ITU-T Bridging Standardization Gap
Forum
Accra, 16 – 17 June 2009
ITU-T activities in the
region in the light of
WTSA-08 Resolutions
Paolo Rosa
Head, Workshops and Promotion Division
Telecommunication
Standardization
Bureau
Forum Accra 16-17 June 2009
Committed to connecting the world
International
Telecommunication
Union
1
The Standardization Gap
 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
Forum Accra 16-17 June 2009
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Digital divide
standardization gap & participation
Digital Divide 
Standardization Gap &
Poor Access to Technologies
_______________________
Participation &
Capacity Building
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Bridging the standardization gap
 PP-02 (Res. 123), WTSA-04/08 Resolution 44,
17 & 54, WTDC-06 Resolution 47
 ITU-T mandated to bridge the standardization
gap between developing and developed
countries
 Action plan established:
 Improve standards making capabilities
 Assisting in enhancing efforts in standards applications
 Human resource building
 Flagship group for bridging the gap
 BSG fundraising
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Measuring the standardization
gap
a)Number of downloads of ITU-T Recs from
website site
a)Number of TIES users
b)Number of Sector Members and Associates
c) Number of chairmen and rapporteurs from
developing countries
d)Number of participants in meetings and
contributions by country
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TIES and ITU-T Members distribution
ITU Member States and their ties accounts
April 2009
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
709
6169
ITU-T Sector Members and Associates, April
2009
100%
49
80%
89
5
16
0
LDC
Developing
106
LDC
Developed
40%
15071
36
TIES accounts
60%
Member States
115
Developing
Developed
210
20%
0%
Sector Members
Associates
Need for more participation
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RESOLUTION 17 (1)
Telecommunication standardization
in relation to the
interests of developing countries
•
TSB to cooperate with the ITU regional offices,
and consider to holding ITU-T meetings in the regions;
•
TSB to strengthen cooperation and coordination with regional
organizations
•
Provide administrations of DCs with electronics copies of
available documents, such as:
- handbooks, directives, texts on operation and
maintenance of networks
- basic ITU-T texts able to increase awareness and
participation in the studies of the T- sector
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RESOLUTION 17 (2)
Telecommunication standardization
in relation to the
interests of developing countries
•
•
•
•
•
TSB to increase SGs meetings in the regions
Promote the creation of flagship groups
Take into account the technological priorities of developing
countries e.g. for IPv6, IPTV, security, NGN
Facilitate the participation of Developing Countries in the
creation of Questions
Study Groups to consider standardization issues addressing
specific issues of their interest.
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Resolution 44
Bridging the standardization gap between
developing and developed countries
 Action plan (annex 1) agreed
 Programme 1: Strengthening standard-making




capabilities: create standardization capability and
measure effectiveness to BSG
Programme 2: Assisting developing countries in
enhancing efforts in respect of standards application :
understanding and application of standards, training
Programme 3: Human resource building : workshops,
seminars, underrstanding of conformance assessment
Programme 4: Flagship groups for bridging the
standardization gap: assistance to help on specifiic
issues, expertise,
Programme 5: Fundraising for bridging the
standardization gap
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Flagship Group Americas
(Res. 44 Annex 1 prg 4)
 Permanent regional standards awareness
 Training on standardization in the regions,





producing manuals and audio/video material
Support and measure participation in ITU-T
activities (academia, private sector…)
Translate ITU-T material
Support remote or direct participation of experts
in ITU-T activities
Creation of regional Testing & Calibration labs
Invite regulators to put in place mechanisms to
consider international standards when preparing
national technical regulations
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RESOLUTION 54
Creation of regional groups
 Open without the exclusion to the participation
of all members that belongs to the specific
region where that regional group had been
created
 draft terms of reference and working methods
to be approved by the parent study group
 dissemination of knowledge of standardization
and encouraging submissions of written
contributions to the parent study group
reflecting the priorities of the region
 Cooperation with the relevant regional
organizations and reporing to the work in the
region
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Resolution 54 : Creation of regional groups
Regional Groups
Support within available (or otherwise contributed
resources) and on a case-by-case basis the creation
of regional groups
ITU-T RGs: SG2
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SG3
SG6
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SG12
12
ITU-T activities to bridge the
standardization gap
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Tech Watch briefing reports
Identify new/emerging technologies with a view to
identify areas for new standardization work, such as:
 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)
 …
 ICTs and Climate Change (December 2007)
FG
SG5
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/techwatch/index.html
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Technical Flyers
Numbering, Naming and Addressing
VoIP
QoS & QoE
NGN
 ASON
 B-PON ; CWDM; DSL ; G-PON
 Optical Fibres and Cables
 OTN ; OTS
 Synchronization over packet networks
 Accessibility
 H.264 ; H.350
 Multimedia Communications
 ASN.1
 Security
http://www.itu.int/oth/T0B04/en
 IMT-2000
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



