At the invitation of the Government of the United Arab Emirates, the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-12) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was held in Dubai from 20 to 29 November 2012.
This meeting was held in the Middle East for the first time, and was chaired by Mohammad Gheyath of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the regulator of the host country, and saw the representation from approximately 110 member states.
In terms of structure, the WTSA-12 was divided according to the issues under discussion, incorporating the following committees:
- Committee 1 - Management Committee.
- Committee 2 - Budget Control.
- Committee 3 - Working Methods of Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).
- Committee 4 - ITU-T work programme and organization.
- Committee 5 - Editorial Committee.
The Assembly adopted measures primarily related to the restructuring of working methods and organization and the functioning of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), in particular:
- review of Resolutions 1 - Rules of procedure of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and 2 - Study Group responsibility and mandates;
- adoption of a new Resolution establishing the creation of a Review Committee to discuss ways of improving the structure and functioning of the ITU-T;
- adoption of a new Resolution on mechanisms to strengthen collaboration between ITU and other standards bodies;
- creation of a new Joint Coordination Activity on technical aspects of telecommunications networks to support Internet;
- adoption of a new resolution on the contribution of information and communication technology applications and standards to achieving improved access to e-health;
- adoption of a new opinion on the implementation of remuneration linked to network externalities;
- revision of Resolution 64 on the allocation of IP addresses and facilitating the transition and implementation of IPv6;
- revision of Resolution 76 on studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries and a possible programme for the ITU brand.
Approval was also given to the appointment of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Telecommunications Standardisation Advisory Group (TSAG) and the ITU-T study committees. WTSA-12 opted to maintain the 10 study committees approved at WTSA-08, considering that this structure remains appropriate.
The Meeting was preceded by the Global Standards Symposium (GSS), which discussed the contribution of developing countries to global standardization activities. Note was made of the increasing collaboration between industries, which has contributed significantly to an evident level of innovation in this area, as well as the importance of strong mechanisms for collaboration within and across sectors.
The next WTSA will take place in 2016.
Further information:
- World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/wtsa12/Pages/default.aspx
