World Telecoms Conference on Technology Standards Pushes for Universal Network Connectivity, Ethical AI

Emma Okonji

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The World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-24), which is the standardisation governing conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has called for consensus, ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) and universal network connectivity.

he WTSA-24 conference holding in New Delhi, India,  brings together, global policy-makers, industry leaders and tech experts to consider global actions to reinforce the standardisation work of ITU, the UN Agency for Digital Technologies.

At the opening ceremony, attendees pushed for universal connectivity, the need for ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI), the critical importance of consensus, and how digital inclusion could make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

India’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Narendra Modi, inaugurated WTSA-24 alongside India Mobile Congress at a joint opening ceremony.

“The objective of WTSA is to work on global standards. At the same time, the India Mobile Congress plays a very big role for giving services to people. So, from that point of view, with this event that is taking place in India, 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 are the principles we should focus and put them at the centre stage of our discussion. Our objective should be that no country, no region and no community should be left behind the in this digital era,” Modi said at the opening ceremony Tuesday.

ITU’s Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, in her opening remarks, said: “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. This global gathering calls for bold, collective action. In the next ten days, we can strengthen the role of international standards as the bedrock of global digital governance.”

Held every four years, WTSA sets out priorities for experts from around the world who work year-round to develop the international standards established by ITU.

The first WTSA ever held in the Asia-Pacific region, opened on Tuesday October 15 and will run till Sunday October 24, coming at a time when India’s government, vibrant tech industry and research communities have become increasingly engaged in ITU’s standardisation work that is driven by the contributions and consensus decisions of ITU’s membership, including 194 Member States and over 1000 member companies, universities, and international and regional organisations.

WTSA reviews the strategy, structure and working methods of ITU’s standardisation arm (ITU-T) every four years. The conference also approves the mandates and appoints the leadership teams of ITU-T expert groups for international standardisation.

ITU and partners kicked off the proceedings with the Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) and celebrations of World Standards Day on 14 October. Communications ministers, industry leaders and tech experts at GSS-24 showcased new innovation, exchanged insights and shared aspirations for international standards development.

The symposium reaffirmed the importance of investing in technical standards development to propel innovations in key areas like AI, smart cities and virtual worlds to accelerate sustainable development.