ITU to promote the global adoption of mobile money
ITU has established a new Focus Group on Digital Financial Services to promote financial inclusion using information and communication technologies (ICT) in response to a proposal from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is a member of ITU's Standardization Sector (ITU-T).
Over 2.5 billion adults do not have access to a formal bank account, most of them in developing economies. Internationally standardized 'mobile money' platforms will increase financial inclusion to the benefit of socio-economic development worldwide. Digital financial services are capable of improving the delivery of basic financial services. Standards will drastically reduce the costs of these services to service providers and their customers, thereby opening the door to remote and underserved communities."
The extraordinary impact of mobile money solutions in developing countries has highlighted that ICTs are at the heart of innovation in financial services," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré. "What is lacking is an international standard that will allow interoperability between the services offered by different operators."
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ITU to assist in real-time monitoring of flight data
ITU has established a new Focus Group on Aviation Applications of Cloud Computing for Flight Data Monitoring. The group will study the requirements for the telecommunication standards to enable an 'aviation cloud' for real-time monitoring of flight data, including those for the protection, security and ownership of flight data and the technical mechanisms and policies to govern access to these data.
The formation of the Focus Group comes in response to the call from the Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia, Mr Ahmad Shabery Cheek in March 2014 urging ITU to develop leading edge standards to facilitate the transmission of flight data in real-time. Subsequently, an "Expert Dialogue on Real-time Monitoring of Flight Data, including the Black Box – the Need for International Standards in the Age of Cloud Computing and Big Data", held in Kuala Lumpur, 26-27 May 2014 with the participation of airlines, aviation bodies, avionics and ICT companies, service providers, civil aviation authorities, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other international organizations, issued a communiqué outlining a roadmap for the way forward.
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1st Prize at Kaleidoscope 2014: Standards convergence to enable "5G"
Anna Zakrzewska, Sarah Ruepp and Michael S. Berger (Technical University of Denmark) claimed the 1st prize of USD 5,000 at the recent ITU Kaleidoscope conference 2014: Living in a converged world – Impossible without standards?
The winning paper is titled "Towards Converged 5G Mobile Networks – Challenges and Current Trends". It analyzes the expectation that the emergence of '5G' mobile wireless systems will result from standards convergence, critiquing technical considerations spanning machine-to-machine communications (M2M), energy efficiency, complete ubiquity and autonomous management.
Kaleidoscope 2014, 3-5 June, was held at the invitation of the Russian Federation's Ministry of Communications and Mass Media and hosted by the Bonch-Bruevich Saint-Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (SPbSUT).
Kaleidoscope is ITU's flagship academic event, lending essential support to ITU's Academia membership category by increasing dialogue between academics and experts working on the standardization of ICTs. Now in its sixth edition, 2014's conference attracted 115 attendees from 28 countries to discuss their research on the role of ICT standardization in a global economy characterized by the accelerating convergence of technologies and industry sectors.
98 papers from 39 countries were submitted for review, of which 34 were presented at the conference by virtue of their being accepted for publication in the Kaleidoscope Proceedings and the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
The other authors of award-winning papers, sharing a prize fund of USD 10,000 donated by SES (Luxembourg), were:
· 2nd prize (USD 3,000): "Dynamic Mobile Sensor Network Platform for ID-based Communication" Ved P. Kafle, Yusuke Fukushima and Hiroaki Harai (NICT)
· 3rd prize (USD 2,000): "Combining ICT-Standards Essential-Patents and Medical-managerial Guidelines towards sustainable Assisted-living and home-care" Vasileios P. Spyropoulos (Technological Education Institute of Athens)
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Test event finds mobile phones have poor hands-free performance
The results of an ITU test event have highlighted the need for phone manufacturers to improve their products' compatibility with car hands-free systems. The event found that an overwhelming majority of the phones tested would cause shortfalls in the audio quality of hands-free-supported conversations, a concern that automobile manufacturers say could be resolved through greater cooperation from phone manufacturers.
In a plea to solve a persistent problem, major car manufacturers, including Mercedes and Toyota, with hands-free terminal (HFT) supplier Bosch, have issued a strong call to mobile phone manufacturers to perform standardized tests on the behaviour of their products within hands-free systems and to participate in the ITU-T Study Group 12 standardization work that develops interoperability tests.
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World Standards Day poster competition winner announced
Damar Panji Wijaya (Indonesia) has claimed first prize in the 2014 World Standards Day poster competition, receiving the majority of votes in an online poll asking the public to determine which of five shortlisted posters best illustrated the theme, 'Standards level the playing field'.
20-year-old Damar, who studies Communications at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, explains what inspired his design: "My idea for the design came from the insight that today more than ever both consumers and manufacturers demand equal advantages and opportunities when it comes to the products they buy and produce and international standards are significant instruments in making this possible. I was looking for an image that would encompass both the 'equal opportunities' and 'playing' elements, and I came up with an equally-numbered dice. I also tried to maintain simplicity in my design, so it would be easier for people to focus on the message."
