, economic, food and energy -- the United Nations launched this week a report that offers UN agencies and its member states guidance for coordinating the transition to a Green Economy at the international and country levels.

In the first-ever inter-agency report on the Green Economy, the Environment Management Group (EMG), representing the work of UN agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions and other intergovernmental bodies outlines steps and policies for pursuing a green economic transformation that generates new sources of sustainable and equitable economic growth that will assist in a global economic recovery.

Such action will require investing in natural capital, clean-technologies, such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as in in human and social capital, including education, health care, cultural development and social protection.

The report, Working towards a Balanced and Inclusive Green Economy, reflects a growing recognition of the shortcomings of business-as-usual practiced by both the public and private sector institutions over the last two decades and assesses how the UN system can coherently support countries in transitioning to a Green Economy. The report highlights the need for more integrated approaches between different international agencies and government departments, as well as more targeted investments across the environmental, economic and social domains.

Urging both agencies and governments to use the forthcoming 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20 Summit) to turn their commitments into reality, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said:

United Nations entities are keenly aware of the resource challenges that countries face in meeting the needs of a growing and urbanizing world population. The human and economic toll of natural disasters and the volatility of commodity prices reflect worrying trends in global climate change, the growing scarcity of some natural resources and the decline of many ecosystems.

This report highlights how these challenges can and must be addressed as part of integrated development models that focus on poverty and human well-being.

The report promotes a UN system-wide understanding of the Green Economy approach to achieve sustainable development and offers a range of instruments that governments can use to impact investment choices and consumer behavior. These include mobilizing financial resources, full cost pricing, regulatory instruments, sustainable trade and green markets, innovation and technology, and indicators for measuring progress towards transition.

The report calls specifically for public spending to target green infrastructure and research and development that can spur green technologies and innovation, as well as better health care and education. In addition, governments need to align their laws, regulations, green standards, taxes, labeling and reporting requirements to reinforce the incentives for the private sector to direct their finance and investments towards green, responsible business and a Green Economy.

The report notes numerous UN-backed initiatives, including ITUs activities to promote green ICT standards, the use of radio-communications for earth observation, or specific initiatives to develop innovative applications that promote the transition to a green economy, such as the ITU Green ICT Application Challenge. These contributions will be instrumental in the preparation of the Rio+20 conference.

Click here to access the full version of the report free of charge. Find more about ITUs activities on climate change and environment protection at www.itu.int/climate

Background information

Rio Earth Summit: In 1992 the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as the Rio Earth Summit, was convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to address the state of the environment and sustainable development. In June 2012, there will be the follow up meeting or Rio+20 in Brazil, where one of the main themes governments are expected to address is Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

The Environment Management Group (EMG) is a UN coordination body consisted of the specialized agencies, programmes and organs of the United Nations including the secretariats of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. It furthers inter-agency cooperation in support of the implementation of the international environmental and human settlement agenda. www.unemg.org. ITU is an active member of the EMG. >

- UNEP Basel Convention joins the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:46:29 +0000

On the first day of the International Telecommunication Unions World Telecommunications/ICT Indicators Meeting in Port Louis, Mauritius, it was announced that the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is expanding with a new member: the UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposals.

The inclusion of the Basel Convention Secretariat is particularly valuable at a time when growing attention is being paid to the measurement of the environmental implications for ICT, such as the growth of electronic waste said the current chair of the Partnership Steering Committee, Mr Torbjorn Fredriksson, Chief of the ICT Analysis Section of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention will bring to the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development its expertise and experience with e-waste issues on global level, its network of national and international institutions, academics, industry and civil society commented Mr Matthias Kern, who will be representing the Basel Convention Secretariat in the Partnership.

Measuring e-waste is one of the emerging topics we are exploring at this years World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Meeting. I am extremely pleased to announce the new membership of the UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention at this occasion said Ms Susan Teltscher, Head of ITUs ICT Data and Statistics Division.

For more information, please contact Susan Teltscher (email: indicators@itu.int).

The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators, particularly in developing countries. Launched in 2004, the Partnership helps measure the information society by defining a core list of ICT indicators and methodologies to collect these indicators; helping developing countries collect ICT statistics; and collecting and disseminating information society statistics.

Existing members include Eurostat, ITU, OECD, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNECA, UNECLAC, UNESCAP, UNESCO Institute for Statistics and UNESCWA.

