ITU urged to rationalise ICT standards

Twenty three chief technology officers (CTO) across the globe urged the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Standardisation Sector (ITU-T) to take a leading role to collaborate, coordinate and cooperate with other bodies developing standards for future networks.

The CTOs, from a spectrum of companies like Telkom SA, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Fujitsu, and Ericson, agreed on a set of recommendations to modernise the current ICT standardisation landscape and set priorities for new issues in standards work.

The CTOs also called for work on standards to address concerns related to privacy, security, identity management and ease of deployment. They pointed out that there is a need for standards that reflect a human dimension of emerging technologies, based on user-friendly design and planning, while ensuring that ICTs are available and accessible to all.

They said standardisation is one of the essential building blocks of the Information Society and of the global ICT networks that power trade, commerce, sustainable development, healthcare, education, literacy, and entertainment.

According to them, standards are not only the technical blueprints necessary for interoperability and connectivity within global information infrastructures but tools with significant public policy and economic consequences.

The technology leaders also called on the telecommunications body to continue its work in promoting the development and use of early warning and disaster relief applications and services and continue to take a leading role in the United Nations Digital Healthcare Initiative.

The recently re-elected director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, Malcolm Johnson, says the CTOs' advice is very important if ITU-T is to continue to meet this objective.

“The full benefits of the information society cannot be realised without interoperability of applications, devices and services based on global standards,” he adds.

Johnson says interoperability, competition, innovation, and infrastructure development that address user needs on a timely and cost effective basis is important to all countries, including developing countries. “The CTOs discussed the ITU Conformance Assessment and Interoperability Programme and expressed their concerns that the programme should not increase costs or delay deployment of infrastructure.”

“It was recognised that additional work is needed to further develop the concept into multi-dimensional ecosystems for different markets and technologies, pre- and post-standardisation, and appropriate links and cooperation among the different bodies, given the technological convergence that is taking place,” the ITU adds.

“Today, standards are not only the technical blueprints necessary for interoperability and connectivity within global information infrastructures. They are also tools with significant public policy and economic consequences,” it points out.

The CTOs also reviewed the implementation of actions decided at their first meeting held in Geneva in October 2009 and addressed a number of emerging issues and their impact on standardisation, such as future networks and services, broadband, infrastructure for telemedicine and e-health, monitoring and mitigating climate change, and better early warning and disaster relief applications and services.

As a result of the review so far, the CTOs initially identified, in addition to the ITU, the following key standardisation organisations that are considered as leaders in the telecommunications sector: 3GPP, Broadband Forum, GSMA, and others.

It was discovered that additional work is needed to further develop the concept into multi-dimensional eco systems for different markets and technologies, pre- and post- standardisation, and appropriate links and cooperation among the SDOs, given the technological convergence that is taking place.

According to these CTOs, this would help avoid duplicate and conflicting standards and foster their faster and more efficient development, benefiting industry and consumers. A recent example is the strong support of many operators and manufacturers for the use of the IMS platform for Voice over LTE, driven by GSMA.

The CTOs, however, recognised that the challenge will be to create the appropriate vehicle for collaboration. They also acknowledged the need for efficient and continuous dialogue and collaboration between the key actors in ICT and telecom standardisation, bilaterally as well as through established groups.

At the same time, the CTOs cautioned that failure to adopt global standards can drive up the cost of day-to-day business, government and consumer activities and result in inefficient and costly technology infrastructure, or products that are not well suited to the needs of the user community.

The ITU-T says the CTOs also endorsed the need for a new approach, based on collaboration, cooperation and coordination. This effort is to improve the efficiency of standards work, reduce duplicating and conflicting standards and promote a seamless, interoperable future global communications network, the CTO said.

According to the UN telecoms organisation, standardisation has been an integral part of telecommunications for decades although it is only in recent times that this activity has moved out of the control of the monopoly operators and into the hands of all the whole telecommunications industry. Operators, manufacturers and even users are all involved today, it adds.

ICT standards are a key driver for innovation and competitiveness; the ability to access and implement standards in ICT products is directly related to the ability of businesses to compete globally and develop products that are compatible with other products, ITU says.

The organisation adds that it will host the next meeting of CTOs from companies of the ICT industry, representing major telecom operators and manufacturers as well as software vendors, in October 2011 in Geneva to coincide with the 40th anniversary holding of ITU Telecom.