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ITU Centre of Excellence
5 Prog/ 5 Partners
Worldwide Networks
4 Prog./5 partners
OAS/CITEL
Telecom Policies
3 PROGRAMS
IDB
New Telecom Techniques
BELL SOUTH
Regulatory Issues
IIT
ICT based Business
CTU
CoE AMS
R.O.Korea
Pakistan
Thailand
Malaysia
Iran
Technical Awareness
Regulatory Issues
Business Management
Rural connectivity
Spectrum management
5 Prog./ ? Partners
To be
defined
CoE ASP
The ITU Centre
of Excellence
Network
Tech.Awareness
Strategic Management
Policies & Reg. Issues
Technology Trends
Corporate Management
Regulatory Issues
Internet Technologies Spectrum management
Spect Man & Sup.
Information Techn.
CIS
CEE
Branch
Branch
CoE EUR+CIS
5 Prog./2 partners
6 Prog./2 partners
Telecom Policies
Regulatory Issues
Business management
New Technologies
IP Awareness
Rural Connectivity
CoE ARB
ALCATEL
IIT
5 Prog./3 partners
Regulatory Issues
Business management
New Technologies
Spectrum Management
Rural Connectivity
Regulatory Issues
Business management
New Technologies
Spectrum Management
Rural Connectivity
CTO
Airtel
SFM
IIT
CoE AFR-F
IIT
CoE AFR-E
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ITU-T Questionnaire to
developing countries on
Bridging the Standardization Gap
 Provides background information on the
relevance of ITU-T Recommendations for
developing countries
 Useful tool to develop strategies able to
meet the requirements of the PP-06 and
WTSA-08 Resolutions
TSB Circular 213 – 5 May 2008
to: tsbpromo@itu.int
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The ITU-T Questions
 Familiarity with Recs published by ITU-T
 Relevance and usefulness of Recs to developing
countries
 Difficulties for implementation and suggestions to
increase participation by developing countries
 Regional standardization “block” meetings to
facilitate participation from the regions
 Seminars and Workshops in the regions
Contributions and proposal for improvement as
inputs to WTSA-08 resulted in revised and new
Resolutions
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Workshops trend
N. Of
Days
in Gva
in Gva
out
out
50
%
Days
100
90
40
80
70
30
60
50
20
40
30
Gva
10
20
10
2002
2003
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2004
2005
2006
2007
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2008
19
Workshops trend
Year
N.
Events
Total
yearly
days
Average
days/event
Geneva
outside Geneva
days
%
days
%
2002
12
24
2.00
11
46
13
54
2003
14
36
2.57
24
67
12
33
2004
15
31
2.07
8
26
23
74
2005
18
47
2.61
16
34
31
66
2006
18
41
2.28
19
46
22
54
2007
15
33
2.20
13
30
20
70
2008
30
60
2.00
21
35
39
65
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Some recent and upcoming workshops
 Forum on Next Generation Network
Standardization, Colombo,
April 2009
Sri Lanka, 7-10
 ITU Forum on “Conformity Assessment and
Interoperability”, Geneva,16-17 July 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 August –
1 September 2009
 Workshop on Accessibility: Planned in Bamako,
Mali, 13-15 Oct 2009 (TBC)
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ITUing…
c
o
n
c
l
u
s
i
o
n
 Increasing the use of ITU recs,
membership
 Capacity building, training
 Increasing participation in SGs,
management, workshops, meetings and
number of contributions
 Contributing to ITU work plans
Bridge the
Standardization Gap
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Thank you
Questions?
itu.int/ITU-T/worksem
Paolo Rosa
tsbworkshops@itu.int
tsbpromo@itu.int
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