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention is administered by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and is mandated to support parties in the implementation of the Convention. Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), in particular used and end-of-life equipment from the ICT sector has been identified as a priority waste stream. See www.basel.int.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)s World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Meeting is held annually, bringing together representatives from ICT Ministries, regulatory authorities and national statistical offices to discuss pertinent issues related to information society measurements and to advance the availability of internationally comparable ICT statistics.

- ITU to play leading role in UN global cybersecurity debate

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:56:15 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré will be among the prominent global leaders taking part in a special United Nations Economic and Social Council public debate on Cybersecurity and Development.

Modern information and communications technologies (ICTs) now underpin just about all human activity, from transportation, water and power networks, to industrial processes and supply chains, emergency services, healthcare, education, food distribution chains, and financial services.

But while technology brings many benefits, this dependence has given rise to the need to protect against potential threats posed to the everyday lives of people and States alike.

Cybersecurity and cybercrime are multidimensional issues involving different disciplines, skills and technologies. Strengthening security in the information society is a shared responsibility in which all stakeholders (governments, private sector, international organizations, civil society) have vital roles to play.

What:	ECOSOC Debate on Cybersecurity and Development
When:	10:00am - 1:00pm, 9 December, 2011
Where:	ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
Why:	To look at the challenges posed by ubiquitous connectivity and potential responses to mounting cyberthreats
Who:	Chair: H.E. Mr. Lazarous Kapambwe, President of ECOSOC and Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations Moderator: Gary Fowlie, Head, ITU Liaison Office in New York Panellists: Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union Fortunato de la Peña, Vice-Minister for Science and Technology, Philippines, and Chair, Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) - via video-link Cheri McGuire, Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Cybersecurity Policy, Symantec Mohd Noor Amin, Chairman, Management Board IMPACT Malaysia Deborah Taylor Tate, ITU Special Envoy and Laureate for Child Online Protection, United States Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (Ret.)

For more information about the event see: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/cybersecurity/index.shtml.

- ITU Secretary-General at M-Enabling Summit on ICT accessibility

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:13:22 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Toure will be delivering keynote remarks and chairing an international panel on policies and programmes for ICT accessibility at the M-Enabling Summit being held in Washington DC on 5 December. This multi-stakeholder Summit will bring together key players from industry, government and regulatory agencies, civil society, international and regional organizations and funding partners among others to share experiences and showcase the latest mobile applications and services for seniors and persons with disabilities.

- Girls in ICT

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:59:39 +0000

Job opportunities in the ICT sector continue to grow, and many countries and regions are predicting a shortage of qualified staff with math, science, engineering and computing skills to meet the growing demand. At the same time, many companies are looking to increase the numbers of women in the sector. This means that highly qualified women in technical fields have significant opportunities available to them. Unfortunately teenage girls and young women often never even consider a career in ICTs. There is a lack of awareness among students, teachers and parents on the opportunities presented by a career in ICT.

Attitudes can change when girls are invited into companies and government agencies to meet ICT professionals and see what life is like on the job. For this reason, ITU members agreed to recognize Girls in ICT Days on the 4th Thursday of every April in ITU Plenipotentiary Resolution 70 (Guadalajara, 2010). ITU is also helping girls find the information they need by developing a Girls in ICT Portal with links to scholarships, training, internships, contests and awards, tech camps, online networks and, of course, Girls in ICT Day activities. The Girls in ICT Portal will be unveiled in this Session.

Not only is encouraging girls to enter the ICT sector good for womens professional development and job prospects, its good for business. A broad range of organizations and companies have concluded that increasing women at the top positively impacts financial performance, while those that ignore diversity issues risk ongoing labor shortages.

Supporting the education of women and girls in the ICT sector is also in line with United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3 to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Not only are jobs in the ICT sector lifting women out of poverty, a more gender-balanced sector offers fulfilling mid and high-level careers, and enables highly talented women to springboard to the top of the career ladder. This is good for everyone. As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said, Equality for women and girls is not only a basic human right it is a social and economic imperative. Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more productive and strong. Where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable."

Learn more about efforts to encourage young women to enter the ICT sector during the Girls in ICT Session on Thursday, 27 October from 14h00-15h30 in Lab Space #3.

- ITU Secretary-General ranked number one in the global ICT industry

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:30:01 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré has been named the most influential person in the global telecoms industry by high-profile UK publication Global Telecom Business Power 100 .

