Council 2009 Highlights

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• Document 30

ITU�s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) has been looking to attract more involvement from universities, other academic institutions and associated research establishments ("academia" for short in this article) in its standards-making process. Presenting Document 30 to the Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM) on Friday morning, Reinhard Scholl, Deputy to the TSB Director, said that ITU-T has created a series of events entitled Kaleidoscope, which seek to identify new topics for standardization and to increase participation of academia in ITU-T. The first ITU-T Kaleidoscope event �Innovations in NGN� took place in Geneva in May 2008, the second in August 2009 on �Innovations for Digital Inclusion� in Argentina, and, as the TSB Director announced at this morning's Council Session, the third event is scheduled to take place in India in December 2010. Scholars from over one hundred institutions have participated so far in these events.

ITU Standards in Action

Some standards that have emerged from ITU-T study groups have been heavily influenced by input from academia. However, institutions participate either under the banner of a national delegation, or as a Sector Member or an Associate. Today, there are no Sector Members or Associates from academia in ITU-T.

Council strongly supports efforts to increase the links between academia and ITU and to allow academic and research institutions to participate in the work of ITU at a reduced fee. Council fully supported the recommendation contained in Document 30; namely to seek the view of FINREGS (to meet in February 2010) on admitting academic and research institutions to participate in the work of ITU-T as Sector Members for a minimal fee below CHF 2000 (precisely, CHF 1987.50), and that the proposal also be extended to ITU�s Radiocommunication (ITU-R) and Telecommunication Development (ITU-D) Sectors. Council in April 2010 will then examine the report of FINREGS and put forward a recommendation to PP-10.

In the discussion, a very interesting proposal was put forward by the United States. The delegation suggested that a named scholarship should be created and for which universities would compete to do research on a topic of interest to the Union. This would further increase, greatly, the visibility of ITU within the academic and research community."

• Document 31

TSB also presented Document 31, which responds to WTSA-08 Resolution 74. This Resolution encourages the adoption of necessary measures to enable new members from developing countries to join ITU-T and to be entitled to take part in the work of that Sector�s study groups and other groups.
 
Feedback from the Bridging the Standardization Gap Forums indicated that the main reason deterring membership from companies in developing countries is the level of membership fee, and the cost of travelling to meetings in Geneva. In ITU-T, only about a third of the membership comes from developing countries, and less than 2 per cent from least developed countries (LDC). For example, four Sector Members come from LDCs in ITU-T and three in ITU-R. The document examined various fee structures. It proposed that ITU-T Sector Members from LDCs should participate for a reduced fee of about CHF 4000 (or CHF 3975 to be precise) as compared to the current fee of CHF 31 800. It further suggested that this proposal also be applied for ITU-R, but that the whole matter first be examined by FINREGS in February 2010. FINREGS would then come back with its suggestions to Council in April 2010.
 
Council, supporting that companies from developing countries should be able to participate in the work of ITU at an affordable rate, agreed that FINREGS is the right place to study the matter and the possible fee structures for companies from developing countries. Councillors said that the issue should also be seen in the context of Contribution 76 from the Russian Federation "Improving the budgetary process in ITU", also presented on Friday morning.

* Editor�s note: This issue of the Highlights only covers some of the discussion in the Standing Committee on Administration and Management on Friday morning (23 October). The Committee is scheduled to table a report on the conclusions of its work to the Plenary on Thursday, 29 October (afternoon). We will bring you highlights from that report once it has been approved in Plenary.