Damar wins CHF 1,500 courtesy of IEC, ISO and ITU, the three international standards bodies that work together under the banner of the WSC (World Standards Cooperation). His design will be used worldwide to celebrate World Standards Day on 4 October 2014.
Congratulations also go to the three runners-up, each receiving an award of CHF 500: Khyati Trehan (India), Muaiad Fraha (UK) and Daira Hernandez & Diana Asprilla (Colombia).
Read more about the competition on the WSC homepage.
ITU-T Study Group 3 creates new teams on OTTS and competition policy
The ITU-T expert group responsible for economic and policy aspects of ICTs has created two new Rapporteur Groups, one mandated to study the economic impact of over-the-top services, another the implications of "significant market power" for ICT regulation and the definition of relevant markets.
Meeting in Geneva, 26-30 May, ITU-T Study Group 3 (Economic and policy issues) progressed its established and emerging work areas and also discussed means to revamp its working methods to increase the group's output through better coordination internally and with other ITU expert groups.
In addition to the formation of the two new Rapporteur Groups, SG3 appointed a new Co-Rapporteur to the team tackling mobile roaming. An expert representing the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Bahrain brings a government's perspective to the group's leadership team, complementing those of Japanese operator, KDDI, and Korea's Sunchon National University.
The study of roaming remains a high priority of SG3's and a proposed cost model for roaming was presented at the meeting to the benefit of this study. The cost model was developed by a consultant to the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) in response to the key outcomes of the ITU High-Level Workshop on Regulatory and Economic Aspects of Roaming, 23-14 September 2013, one of which was regulators' call for ITU to commission an independent report on the subject.
The new Rapporteur Group on "Economic Impact of OTTs" will gather data from Member States and regions regarding the impact of OTTs on their relevant markets, analyzing their impact on the business of telecom providers with a view to identifying associated implications for ICT regulation. The group will work in coordination with ITU's Development Sector (ITU-D), drafting standards on the subject to assist policymakers and regulators.
The new Rapporteur Group on "Relevant market definition and identification of operators with significant market power" will survey the global ICT market for significant market power or other forms of market dominance. The group will collect relevant data and information on regulatory best practices from ITU-D, Member States and other entities, including ITU's industry members. Working to identify regulatory asymmetries, its ultimate goal is to recommend special measures to guarantee transparency and fair competition in relevant markets.
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Job vacancy: Senior Communications Officer
ITU is inviting applications for the post of Senior Communications Officer, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), at ITU Headquarters in Geneva.
The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing TSB's communication strategy. Excellent writing, editing and presentation skills are required, and particularly important will be an ability to repackage technical texts or concepts into a language accessible to non-specialists.
Applicants should have at least seven years of progressively responsible experience in communications, external relations or public relations work, including at least three at the international level. A Doctorate in a related field can be considered as a substitute for three years of working experience.
The incumbent will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining dynamic relationships with the ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) membership, other key players in information and communication technology (ICT), the press and media. They will consult and advise TSB senior management on the positioning of messages to various audiences and develop the partnerships required to fulfil associated communications objectives. Experience in the use of new media would be an advantage, with the incumbent responsible for the identification and utilization of emerging multimedia communications platforms.
ITU-T standards (ITU-T Recommendations) are at the heart of modern ICTs. About ITU-T: http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/info.
The TSB provides essential logistical support to ITU-T's 10 Study Groups, including electronic working facilities and meeting management. TSB also manages promotion, workshops, membership, documents, finance, the website and other such secretariat functions. It is the body responsible for providing cohesion to ITU-T's standards development process.
An attractive package of salary (140,699-182,323 USD without dependents; 151,091-197,112USD with dependents [Net of Tax]) plus international allowances and benefits is on offer (subject to eligibility).
The closing date for applications is 7 July 2014.
A detailed vacancy notice and application form, including remuneration, can be found in ITU's vacancy notices list.
Applications using the form must be sent by email to recruitment@itu.int to ITU Human Resources Administration Division, Place des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland. Applications must reach ITU by the closing date.
ITU and ETSI align environmental impact methodology
A standardized way to assess the direct environmental impact of ICT goods, networks and services, as well as their indirect impact on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of non-ICT industry sectors, has been agreed by ITU and the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute (ETSI).
The jointly developed specification has been created in acknowledgement of the importance of providing industry with tools to provide a lifecycle assessment of the environmental impact of its activities. The collaboration was, in part, driven by a need to avoid a proliferation of methodologies which would cause confusion to the industry.
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Cloud computing central to ICT development strategies in Africa
African standardization experts have reiterated the importance of ITU-T's cloud computing work to the continent, requesting in addition that ITU-T investigate cloud's implications for Africa's legal frameworks and overarching ICT development strategies.
These were some of the key outcomes to emerge from the 2nd Study Group 13 Regional Workshop for Africa on "Future Networks: Cloud Computing, Energy Saving, Security and Virtualization". The open-to-all workshop fed its conclusions into the ITU-T Study Group 13 Regional Group for Africa (SG13RG-AFR), the group tasked with coordinating regional contributions to the standardization work of ITU-T Study Group 13 (Future networks & cloud).