This years publication, which ranks the 100 most important people shaping the future of the ICT industry worldwide, recognizes Dr Touré for his leadership in championing the cause of global broadband connectivity, and for promoting the right to communicate as a fundamental human right. The prime mover in establishing the Broadband Commission for Digital Development . . . he is a leader with a passionate commitment to development and the power of ICTs to catalyze social and economic change, the entry says.

AT&Ts Randall Stephenson, Verizons Lowell McAdam, Telefónicas César Alierta and Googles Larry Page occupy the next four top slots.

Its always hard and controversial to put readers suggestions in some sort of order, and to omit those from number 101 onwards, said GTB editor Alan Burkitt-Gray. But we hope that readers will agree that Tourés work in setting up and steering the Broadband Commission means he more than deserves his selection as the most powerful of the Power 100 for 2011.

The feature article accompanying the list of rankings is highly positive about Dr Tourés achievements at the helm of ITU. In the past year Touré . . . has done much to elevate the international status of our hugely important industry and put it on the worlds political platform, it says. Touré has been the visionary driving force behind the Broadband Commission, a team made up of a dazzling set of the industrys leaders no one else on the planet could have rounded up John Chambers of Cisco, Carlos Slim Helú of Telmex, Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm, Wang Jianzhou of China Mobile, Hans Vestberg of Ericsson and a team of others to work together to develop a broadband development policy for the world.

- The Importance of National Broadband Plans

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:02:50 +0000

In its latest September edition, the ITU News magazine of the ITU examines the need for national broadband plans, their aims and relationship with national targets and goals.

A national broadband plan is as much a social contract as a plan of action to develop the industry base. It can be understood as bringing about a stronger foundation for effective governance, private investment and more active citizenship, leading to a desirable social and economic future.

The article draws on a discussion paper entitled Setting national broadband policies, strategies and plans: A practical step-by-step approach, written by Dr Bob Horton, consultant for the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITUD), and prepared for the 11th ITU Global Symposium for Regulators 2011, to be held in Armenia City, Colombia, on 2123 September 2011.

For more information, please read here.

- ITU Telecom World 2011 teams up with Telecentre.org to take the debate truly global

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:22:59 +0000

People in remote and underserved communities worldwide will have the chance to experience and participate in debates at ITUs flagship ITU Telecom World 2011 event (24-27 October), thanks to a collaboration with Telecentre.org Foundation, an independent Philippines-based NGO which supports the global telecentre movement.

The collaboration will leverage the organizations global network of over 100,000 telecentres to carry live webcasts and Twitter streams from ITU Telecom World 2011 debates as they happen in Geneva. The event technology platform will also support remote intervention, allowing those watching the events in telecentres around the world to send in their questions and become part of the events.

The collaboration with ITU Telecom will help to truly Connect the World by bringing traditionally marginalized communities into the global debate. It will also provide a platform for Telecentre.org to showcase the success of its many activities around the world and make new business contacts in industry and government that could lead to exciting new development projects.

ITU and Telecentre.org recently announced a digital literacy partnership that will train one million unskilled women to use modern information and communication technology (ICT) applications to improve their livelihoods, leveraging the combined reach of Telecentre.org Foundations global network of 100,000 telecentres worldwide and ITUs 192 Member States and 700 Sector Members.

Telecentre.org Foundation's Acting Executive Director Tess Camba is excited to be part of one of the worlds premier ICT events: ITU Telecom World 2011 is a wonderful opportunity for our members in rural and remote areas to be heard by people in the industry who are also in the position to make a difference.

Through this event, people across the globe will be able to share their ideas and stories as well as collectively contribute to formulating solutions to some of the worlds most pressing concerns. We are extremely pleased to work together again with ITU in an initiative that will benefit our telecentre community.

This years new-look ITU Telecom World 2011 will bring together industry CEOs and world leaders, digital experts, technology gurus, and grassroots technology pioneers to tackle core issues shaping the global ICT landscape in the age of broadband. In a departure from previous events, World 2011 will dispense with the traditional exhibition show floor and instead focus on facilitating knowledge sharing, networking, deal making and consensus building.

Click here for further information on the event.

- ITU helps Brazil's Anatel secure new cost model

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:46:16 +0000

ITU has partnered with Brazilian regulator Anatel to help the agency create a new Cost Model that will assist in setting tariffs for fixed telephony and calculating industry standard reference values for mobile and leased line services.

