New Delhi: The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) opened at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Monday, where policymakers, industry leaders, and tech experts are meeting to consider global actions to reinforce the standardization work of ITU, the UN Agency for Digital Technologies.
The opening ceremony highlighted the push for universal connectivity, the need for ethical artificial intelligence (AI), the critical importance of consensus, and how digital inclusion can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated a joint opening ceremony for WTSA-24 and the India Mobile Congress.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said, the objective of WTSA is to work on global standards. At the same time, the India Mobile Congress plays a very big role in giving services to people. So, from that point of view, with this event that is taking place here, we are working on both standards and services, and both have been brought to one platform today.”
Whatever standards we set in this field, this will set the path of our future. Therefore, security, dignity, and equity—oon these principles we have to work, and this should be the center stage of our discussion. Our objective should be that no country, no region, and no community should be left behind in this digital era., he added.
WTSA is held every four years and establishes priorities for specialists from throughout the world who work year-round to build ITU’s worldwide standards. The first WTSA to be hosted in the Asia-Pacific area will take place from October 15 to 24, at a time when India’s government, burgeoning IT industry, and research communities are becoming more involved in ITU standardization efforts.
“The world has a lot to learn from what India has accomplished with the Unified Payments Interface, Aadhaar, and other building blocks of today’s digital economy,” ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin stated. “This worldwide gathering demands bold, collective action. In the next ten days, we can enhance international standards as the foundation of global digital governance.
ITU’s standardization work is driven by the contributions and consensus choices of its membership, which includes 194 Member States, over 1000 corporations, colleges, and international/regional organizations.
Every four years, WTSA evaluates the strategy, structure, and working procedures of the ITU’s standards arm (ITU-T). The summit adopts ITU-T expert groups’ missions and chooses their leadership for worldwide standardization.
ITU and partners launched the Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) and World Standards Day events on October 14. GSS-24 brought together communications ministers, industry leaders, and technology experts to exhibit new innovation, exchange experiences, and share objectives for international standardization.
The conference underlined the necessity of investing in technical standards development to drive advances in crucial areas such as AI, smart cities, and virtual worlds to accelerate sustainable development.
