ITU at a glance
WSIS FORUM 2011
16–20 May, Geneva
Organised by:
www.wsis.org/forum
WSIS Forum 2011
Executive briefing
Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU
WSIS Forum 2011 will take place in Geneva on 16–
20 May. Its agenda comprises: an opening ceremony;
high-level dialogues on cutting-edge ICT issues; Action
Line facilitation meetings; thematic workshops; country
workshops; interactive sessions; meetings of the United
Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS);
Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development; WSIS
Stocktaking; Regional Commissions; Open Consultations
on the Internet Governance Forum; as well as the first
meeting of the UNGIS Open Consultation on Overall
Review (WSIS+10), a parliamentary forum, remote
participation; several publication releases; and an
exhibition.
This rich agenda is the outcome of an open consultation process, in line with the participatory and inclusive
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
spirit of the Forum itself. It was highly acclaimed at an
executive briefing for WSIS Forum 2011, co-organized
on 18 April by ITU; the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD); and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
The WSIS Forum is becoming a stakeholder-driven
platform, reflecting our commitment to build a peoplecentred, inclusive and development-oriented information society. More than 200 stakeholders from around
70 countries have worked with us to build the vision and
agenda of this year’s Forum. And more than 1000 representatives from 120 countries, including top-level officials from government, the private sector, civil society
ITU/V. Martin
Secretary-General initiand UN agencies have
ated consultations with
registered to participate
the UN Chief Executives
in the event.
Board in order to elaboAs Chairman of the
Houlin Zhao
rate a framework for the
ITU WSIS Task Force, I
Deputy Secretaryoverall review of impleam proud to see that
General of ITU
mentation of WSIS outwithin three years we
comes in 2015, including
have
succeeded
in
the possibility of holdtransforming the cluster
ing a high-level event in
of WSIS-related events
2014 or 2015.
into a unique platform
Following these conto discuss WSIS imsultations, the UN Chief
plementation at the
The WSIS Forum is becoming a stakeholderExecutives Board has
global level. We need
driven platform, reflecting our commitment to
tasked UNGIS to preto continue working
build a people-centred, inclusive and developmentpare — through an open
together to ensure that
oriented information society. More than
consultation — an acthis platform accelerates
200 stakeholders from around 70 countries have
tion plan to organize the
the achievement of the
worked with us to build the vision and agenda of
WSIS review meeting.
WSIS targets.
this year’s Forum.
UNGIS will then present
You may recall that
ITU Member States at the Plenipotentiary Conference the plan to the Board in April 2012. I strongly encourage
in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October 2010, adopted all WSIS stakeholders to take an active part in the proResolution 172 calling for further action on WSIS cess from its beginning. The first phase of this process
and for effective and efficient coordination with all begins on 20 May during the WSIS Forum 2011.
stakeholders. As instructed in this resolution, the ITU
“
”
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
21
ITU at a glance
WSIS Forum 2011
ITU at a glance
Green ICT Application Challenge to
help combat climate change
ITU/V. Martin
Cash prize for most innovative concept
ITU Secretary-General
ITU has launched a
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré,
Green ICT Application
said, “We have seen
Challenge to find the best
Malcolm Johnson
how ubiquitous apps
and most innovative idea
have become and how
for a climate change foDirector of the ITU
Telecommunication
useful they can be. The
cused app. The winning
Standardization
Green ICT Application
concept will be awardBureau
Challenge is our way of
ed USD10 000, thanks
prompting the next wave
to challenge sponsors
of innovation to tackle a
Research in Motion (RIM)
truly global problem.”
and Telefónica.
Malcolm Johnson, DiAs well as the cash
rector of ITU’s Telecomprize, the winner will
The objective of this competition is to push
munication Standardizabe invited to present
contestants to think outside the box and develop
tion Bureau added: “The
the new concept at
concept papers for an ICT application that will
objective of this compeITU’s Green Standards
make a valuable contribution to the green ICT
tition is to push contestWeek in Rome, Italy, on
industry. In particular, we want contestants
ants to think outside the
5–9 September 2011. If
to think about the issues faced by developing
box and develop concept
the winning app can be
countries for adaptation or mitigation.
papers for an ICT applideveloped in time, it will
cation that will make a
be showcased during
a side event to be held at the 17th Conference of the valuable contribution to the green ICT industry. In parParties to the United Nations Framework Convention ticular, we want contestants to think about the issues
on Climate Change (COP17), which will take place in faced by developing countries for adaptation or mitigaDurban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December tion.”
