Meeting the standards of CTOs

Many standardization bodies exist, making it very difficult for CTOs to know where to put resources to develop a particular standard

8 October, 2009

By Ken Wieland

One item that has shot up the agenda of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) over the last year is how to help CTOs navigate more effectively through the complex world of standards.

"One of the concerns that industry has is that as there are so many standardization bodies currently in existence, it makes it very difficult for CTOs to know where to put resources to develop a particular standard," says Malcolm Johnson, TSB director. The need to identify and better coordinate standards priorities was recognized at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, held in Johannesburg in October 2008. Subsequently, Johnson organized an inaugural meeting of CTOs on this subject - invitation only - which took place at ITU Telecom World 2009 on Tuesday.

"We need to get some collaboration and cooperation," says Johnson, "particularly during the economic downturn when there is more pressure on resources."

The inaugural CTO meeting is part of TSB's ongoing efforts to help industry - by facilitating dialogue and cooperation - rather than advising on any particular technology path. "We are looking to give clarity on the hot topics; to examine the best direction to get global standards available as quickly as possible with the minimum resource expended by industry," says Johnson.

Although there is a multitude of standards groups within the ICT sector, Johnson doesn't see any weakening of ITU's authority in the world of standardization. "There are many standardization bodies around but there is only one global standardization body, which is recognized by 191 countries and over 700 private sector entities," says Johnson. "That body is ITU."

Within TSB's work of facilitating global standards, Johnson stresses the need for openness in the standardization process. "It is essential to allow for competition and innovation, which increases industry's effectiveness and efficiencies," he says.

"Global standards also create a level playing field for start-ups and companies in developing countries to enter into a worldwide market. This is why we have a lot of support from developing countries, which make up the majority of our members."

In addition to the inaugural CTO meeting this week, Johnson has another initiative designed to make the lives of equipment purchasers much easier. "I will be proposing to the council meeting this month that we do something to recognize equipment that has been tested to our standards," he says. "I propose we have a publicly available database giving details of all equipment that has been tested to ITU standards in accredited test labs and certified by accredited certification bodies."

A common complaint among operators is non-interoperability of different vendors' equipment, even though the equipment may be 'standardized'. Johnson is keen for ITU to facilitate interoperability events, comprising different vendors' kit. The information gleaned from those events would then be put on a publicly available database. Operators would then be able to check those details before purchase.