ITU-T Workshop on
Bridging the Standardization Gap
Cyberjaya, 29 June 2010
Arthur Levin
Chief, Services Department
ITU - Telecommunication
Standardization Bureau
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 Defining the standardization gap
 Measuring the gap
 ITU-T activities to bridge the standardization gap
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 Disparities in the ability to access, implement, contribute to and influence international ICT standards
(ITU Recommendations)
 Disparities in the representation of developing countries relative to developed countries, cause and manifestation of:
 Persistence of the wider digital divide in ICTs (among different regions and groups within the society)
 Unequal access to technology and the ability to use that technology
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 PP Resolution 123 (Rev. Antalya, 2006)
 Recognizing “the continued shortage of human resources in the standardization field of developing countries, resulting in a low level of developing country participation in ITU-T and ITU-R meetings
…”
 Resolution 44 (WTSA-04): Action Plan
 Strengthening standards-making capabilities
 Assisting ITU-D in enhancing application of standards
 Human resource building
 Flagship groups for bridging the gap
 Fundraising
 Resolution 47 (WTDC-06)
 Enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU Recommendations in developing countries
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 Number of TIES users
 Number of downloads of ITU-T Recs. from website site
 Number of Sector Members and Associates
 Number of chairmen, vice-chairmen and rapporteurs from developing countries
 Number of participants in meetings and contributions by country
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 Bridging the standardization development gap requires a sequence of steps, depending on the level of:
 economic development
 local manufacturing capability
 local R&D capability
 previous engagement with ITU
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
 These steps can be conceptualized in terms of a “Ladder of Standardization
Development”
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (1)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
 On the lowest rung of the ladder is the growing usage of ITU Recommendations and website
 This can be measured in terms of sales or downloads of Recommendations
 Use of international standards in ICT procurement should help to reduce costs and promote inter-operability
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing use of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (1)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
 ITU-T’s policy of making Recommendations free of charge online has led to increased usage from developing countries
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Dow nloads com pared w ith sales of ITU-T Recs
100%
10.3%
0.1%
15.6%
0.3%
80%
60%
40%
20%
89.6%
84.1%
LDC
Developing
Developed
2006
4’815 sales to
78 economies
2007, Jan-Aug
>1.9m downloads from
197 economies
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
0%
E-bookshop sales Web dow nloads
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Top ten developing and transition economies, by number of downloads
Economy
China
India
Russian Fed.
Free
Downloads from ITU-T website,
Jan-May
2007.
Source:
ITU-T Web
Trends
Brazil
Vietnam
Saudi Arabia
Colombia
Indonesia
Iran
Uruguay
No. of visits
39'990
15'065
6'554
5'975
4'819
4'805
3'646
3'547
3'422
3'294
As % of developing
25.9%
9.8%
4.2%
3.9%
3.1%
3.1%
2.4%
2.3%
2.2%
2.1%
As % of total
3.83%
1.44%
0.63%
0.57%
0.46%
0.46%
0.35%
0.34%
0.33%
0.32%
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (2)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
 On the second rung of the ladder is the national capacity-building in use of ITU
Recommendations , helping to build a national resource base of engineers able to implement Recommendations
 ITU can provide capacity-building and training programmes (eg centres of excellence)
 Standardization Gap Fund facilitates participation of developing country experts in standardization work
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (3)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
 On the third rung of the ladder is ITU
Sector and Associate membership
 Institutional membership in the global community helps promote globalization while off-setting its negative aspects
 Membership also gives access to meeting reports, contributions, temporary documents, working documents etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector and Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

April 2009
100%
80%
60%
89
5
16
0
40%
20%
210
115
0%
Sector Members Associates
LDC
Developing
Developed
*About one third of ITU-T Sector Members are from developing countries but only one sixth of
Associates
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (4)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc  On the 4 th rung of the ladder is participation in Study Groups and Focus
Groups
 Participation promotes “learning by doing” and opens possibilities for networking
 Possibilities also exist for remote participation (e.g., through Internet
Broadcast of Study Group meetings, correspondence groups, remote collaboration tools etc)
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Distribution of delegates to ITU-T Meetings (%)
LDC
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Developing
Developed
2000
1,54
20,02
78,44
2007
2,26
26,54
71,20
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008
2009
3,61
45,65
50,74