The new Cost Model will provide access to information management costs of the different business areas and product lines of telecommunications service providers, and improve the overall regulation of the sector. The cost model represents a key element in helping Anatel ensure compliance with Brazil's public sector policies.

The Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), Mr Brahima Sanou, was present in Brasilia for the signing of the USD 8.22 million contract with the winning consortium comprising the consultancies Advisia, Analysys Mason and Grant Thornton. Mr Sanou underlined the importance of the work that will be undertaken under the terms of the contract for Anatel, for the Brazilian market and for Brazil's ICT users. "ITU is proud to be part of this important mission, and of the trust that Brazil has placed in our work," he said. ITU managed the bid process for the contract, which will extend over the coming two years.

The signing ceremony was attended by the president of Anatel, Mr Ronaldo Sardenberg, and Mr Luiz Novaes, Partner with Advisia, along with the new director of ITU's Americas Regional Office, Mr Hector Huerta.

Photo caption: Mr Luiz Novaes (left), Partner with Advisia; Mr Brahima Sanou (centre), Director of ITU's Bureau of Telecommunication Development; and Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenburg (right), President of Anatel, after signing the contract.

- ICTs and Youth: A Catalyst for Peace, Human Rights & Development

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:53:14 +0000

New York, July 26: The United Nations High-Level Meeting on Youth, hosted at the UN Headquarters in New York on 25 and 26 July 2011, focused on the views of young people as important stakeholders in modern society. ITUs side event held on the first day of the conference sought to address the issue of ICTs and Youth: A Catalyst for Peace, Human Rights and Development and featured panelists Mr Gary Fowlie of ITU's New York Liaison Office, Mr Doug Court of ITU Geneva and Mr Tik Root, a young American student who found himself inadvertently caught up in the events of the recent Arab Spring.

A key message coming from the event was that ICTs can and should be used to support article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; which includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, recieve and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

ITU has been looking to engage with young people throughout the year 2011, via the Broadband Commission Working Group on Youth chaired by ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. This group is soliciting input for a visual vision statement which calls for Internet and, more specifically, broadband services to be made more widely available at affordable prices. The group also hopes to bring the concerns and ideas of young people to the attention of the Broadband Commissioners during the upcoming Broadband Leadership Summit scheduled for 24 and 25 October in Geneva. To find out more or to join the conversation, visit www.facebook.com/broadbandcommission.

- Broadband Commission launches second major report

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:14:17 +0000

The second major output document of the ITU/UNESCO-led Broadband Commission for Digital Development was released on June 6, at the 3rd meeting of the Commission in Paris, France.

Entitled Broadband: A Platform for Progress, the report advocates a coordinated, nationwide approach to broadband development that more closely resembles the development of national railway or electricity networks than the more laissez-faire, market-driven approach that has generally characterized the roll-out of mobile cellular technology.

The report also makes a strong case for broadband as a driver of economic growth and new jobs, citing country case studies and reports by leading consultancies that point to increased employment opportunities, higher labour productivity and a strong stimulus to GDP.

Positive findings released recently by ITU show that, on average, consumers are paying 50% less for high-speed Internet connections than they were two years ago. However, this fall is mainly due to price decreases in developing countries, with steep declines often reflecting the extremely high cost of broadband in the developing world.

And despite encouraging trends, Africa continues to stand out for its relatively high prices. Fixed broadband Internet access in particular remains prohibitively high, and, across the region as a whole, still represented almost three times the monthly average per capita income. Only one out of ten people in Africa is using the Internet.

Read the press release at http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/19.aspx

- ICT Discovery prize goes to12-year-old girl

Tue, 17 May 2011 07:12:25 +0000

The ITU visitors centre to be opened to the public this autumn has been given a name ICT Discovery thanks to a suggestion by 12-year-old Nethmi Karunajeewa. As the winner of a contest to name the new facility, on 17 May 2011 she was awarded the prize of an iPad2 by ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. The contest was open to all ITU staff and their families. Nethmis mother, Nayani Karunajeewa, is a radiocommunication engineer at ITU.

Nethmi says her favourite subjects at school are English and drama, and her dream is to become a writer or a teacher. I thought of the idea ICT Discovery because I like playing with words when I write poems, and I thought that this name was suitable because the ITU visitors centre would be a place where people could discover the wonders of information and communication technology, Nethmi explained. I feel really proud to have my idea chosen for something so important, she added.