2011.
“
”
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
ITU at a glance
Challenge sponsors RIM and Telefónica both recognize that green applications for web and mobile devices
have great potential to contribute to abating climate
change worldwide. Many apps on the market target
carbon footprinting, but this challenge aims to move
to the next stage. For example, contender apps might
focus on:
 energy efficiency in smart buildings or smart homes,
or intelligent transport systems
 community engagement
 eco-design
 monitoring of climate change
 measurement of greenhouse gas emissions
 adaptation to climate change (for example, emergency telecommunications and alerts for disaster
relief).
Contestants should submit a detailed concept paper
explaining how their idea helps combat climate change
and provides an ICT solution to an environmental or sustainability problem. Entries may be any kind of software
tool or game, for the web or a personal computer or a
mobile device. The closing date for entries is 17 June
2011 at 1700 hours CET (Central European Time).
For the rules and entry requirements, please go to:
www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange/greenict/index.html
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
greenstandard@itu.int
New joint standards initiative on
intelligent transport systems
ITU and ISO pool resources to address bottlenecks
Leading global standards organizations ITU and the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
have announced the creation of a partnership in the
burgeoning field of intelligent transport systems (ITS) to
speed up the deployment of ITS products and services.
Industry experts who gathered for the Fully
Networked Car @ Geneva International Motor Show
event on 2–3 March 2011 agreed that the next 20 years
will see a huge shift towards ITS. For the sixth year running, the event was organized by ITU, ISO and their
partner, the International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC).
Today’s communications capabilities make it possible for vehicles to foresee and avoid collisions, navigate
the quickest route to their destination, make use of upto-the-minute traffic reports, identify the nearest available parking slot, minimize their carbon emissions and
provide multimedia communications.
Despite considerable investment in research and development, the lack of global standards has hampered
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
23
ITU at a glance
the large-scale deployment of ITS services and applications. The involvement of international standards bodies
is critical to easing the bottlenecks that result in part
from poor communication between overlapping sectors
— automotive, ITS players, telecommunication suppliers and operators.
The new Joint Task Force for ITS Communications
will engineer better collaboration between the different sectors, and pool resources within ITU and ISO so
as to link existing work and avoid duplication. ITU and
ISO have long cooperated on the creation of standards
in the field. The new agreement cements this relationship, promoting greater coordination of their work programmes and harmonization of all outputs.
“Manufacturers have the will to implement these
technologies, but as yet there has been no real breakthrough in terms of the technical standards needed to roll
this out on a global scale. Vehicle manufacturers do not
want to create different versions of the technology for
different markets. They do not want regional or national
standards. They want global standards. Through this
initiative, ITU and ISO show that they are willing and
able to provide them,” said ITU Secretary-General, Dr
Hamadoun I. Touré.
ISO Secretary-General, Rob Steele, agreed. “There
is a need to harmonize the standardization of essential
technologies to provide a solid base for further innovation and the economies of scale for commercialization of technologies”, he said. “We urgently need to
consider the interoperability of all of this technology,
not only in the vehicle, but also in the wider support
infrastructure. The value of the solutions proposed is
magnified when they are globally relevant. Customers
of international standards care about the benefits that
implementing international standards provide. Industry
should not — and will not — wait while standards organizations fight among themselves or compete about
who will develop the standards. Industry wants to be
listened to, and have their needs for international standard solutions met.”
Smart grid standards for monitoring
and control of electricity supply
Specs will link communications and electricity networks
Two new standards (ITU–T Recommendations G.9955
and G.9956) that will enable cost-effective smart grid
applications have entered the final stage of approval
at ITU. The two Recommendations form the global
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
G.hnem standard for low frequency (9–500 Khz) power
line communications for smart meters, energy management systems, smart appliances, advanced recharging
systems for electric vehicles, and control and home
ITU at a glance
AFP
Vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-charging station communications
automation. Both Recommendations are scheduled to
be approved later this year.