ITU Member States and their ties accounts
2009
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
6169
15071
709
49
106
36
LDC
Developing
Developed
TIES accounts Member States
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (5)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc  On the 5 th rung, countries may seek to attract ITU meetings , or establish regional groups to foster participation
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
 Hosting events will create new opportunities for “learning by doing”, training and raising awareness
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
 An increasing number of joint ITU-T/ITU-
D Study Groups, Focus Groups and workshops are now held in the regions
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (6)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
 On the 6 th rung of the ladder is Giving
“contributions” (i.e. input documents) at
ITU-T Study Groups, Focus Groups and related meetings
 By making inputs to the process, it is possible to shape future standards
 The whole standardization process is
“contribution-driven”, as these form the basis for virtually all Recommendations
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Developing countries
78 contributions
(6.2%)
1179 contributions
(93.8%)
ITU-T Member contributions 2000
Developed countries
Developing countries
388 contributions
19%
ITU-T Member contributions 2008
1665 contributions
(81%)
Developed countries
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (7)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
 On the 7th rung of the ladder is
Nominating representatives , eg to serve as Study Group chairs, vice chairs, rapporteurs etc
 These officials form part of the management team for each Study Group and help progress the work
 Nomination is a sign of respect for the contributions made by individuals over a number of years
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

ITU-T SG Chairs and Vice-Chairs, 1996-2000-2004-2008
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
9
44
1
23
51
3
33
56
3 7
50
46
1996 2000 2004 2008
LDCs
Developing
Developed
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Standardization
Development Ladder (8)
Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
 On the final rung of the ladder is Entering
Proposals , in TSAG and WTSA, eg on future study questions and work programmes
 ITU-T’s work is structured around study questions which determine the work of the Study Groups
 World Telecom Standardization Assembly
(WTSA) was held in Johannesburg from
21-30 October 2008, preceded by a
Global Standards Symposium (GSS)
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Entering proposals at WTSA on future study questions and work programmes
Nominating representatives as study group chairs, vice chairs. rapporteurs, focus group chairs etc
Giving contributions at
Study Groups and related meetings
Attracting ITU meetings and/or regional groups
(Res 54)
Going to Study
Groups and related meetings
ITU Sector or Associate
Membership
National training and capacity-building in use of
ITU Recommendations
Growing usage of ITU
Recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

• Joint Project with TTA
• Tools for Assessing Standards Capability
• Q Sent to all developing countries
• Data will be used to compile index of readiness
• Useful in targeting best practices and solutions
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

• Analyzes the Gap and shows the importance of standards for developing countries
• Set of case studies
• Set of Best Practices
– National standards strategy
– National standards advisory council
• Key ITU Actions
– BSG toolkit
– Research and advice
– Online knowledge repository
– Guidelines on use of ITU-T recommendations
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Identify new/emerging technologies with a view to identify areas for new standardization work, such as:
 Food Security (August 2009)
 The Future Internet (April 2009)
 Distributed Computing: Utilities, Grids & Clouds
(March 2009)
 Standardization Activities for Intelligent Transport
Systems (October 2008)
 NGNs and energy efficiency (August 2008)
 Technical aspects of Lawful Interception (May 2008)
… http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/techwatch/index.html
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

 Free access to ITU-T Recommendations online (since 1 January 2007)
 TIES access (password protected) to meeting documents etc
 Other electronic tools, e.g., correspondence groups, informal FTP areas on website,
Forums etc
 Remote participation via webinar
(GotoMeeting, GoToWebinar, Webex)
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

Resolution 54 : Creation of regional groups
Support within available (or otherwise contributed resources) and on a case-bycase basis the creation of regional groups
ITU-T RGs: SG2 SG3 SG6 SG12
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

ITU-T major events in developing countries
 Forum on "Implementation of decisions of the World
Telecommunication Standardization Assembly-08
(WTSA-08)“, Accra, Ghana 16-17 June 2009
 ITU Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change Quito,
Ecuador 8-10 July 2009
 Kaleidoscope event: Innovations for Digital Inclusion
Mar del Plata, Argentina, 31 Aug-1 Sept. 2009
 Workshop on BSG, Fiji Sept. 2009
 Regional Consultations on Conformance Assessment and Interoperability
 Quito: July 2010
 Nairobi: July 2010
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008

tsbspd@itu.int
tsbpromo@itu.int
ITU Forum Bridging Standardization Gap – Brasilia, May 2008