The new centre will illustrate the history of ICT and show how current and emerging technologies influence our lives. Focusing on the future, ICT Discovery will also highlight ITUs important contributions and its commitment to connect the world. For more, see: http://www.itu.int/ict-e/index.html

- ICTs at the service of womens & childrens health

Tue, 03 May 2011 12:37:19 +0000

ITU highlighted the need for countries to develop coordinated national e-Health plans which leverage the power of ICTs, at the second and final meeting of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Womens and Childrens Health, which took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on May 1-2.

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré served as co-Vice Chair of the Commission alongside Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organisation. The meeting approved 10 recommendations which, together, constitute a new framework for accountability and tracking of resources and results in the health sector.

The goal of the Commission is to improve transparency, ensure consistency in reporting and more effectively track resources spent on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, to accelerate progress towards Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 1c.

ITU is currently working alongside WHO to develop a modular e-Health toolkit that will help countries develop and implement scalable and sustainable programmes for integrating ICTs into national health strategies.

Even relatively simple ICTs like ordinary cellphones can play a transformative role in national health systems, facilitating data gathering, storage, sharing and analysis. In addition, new apps, such as a system to perform automatic remote diagnosis of malaria using a simple in-phone camera, could serve as powerful catalysts in extending access to diagnosis and treatment to people in isolated communities.

With mobile connectivity now widespread in even the worlds poorest countries, ICTs offer a unique and powerful opportunity to bridge the health development gap, said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. In addition to facilitating data analysis, platforms like the Internet and social media can also be used as tools to create safe and empowering spaces for women, where they can obtain accurate, up-to-the-minute health information in a confidential, multilingual environment.

The Commission is a key element of the UN Global Strategy for Women's and Childrens Health, which aims to save the lives of 16 million women and children under five years of age by 2015.

Read more via our communiqué: Women & children to benefit from new recommendations to improve health accountability
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/CM11.aspx

- Emergency Communications pictorial

Mon, 02 May 2011 09:38:46 +0000

Before, during and after a natural disaster or emergency, swift and reliable communications are essential. See how modern technology provides vital links on which humanitarian teams rely...

Our latest in a series of infographics on ICTs now available for free download in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish:
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/pictorial/2011/emergency_telecom/index.aspx?lang=en

- Find us on Facebook and join in the conversation!

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:03:35 +0000

Already, ITU is an active user of social media, with accounts on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. Now it has expanded its online presence even further with the launch of a public ITU page on Facebook .

As part of the Facebook community, ITU will post its latest news, information on events, photos, videos and feature stories. Most importantly, the public page is another way for ITU to interact directly with users, who will be able to make comments, give their feedback and share ideas.

As of January 2011, Facebook reportedly had more than 600 million active users around the globe. It will therefore be a powerful way for ITU to get its message across and listen to responses from every continent as it works on its mission of connecting the world.

Follow ITU: facebook | twitter | flickr | youtube | rss

- Why are young girls rejecting careers in technology?

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:26:34 +0000

ITU'S High-level Debate held to commemorate 100 years of International Women's Day tackled the issue of declining female participation in the information and communication technology industry.

It's a little-known fact that women were the original programmers of ENIAC, the US government's first ever computer. But while teenage girls now use computers and the Internet at rates similar to boys, they are five times less likely to consider a technology-related career.

It wasn't always so. In the US in the 1980s, for example, young women were earning 37% of computer science degrees; today, that number has fallen to around 20%.
That lack of trained female professionals in turn means that in OECD countries, women now account for under 20% of ICT specialists in OECD countries. It also means that most developed countries are forecasting an alarming shortfall in the number of skilled staff to fill upcoming jobs in the ICT sector. The European Union calculates that in 10 years' time there will be a lack of some 300,000 people to fill ICT jobs in the region; globally, the shortfall is closer to 1.2 million.

With computer and information systems managers consistently ranked among the top 20 best-paying jobs on a par with surgeons, orthodontists, airline pilots and lawyers why are young women turning their backs on technology?

ITU's High-level Panel of experts from government, the ICT industry, the education sector and the media agreed that major problems include a poor perception of the industry among girls, and a lack of inspiring role models.

Finnish Communications Minister Suvi Lindén spoke of a culture of negativity around science and maths that is affecting girls as young as primary level. Educator Inal Uygur of the International School of Geneva noted that teachers unwittingly or even deliberately put girls off technology as a career, often with a misplaced sense that they are acting in the girl's best interests. Professor Anastasia Ailamaki, who leads the DIAS Lab at the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, observed that male teachers' envy of young girls' talents can also sometimes play an insidious role.