A panel discussion at the workshop called for prioritisation of work on cloud computing and in particular implementation of ITU-T standards in establishing cloud security and assurance frameworks that guarantee user data privacy. As part of the workshop's request for assistance with the legal aspects of cloud computing participants called for ITU-T to devote more attention to cloud service agreements as they relate to quality, security routes, the concept of classes of requirements, and prices of DSL connectivity. The need for evaluation methodologies for the periodic analysis of cloud system performance is another demand African experts plan to address through their work in ITU-T Study Group 13.
African countries will capitalize on ITU-T cloud computing standards as they develop their broadband networks and increase Internet access speeds. Africa employs a futuristic view of telecommunications, with governments' ICT strategies emphasizing the value of cloud computing to young people in Africa and the need to foster skill development in this domain. The growth of the cloud ecosystem is also expected to result in immediate benefits to the African ICT industry, with local vendors enjoying new business in their supply of equipment solutions to support cloud services.
More information on ITU-T Study Group 13 can be found here…
ITU IPTV IPv6 Global Testbed enables reliable, accessible broadcast of disaster relief event
ITU-T standards for Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) were used to live-stream an event targeting the development of infrastructure to support people with disabilities when disaster strikes.
The "Asia-Pacific Meeting on Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Changing Mindsets through Knowledge" was held in Sendai, Japan, 22-23 April, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The elderly and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the impacts of natural disasters; a concern of particular relevance to the Asia-Pacific region. Seeking global input to address this issue, the event assembled top-tier representatives of governments, private-sector players, consortiums including the Japan DAISY consortium, and United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
The meeting was broadcast with closed-captioned live-stream video, delivering excellent quality enabled by core ITU standards including Recommendation ITU-T H.721's IPTV terminal for Video on Demand (VoD) and Linear TV, ITU-T H.762's Lightweight Interactive Multimedia Environment (LIME) for interactive IPTV services, and ITU-T H.264's video encoding. As has become custom, the infrastructure underlying the live-stream was provided by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Hokkaido Television Broadcasting (HTB) and OKI using the ITU IPTV IPv6 Global Testbed. The closed-caption service was developed by ASTEM and ITU-T H.264 real-time video encoders were provided by NTT Electronics (NEL). Ateneo de Manila University, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Republic of the Philippines and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), also members of the Testbed, participated in the event remotely via IPTV.
The meeting closed with an outcome document titled the "Sendai Statement to Promote Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction for resilient, Inclusive and Equitable Societies in Asia and the Pacific".
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Publication features ITU-T standards for smart grid and home networking
ITU-T experts, Stefano Galli and Erez Ben-Tovim, are among the co-authors of a new book titled "MIMO Power Line Communications: Narrow and Broadband Standards, EMC, and Advanced Processing", edited by Lars T. Berger, Andreas Schwager, Pascal Pagani and Daniel M. Schneider. The work is considered one of the first of its kind, offering a comprehensive guide to the technologies and standards underlying present-day power line communications (PLC).
Part III of the five-part publication, "Current PLC Systems and Their Evolution", provides a detailed description of current narrow- and broadband PLC standards; in large part thanks to the contribution of experts working in ITU-T Study Group 15 (Transport, Access and Home).
Stefano Galli, ITU-T's lead expert on smart grid communications, is co-author of Part III's opening chapter surveying current PLC systems. Galli is also co-author of a chapter dedicated to narrowband PLC standards, in particular ITU-T's family of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based narrowband PLC standards, Recommendations ITU-T G.9902, G.9903 and G.9904, as well as IEEE 1901.2.
The ITU-T broadband PLC standard G.hn (ITU-T G.996x-series) is a suite of broadband home-networking Recommendations which also form the subject of a dedicated chapter authored by Erez Ben-Tovim, another active contributor to ITU-T work.
Following the description of ITU-T's G.hn home-networking standards, Part III contains chapters focused on IEEE 1901 and HomePlug AV2, concluding with an introduction to hybrid systems based on IEEE 1905.1 which combine PLC with other wireless and wireline technologies.
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Built-in ICT resilience needed to face climate change
Adaptive practices for the ICT sector will become part of the 'new normal' as climate change impacts increase. This is a key conclusion of a new report produced by ITU along with UNFCCC and UNESCO with support from Deutsche Telekom.
The report titled "Resilient Pathways: The adaptation of the ICT sector to climate change" recommends that positioning climate change in the sector's agenda requires the active engagement of stakeholders at all levels, fostering the adoption of innovative measures to better cope with, respond and adjust to change. The reports launch follows the addition of a new ICT Solutions pillar in the UNFCCC's Momentum for Change initiative which ITU welcomes as a very positive step towards strengthening the transformational potential of ICTs as part of climate change responses.
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Other news:
ITU blog:
Is copper the future of fibre? G.fast and the battle of bandwidth by Oliver Johnson here
Vodafone Qatar, ITU-T's newest member, by Kyle Whitehill here
Helping developing countries to establish a national standardization secretariat, by Gary Fishman here