Commenting on the progress, ITU SecretaryGeneral, Dr Hamadoun I.Touré said: “Smart grid is a dynamic addition to today’s energy networks, which will
be capable of delivering customizable services on a massive scale. To ensure an efficient global roll-out, global
standards are a must.”
The G.hnem standards address applications such as
distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure, demand side management, grid-to-home communications, home/building energy management, home
automation, and vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-charging
station communications.
In a standard power system, generation, delivery
and consumption of electricity all take place at the
same time. This makes the control of supply and demand uniquely challenging. The new standards provide
the crucial link between electricity and communications
networks, enabling utilities to exercise a higher level of
monitoring and control of the grid.
G.hnem is an ideal platform for smart grid applications because it supports power lines as a communications medium — under the direct and complete control
of power utilities. Since power line communications
exploit the existing wired infrastructure, the cost of deploying a communications channel is greatly reduced. In
addition, because G.hnem supports popular protocols
such as Ethernet, IPv4 and IPv6, G.hnem-based smart
grid networks can easily be integrated with IP-based
networks.
Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, says: “Many national
stimulus plans have given smart grid significant backing, with the need for standards also cited as key to the
fast roll-out of the technology. The G.hnem standards
now entering the final stages of approval can be applied
globally today, and are ready to give a much-needed
boost to power line communications technology, making electricity distribution cleaner, leaner and greener.”
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
25
ITU at a glance
Options agreed for measuring
international Internet traffic flow
Developing countries should soon be able to negotiate
better rates for Internet connectivity on the basis of an
agreement reached at an ITU–T Study Group 3 meeting,
held in Geneva on 28 March — 1 April 2011, following an ITU–T Workshop on IP traffic flow measurement.
The agreement is a supplement to Recommendation
ITU–T D.50, which recommends how providers of international Internet connections should negotiate bilateral
commercial arrangements enabling direct international
Internet connections. These arrangements should consider compensation based on such factors as traffic
flow, number of routes, geographical coverage and the
cost of international transmission. The new agreement
specifically focuses on how IP traffic flows can be measured at different points, including at Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP) interconnect points. The agreement acknowledges that traffic flow can be measured via BGP
without any change to that protocol, and that there are
a variety of ways of measuring traffic flow. The ability
to manage measurement without a change to BGP has
been a long-standing point of contention.
The World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS), through the 2005 Tunis Agenda, mandated
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
ITU to examine this topic, which is of key concern.
The agreement is a step forward in fulfilling that mandate, formalized in Resolution 101 adopted by the ITU
Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, in
October 2010. Resolution 101 echoes the Tunis Agenda
in asking ITU to “…continue the study of international
Internet connectivity as an urgent matter”. The Tunis
Agenda recommends “Reducing international Internet
costs charged by backbone providers, supporting, inter
alia, the creation and development of regional ICT backbones and Internet Exchange Points to reduce interconnection cost and broaden network access”. Resolution
101 calls on ITU–T, in particular Study Group 3 which
has responsibility for Recommendation ITU–T D.50,
to complete as soon as possible its studies that have
been ongoing since the World Telecommunication
Standardization Assembly in 2000. In June 2004 an
amendment to ITU–T Recommendation D.50 set out
general considerations as a basis on which parties could
negotiate Internet interconnection in a harmonized
way. The latest agreement builds on this.
ITU at a glance
AFP
Bangkok hosts ITU Workshop on
“IMT for the Next Decade”
The ITU Regional workshop on “IMT for the Next
Decade”, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand on
21 March 2011, featured top-level experts from around
the world, who came together to look at the market,
services and technology required for the development
of IMT for the next decade. ITU organized the workshop
in close collaboration with the Ministry of Information
and Communication Technology, Royal Government of
Thailand. The workshop attracted over 170 participants
from 28 countries.