Industry representatives Alethea Lodge-Clark of Microsoft and Victor Agnellini of Alcatel-Lucent affirmed that encouraging more girls into technology careers was important to the ongoing growth of the ICT industry, particularly in Europe and the US. Both highlighted their own companies' initiatives to redress the problem, such as the Digigirlz programme managed globally by Microsoft, and female-oriented initiatives managed by the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation in countries around the world. Aurora Velez, Chief Producer of the Learning World series at Euronews, pointed to some of the innovative approaches her team has uncovered around the world, and hosted the screening of two Learning World stories created for this year's International Women's Day, both focused on encouraging girls to think about careers in technology.

Dr Speranza Ndege, Director of the Institute of Open, Distance and e-Learning at Kenya's Kenyatta University, told of the strong resistance she met from male colleagues when she crossed over from the traditional female academic domain of social sciences to ICTs. ITU's own Gitanjali Sah, who works as an ICT analyst focused on development issues, brought a regional perspective, noting that ICT training for girls was very popular in much of the Asia region, because of its perceived prestige.

And Serbian Minister Jasna Matiã, who has earned an international reputation as a passionate champion of technology education for women, proposed a concrete way forward with the creation of a Girls in ICT Day, to be held on the fourth Thursday in April every year, where governments, private industry and the education sector will be encouraged to team up to promote technology as an attractive career choice for female students.

The event was attended by around 100 representatives from UN agencies, national missions, the ICT industry, the education sector and the general public.

Archived audiocast of discussions (English and French)
Photos

- ITU to hold High-level Debate for International Womens Day

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:06:14 +0000

To commemorate 100 years of International Womens Day, ITU is organizing a High-level Panel Debate on 10 March 2011 around the theme of female participation in the information and communication technology industry.

Whats behind the sharp downwards trend in young women opting to study information and communication technology? ICT qualifications offer good job prospects and higher-than-average remuneration. Yet in the US, for example, the proportion of girls studying ICT courses has dropped from a mid-80s high of 37% to just 29% today and falling.

Many European economies are now predicting a crisis in the number of trained IT professionals within the next 10-15 years. What is putting girls off technology? And why are some countries particularly in the Asian region succeeding in attracting female IT students? What are they doing differently and getting right?

Entitled Goodbye to the IT girl: Why are young women deserting technology? the debate will look at how ICTs are taught in schools and universities, how girls perceive careers in technology and what is informing their life choices. What are the cultural and economic barriers and how might we encourage more girls into the technology field?

See www.itu.int/en/womensday/Pages/default.aspx for full details of panelists and timings.

This event is open to representatives from UN agencies, national missions, the ICT industry, the education sector and the general public. RSVP by email to pressreg@itu.int by 16:00 on 8 March is essential to attend this event.

Interpretation will be provided in French and English, and the event will be accessible via live and archived audiocast at: http://www.itu.int/ibs/sg/20110310WomenDay/index.phtml

- ITU supports launch of new global network of women in ICT

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:45:14 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré was one of the international leaders to lend his support to the launch of the new Global Network of Women ICT Decision Makers (podcast), which took place at UN headquarters in New York in conjunction with the 55^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

The initiative of Serbias Minister of Communications and Information Society, Ms Jasna Matiæ, the network aims to provide support, global information exchange and mentorship for high-placed women in the information and communications (ICT) industry.

Launched by Minister Matiæ and Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, the idea for the network emerged during ITUs Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, last October. It was subsequently included in Resolution 70 of that conference, garnering overwhelming support from PP-10 delegates.

In a video message to support the launch, Dr Touré said ITU was committed to promoting ICTs as tools to empower women and girls, as well as to encouraging more girls and women into the industry.

The ICT industry offers many incentives to those looking for abundant career opportunities, engaging, cutting edge work, and substantial remuneration, Dr Touré said. In the world today, there are about 850 million young women aged under 24. With the ICT sector now serving as the worlds single biggest growth engine for jobs, were going to need their skills, their enthusiasm, and their fresh ideas.

The ITU Secretary-General went on to express his hope that one of the major achievements of the new Global Network of Women ICT Decision Makers will be to showcase the many talented women working in the ICT field, and to promote these women as inspiring role-models for a new generation of female ICT leaders.

