Motivation

More than 50% of subscribers worldwide are mobile as opposed to fixed network subscribers, and the proportion continues to shift in favour of mobile subscribers. In many markets, notably developing countries, this proportion is far higher, often exceeding 90%. Mobile networks are much more than radio access technologies. These require a sound network infrastructure to connect to. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind of the importance of mobility, and hence the need to ensure that it is well and appropriately studied and necessary specifications defined in a global context.

This Question, Applying IMS and IMT in Developing Country mobile telecom networks, should focus on studying the needs of the eco-system as a whole of developing country telecom networks in terms of applying IMS and IMT as they deal not only with the increasing shift towards mobility, but with the shift towards convergence of previously discrete areas, namely telecoms, data and entertainment under their own specific circumstances.

It is anticipated that this Question could provide a highly useful forum for developing countries to describe their infrastructure circumstances, their needs, and thus form a basis for work in other SG 13 Questions as well as in relevant organizations within and outside ITU toward meeting their needs. It has been sensed that there is a desire from less developed countries to be more involved and to help steer the work towards better meeting their needs, but that it is difficult for them to find a suitable home for such inputs. This work would feed relevant organizations within and outside ITU whose aim would be to meet the needs identified.

This work should be conducted in close cooperation with relevant organizations within and outside ITU.

This work does not address concerns on applying NGN.

Question

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• What scenarios and requirements in terms of services and deployments are needed for applying IMS and IMT in Developing Country mobile telecom networks?
• What enhancements to existing Recommendations are required to provide energy savings directly or indirectly in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) or in other industries? What enhancements to developing or new Recommendations are required to provide such energy savings?

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Prepare a document summarising the findings of a gap analysis on the current status and trends of IMS and IMT in customer user needs, technology, market, and standardization requirements, if any, from a view point of developing country telecom networks
• Develop scenarios in terms of services and deployments for applying IMS and IMT in Developing Country mobile telecom networks.
• Develop requirements in terms of services and deployments for applying IMS and IMT in Developing Country mobile telecom networks.

Relationships

Recommendations:

Questions: Q.6/13, Q.8/13, Q.11/13, Q.13/13,

Study Groups: ITU-D Study Group 2 Question 18-1, ITU-R WP 5D

Standardization bodies: 3GPP, 3GPP2, IEEE, IETF