Governments, regulators, industry stakeholders,
academia and United Nations agencies stressed the necessity of further development of future mobile technologies and services, as well as access to sufficient spectrum, to ensure the widest availability of broadband
services to all users.
ITU plays a leading role in establishing the standards
and spectrum arrangements for the current IMT-2000
— or 3G — systems and for “IMT-Advanced”, which
provides the global platform for the next generations
of mobile broadband services. It is now time to review
the initial forecasts of spectrum requirements and to
assess what further actions may be required to realize
the vast potential of global mobile broadband to connect the world. This review is being addressed in ITU’s
Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R) Study Group and
Conference activities.
The workshop examined the trends in data traffic
growth as a result of advanced services and terminals,
such as smart phones, and addressed the potential of
the Asia-Pacific region in the future mobile market,
where it has the highest market share and growth rate.
The success of the mobile sector can be emulated by
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
27
© Eric Flogny
ITU at a glance
François Rancy
Director of the ITU
Radiocommunication
Bureau
“
ITU plays a leading role in establishing the
standards and spectrum arrangements for the
current IMT-2000 — or 3G — systems and for
“IMT-Advanced”, which provides the global
platform for the next generations of mobile
broadband services. It is now time to review the
initial forecasts of spectrum requirements and
to assess what further actions may be required
to realize the vast potential of global mobile
broadband to connect the world.
”
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
mobile broadband to connect rural and remote areas
in a cost-effective manner.
Experts at the workshop stressed that access to
sufficient spectrum is essential to sustain and further
stimulate the growth of mobile broadband in the
Asia-Pacific region. The workshop also emphasized
the role of ITU in technological and regulatory aspects of mobile broadband standardization activities,
including work on IMT development within ITU–R
Working Party 5D.
Demands for radio spectrum for broadcasting,
wireless and mobile services, as well as for emergency
communications, mean that radio spectrum management needs to be modernized to harness the potential
offered by new technologies and services. According
to ITU’s report Trends in Telecommunication Reform
2010–2011: Enabling tomorrow’s world, more than
143 countries had introduced 3G mobile services
commercially by mid-2010. And many countries have
been examining the next phase in the development
of global mobile broadband: IMT-Advanced. These
demands are particularly pressing in the Asia-Pacific
region, home to around 62 per cent of the world
population and nearly 46 per cent of the world’s
mobile subscribers. The leading operators and manufacturers of IMT technologies are also based in this
region.
ITU at a glance
Shutterstock
ITU and SPC pledge closer cooperation
to spur Pacific region development
Ministerial Forum calls for ITU to establish a Pacific regional presence
ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré has
signed an agreement with the Director General of the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dr Jimmie
Rodgers, which will strengthen and enhance cooperation between the two organizations and facilitate ICT
development programmes throughout the region. The
new Arrangements between the two parties were
agreed at the Pacific ICT Ministerial Forum, held at SPC
headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia, on 11 April
2011.
ITU and SPC will collaborate more actively across
a range of areas, including: promoting ICT infrastructure development across the region and local industry;
ICT human capacity building; cybersecurity; emergency
communications; and new strategies to connect the
unconnected. The two organizations also agreed to
conduct annual reviews of the progress made on implementation of the Arrangements.
The Ministerial Meeting in Tonga in 2010 endorsed
the “Framework for Action on ICT for Development in
the Pacific”. Since then, ITU — and its Regional Office
for Asia and the Pacific in particular — has given priority
to the pressing needs of Pacific island countries, particularly in the areas of capacity building, ICT applications,
emergency communications and cybersecurity. “Let us
ensure that we use meetings such as this one to make
the world a better place — for everyone, wherever they
live and whatever their circumstances,” said Dr Touré.
“SPC’s work cuts across many sectors and governments in the Pacific, which makes it easier for ITU and
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
29
Shutterstock
ITU at a glance
other development partners to collaborate with SPC to
implement actions at the national level. Entering into
Arrangements with ITU is an important step for us to
progress ICT and telecommunication work in the region,” commented Dr Rodgers. “Individually we might
be able to do good things, but collaboratively we might
achieve even greater things.”