Other high-level leaders supporting the launch included the Ministers of Communication of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, and Qatar, the Secretary-General of the Arab ICT Association, and dignitaries from Senegal and Sweden.

- New high-level UN Commission charged with tracking tangible improvements in women's and children's health

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:33:24 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré took part in a new high-level UN Commission charged with tracking tangible improvements in women's and children' health, which held its first meeting in Geneva on January 26.

One of the key pillars of UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon's new Global Strategy for Women's and Children's health, the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health represents an important step forwards in improving accountability in health care projects worldwide.

The Commission is Co-Chaired by Canadian Prime Minister Mr Stephen Harper and Tanzanian President Mr Jakaya Kikwete, with Dr Touré and WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan serving as co-Vice Chairs. Its outcome, delivered at the second and final meeting in May 2011, will serve as an important stepping stone towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

ITU is contributing its expertise in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can serve as powerful tools in advancing information exchange and improving healthcare. "Technologies already at our disposal, such as ordinary mobile phones, can play an increasingly vital role in health care, as vehicles both for data collection and analysis, and for delivery of basic health services to communities," said Dr Touré.

Commissioners comprise 26 experts from developed and developing countries in the fields of academia, civil society and the private sector.

For quotes from the UN Secretary-General and the Commission's Co- and Vice Chairs, listen to the WHO podcast: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/multimedia/podcasts/2011/acc_20110202/en/index.html

- Harnessing the power of ICTs in global health care

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:20:41 +0000

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré will shortly be participating in the first meeting of a new high-level commission focused on improving global outcomes in womens and childrens health.

Lead by WHO, and co-Chaired by President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health is charged with creating a system to track whether donations are made on time, resources are spent wisely and transparently, and women's and children's health actually improves. It has the support of UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon, and will be co-Vice Chaired by Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, and Dr Touré.

The Commission holds its first meeting on Wednesday January 26 at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Its 26 Commissioners include experts from around the world in the field of public health and international development. It will make concrete recommendations the best and fastest way to improve accountability by May 2011.

Dr Touré will contribute his expertise in the field of ICTs to advise on new strategies that use technologies like mobile phones as key tools for health care and data collection.

- ITU World Radiocommunication Seminar highlights future communication

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

- UNTV report for CNN: Kenya's Telemedicine

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:44:56 +0000

The gap in facilities between research hospitals in central Nairobi and clinics around the rest of Kenya is vast, but need not be unbridgeable. Reporting for CNN World View, UNTVs Andrew Martin explains how relatively simple, low-cost technology is making a difference to a remote rural clinic in Eastern Kenya.

- ITU Telecom launches World 2011: A brand new networking event for the global ICT community

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:37:32 +0000

When everyone in the world is your customer, you can't go it alone...

ITU Telecom World 2011 is much more than a talking shop, or an exhibition. It's a forum for change. It's a place where the world's telecommunications leaders come together to map out and shape the future of the industry, to make the right decisions with significant impacts on our world.

ITU Telecom World 2011 is attended by governments, industry leaders and regulators. Through the many close networking opportunities we offer, you can influence and shape the dynamic world of ICT & telecommunications. No other event offers this opportunity.

- BR Circular letter CR/318 dated 22 June 2010 - New deadline for replies

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Subject: Radio Regulations Articles 19 and 25, Amateur Service and Amateur-Satellite Service

Administrations are invited to note that the deadline, for informing the Bureau on the following issues, has been extended from 30 July 2010 to 31 October 2010:

1. Administrations objecting to radiocommunications between amateur stations of other countries and stations of their country. If no response is received before the new deadline, it shall be assumed that there are no such objections.
2. The form of call signs assigned by administrations to their amateur and experimental stations.

- Radicommunication Bureau updates the Annex to BR Circular Letter (CM/20)

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The Bureau has updated the List of Administrations/Geographical areas that have ship stations recorded in the ITU maritime database.

This update was created on 1 August 2010 and reflects the dates of the last notification, concerning ship stations, received by the Bureau.

Furthermore, as stated in BR Circular letter CM/20 (31 May 2010), administrations are reminded that the deadline for notifying and/or confirming information to be published in the List of Ship Stations and Maritime Mobile Service Identity Assignments (List V), First (1st) edition, March 2011 is 15 November 2010.