Jointly convened by ITU and SPC and supported by
the Government of Australia and the European Union,
the Pacific ICT Ministerial Forum was attended by ministers and senior officials from 15 Pacific island countries
and territories, as well as France, and by François Rancy,
Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau.
A communiqué adopted by Forum delegates recognizes the key role of ITU in ICT and telecommunication development in the Pacific and, on behalf of Pacific
Member States, requests ITU to:
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
 support cybersecurity and child online protection initiatives in the region, including continuing
to support the operations of the Pacific Computer
Emergency Response Team (PacCERT)
 establish an ITU presence in the Pacific
 continue to provide projects that focus on the identified needs of the Pacific, and organize more ITU
events in the Pacific.
The Forum was organized in conjunction with the
15th Annual General Meeting of the Pacific Islands
Telecommunications Association (PITA); the joint workshop for spectrum management in the Pacific convened
by ITU and France’s National Frequency Agency (ANFR);
and the workshop on international mobile roaming
convened by ITU and the European Commission. It followed the Inaugural Regional Meeting of Ministers of
Energy, Information and Communication Technology
and Transport (4–8 April 2011), convened by SPC.
ITU at a glance
Digital Literacy Campaign to train
one million unskilled women to use
computers and ICT applications
On 7 April 2011, ITU launched a digital literacy partnership with the Philippine-based nongovernmental
organization telecentre.org Foundation. Under the
terms of the partnership, one million unskilled women will be trained, over the next 18 months, to use
computers and modern information and communication technology (ICT) applications to improve their
livelihoods.
The new Women’s Digital Literacy Campaign
will leverage the combined reach of telecentre.org
Foundation’s global network of 100 000 telecentres worldwide and ITU’s 192 Member States and
700 Sector Members to train trainers in ICT. Before the
end of 2012, at least 20 000 telecentres in countries
around the world will each offer training courses to at
least 50 women.
“We hope this joint campaign with telecentre.org
Foundation will have an enormous impact on improving the condition of women, wherever they may live,
and whatever their circumstances,” said ITU SecretaryGeneral Dr Hamadoun Touré. The campaign will further reinforce ITU’s global efforts to promote the digital inclusion of women, and will be a key element in
achieving Millennium Development Goal 3 on gender
equality.
Basheerhamad Shadrach, Executive Director of telecentre.org Foundation, said that offering digital skills
Brahima Sanou
Director of the ITU
Telecommunication
Development
Bureau
“
As we make efforts to promote universal access
to ICT in developing countries, we are forging
partnerships with the private sector and other
development partners with the aim of attracting
investment in the ICT sector. Our aim is to develop
infrastructure in semi-urban, remote, and rural
areas so that all people can play an active role in
nation-building and socio-economic development.
This explains why ITU launched a number of key
initiatives that include the Connect the World
series.
”
ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
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ITU at a glance
to over one million women at the grassroots will help
reverse the paradigm whereby, in many countries, technologies most often benefit men more than women.
“These telecentre women, once trained to take advantage of the power of technology, will help their communities to access local-specific information, time-tested
knowledge, market opportunities, enhanced skills for
employment and productivity, and more importantly,
participate in the modern knowledge era, not only as
mere consumers, but also as providers and producers of
knowledge assets,” he said.
Under the terms of the agreement, ITU and telecentre.org Foundation are encouraging national governments, the private sector and other international organizations to contribute digital literacy curricula in local
languages, and provide trainers and other resources to
national telecentres.
ITU will contribute curricula developed by its
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), notably
from its Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative, as well as offering its ITU Academy distance learning platform for training purposes. Through Connect a
School, Connect a Community, ITU is already helping its
Member States to leverage their connected schools as
community ICT centres, providing ICT skills for the social and economic development of people with special
needs, including women. Digital literacy training materials for women and other groups are freely available
online at www.connectaschool.org.
Find ITU on Facebook and join in the conversation!
AFP/Photononstop
With accounts on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, ITU is
now expanding its online presence 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. The public page is yet another way for
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ITU News  3 | 2011  April 2011
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”.