- Package of five draft new ITU-R Recommendations on RNSS systems

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

At the recent meeting of ITU-R Study Group 4 Satellite Services (Geneva, 16 July 2010), Membership considered a package of five draft new ITU-R Recommendations on radionavigation-satellite service (RNSS) systems for their adoption in view of their final approval. These documents (listed below) were considered by Membership to be fully technically mature and the final decision will be taken by the Radiocommunication Assembly in 2012 (RA-12)

- ITU-R e-flash 4 is available

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

- BR Circular Letter (CM/20) - List of Ship Stations and Maritime Mobile Service Identity Assignments (List V)

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The first (1st) edition of the new List of Ship Stations and Maritime Mobile Service Identity Assignments (List V) will be issued in March 2011 and thereafter, this List will be issued on an annual basis.

In order to ensure that this List always contains the most up-to-date and accurate information, the attention of the administration is drawn to provision 20.16 of the Radio Regulations (edition of 2008).

- Joint Task Group 5-6: Completion of the work

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Joint Task Group 5-6 (JTG 5-6), under the chairmanship of Dr. Alexandre Kholod (Switzerland), was established to carry out preparatory studies on WRC-12 Agenda item 1.17 in accordance with Resolution 749 (WRC-07). Under this agenda item, the ITU-R was requested to carry out sharing studies between the mobile service and other services in the band 790-862 MHz in Regions 1 and 3 to ensure the adequate protection of services to which this frequency band is allocated, taking into account the most recent characteristics for the services concerned.
JTG 5-6 met five times between May 2008 and May 2010 and successfully completed its work. High attendance at meetings (up to 180 participants) showed the importance Administrations and Sector Members attached to the work of JTG 5-6. About 180 input contributions were submitted for consideration by JTG 5-6.
In accordance with its terms of reference established by CPM11-1, JTG 5-6 prepared the draft CPM text for Agenda item 1.17, which will be considered by the Special Committee and the Conference Preparatory Meeting in 2011.
The Chairmans report from the final meeting of JTG 5-6 (April 30 May 7, 2010) can be found in Document 5-6/180 and contains the protection criteria, methodologies to assess interference, and the studies carried out under this agenda item.

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- New video codec to ease pressure on global networks

- ICT Innovation Application Challenge: Deadline extended

- ITU e-Health Workshop II

- WTSA Results online

- 3rd Green App Challenge Targets Urban Sustainability

- World Radiocommunication Seminar 2012 (WRS-12)

- Close of WTSA-12 marks the start of a new era for ITU-T

- ITU members resolve to end discriminatory access to the Internet

- Study group leadership appointed

- Plenipot goes Busan style in 2014

- SDN Resolution to boost Internets agility

- New Resolution to clean up e-waste

- ITU Blog: EU Parliament Resolution on WCIT flawed

- Compromise found, ITU standard for remote management of network access devices approved

- Bangalore workshop on sustainable rural communications

- e-health: Committee 4 approves new Resolution

- Telecommunications crucial when disaster strikes

- USD 5,000 for your innovative App

- ICT innovation side event

- Work in Committees gets underway

- Bright future for academic membership

- A word with Heidi Thomas, broadcast captioner at WTSA

- e-Health: one swallow does not make a summer?

- ITU Blog: Clarification needed during Open Letter season

- Second ITU Global Media Briefing on WCIT-12

- Briefing Sessions on proposals submitted to WCIT-12 and WTSA-12

- WCIT 2012: an opportunity to create an open, innovative and sustainable ICT environment

- ICT Discovery museum now open to the public!

- WRC-12 Photos (General pictures and Delegates pictures), Jan 2012

- RA-12 Photos (General pictures and Delegates pictures), Jan 2012

- ITU joins the UN System to provide its perspectives on a Green Economy

- UNEP Basel Convention joins the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

- ITU to play leading role in UN global cybersecurity debate

- ITU Secretary-General at M-Enabling Summit on ICT accessibility

- Girls in ICT

- ITU Secretary-General ranked number one in the global ICT industry

- The Importance of National Broadband Plans

- ITU Telecom World 2011 teams up with Telecentre.org to take the debate truly global

- ITU called on to enable smart water management

- Advisory group looks at patents inclusion in standards

- Plenipot goes Busan style in 2014

- SDN Resolution to boost Internets agility

- ICT Discovery prize goes to12-year-old girl

- ICTs at the service of womens & childrens health

- ITU to hold High-level Debate for International Womens Day