In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review Asia, Dr. Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), outlined ITU's ambitious goals for the upcoming World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24).
This assembly, the first of its kind to be held in Asia, marks a historic moment. Jamoussi highlighted the assembly's focus on inclusivity, the engagement of youth and women in standard-setting, and the introduction of new study groups aimed at shaping the future of digital infrastructure.
What specific outcomes does ITU hope to achieve at WTSA-24 regarding the integration of AI and the metaverse into global standards?
World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) marks the first time we are meeting in Asia, which is quite significant. We have organized over 20 side events and are focusing heavily on AI, which is top of mind for many.
In terms of concrete outcomes, one of our key objectives is to appoint the new leadership teams of our study groups that will develop standards for the next four years. These will cover critical areas such as AI, the metaverse, digital identity, and digital infrastructure.
We are also committed to enhancing inclusivity by engaging more youth and increasing the participation of women in standard-setting.
Additionally, we are hosting the Global Standards Symposium, which includes a high-level segment gathering ministers and CEOs and will feature 60 booths where ITU’s private-sector and government members will showcase standards in action.
This event will also include the AI for Good Impact India event —our first event of the new Impact Initiative as part of the AI for Good Global Summit. This will focus on capacity building and the tangible outcomes of India's involvement in shaping international AI standards.
Throughout the event, our Digital Wave Stage will host daily panels covering a range of important topics. Overall, the assembly is set to be quite dynamic, with delegates working on international agreements known as Resolutions while also demonstrating the progress made in the field of standardization and planning for the future.
What specific obstacles do you foresee in creating standardized protocols for rapidly evolving technologies like quantum computing, particularly regarding technical complexities, differing national regulations, and industry collaboration?
One of the challenges is, of course, the inclusivity of standards development, and that's why we have a program called Bridging the Standardization Gap, where we try to make sure that experts from government, industry and academia from all countries take active participation in ITU. We're almost halfway through; we still have some work to do to be more inclusive, and that is one of our priorities: to bridge the standardization gap.
The second one is to have broader industry engagement. So far, we have around 1,000 members from the private sector. We're very proud of our members, and we are the only UN agency with member companies, and the only standard development organization that has 194 member states. But of course, we don't want to stop there.
We want to ensure that all stakeholders, big or small, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from developing countries, are a focus for us. We aim to support those SMEs that are driving innovation, as seen in the digital financial services that have emerged from Africa and Asia.
India is, for example, leading the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the Aadhaar digital identity. Those innovations around Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) are ones where we can, and want to, see more SMEs and industry engagement.
The third one is women. Currently, women make up 30% of participants at this assembly, and we want to raise that to at least 35% and keep growing. We also want to see more women taking leadership positions in our study groups, as chairs and vice chairs.
So, I would say our challenges encompass being more inclusive and having more participants around the world joining the effort because our standards are global; they're implemented everywhere, and we need to have everyone around the table taking part.
In what concrete ways can international standards enhance digital inclusion and build trust among diverse nations, especially in developing regions where access to technology may be limited?
First of all, we still have 2.6 billion not using the Internet. As part of our missions, we have two strategic objectives.
One is universal connectivity, and we're working very hard to connect more people. We have programs like Partner2Connect, led by our Secretary General, where we're trying to secure pledges. We have about 50 billion USD worth of pledges today, and our aim is to reach 100 billion by 2030.
We also have a program with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called Giga, which aims to connect every school in the world to the internet. Connectivity is really the first priority because if you’re not connected, you cannot benefit from any of the digital technologies.
The second strategic priority of ITU is sustainable digital transformation. COVID-19 demonstrated to us, and the world, that a lack of connectivity and digital infrastructure can paralyze economies. In response, we have been collaborating with member states and the private sector to ensure that sustainable digital transformation occurs rapidly. For developing countries, we are leading efforts in digital financial services to establish standards that enhance digital transformation in the financial sector, ensuring that the 1.4 billion adults without a bank account can use their mobile phones for transaction accounts.
We collaborated with the World Bank and the Gates Foundation to create frameworks for regulation, technology, and standards that enhance end-user trust. If users do not trust their mobile payments, they will not utilize them. To address this, we have established a digital financial services security lab at ITU, implemented in many member states, working alongside central banks and telecom regulators to ensure the security of financial services. This is one concrete example contributing to a digital-first foundation.
Another recent announcement is the OpenWallet Forum, a joint initiative by ITU and the Linux Foundation, with support from the UN International Computing Centre and the Government of Switzerland, aimed at accelerating the evolution of digital public infrastructure worldwide. This initiative focuses on digital IDs as a first step, including digital versions of driver's licenses and passports, as well as digital payments. This partnership between a standard organization and an open-source organization is unique and innovative. For instance, the CEO of the Linux Foundation will be one of our speakers at GSS.
This showcases our rapid progress, integrating standards and open-source to include more people and bridge the standards gap not only in standard development but also in implementation in developing countries.
Hosting this first WTSA in India presents an opportunity for all countries in the region to participate at the highest level and benefit from this international standards festival.
How do you believe the conversations at WTSA-24 will influence strategies for sustainable digital transformation across various sectors, and what key principles should guide these discussions to ensure long-term environmental and social benefits?
At ITU, we are committed to addressing environmental and climate change aspects of information and communication technologies. ITU-T Study Group 5 is our standardization expert group dedicated to environment and circular economy.
Many of the standards we have developed assist industries and governments in measuring the impact of ICT on the environment, while also highlighting how these technologies can mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in other sectors. For instance, teleworking utilizes telecommunications infrastructure, reducing the need for car travel, which exemplifies how these technologies contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Recently, there has been considerable discussion around AI and its substantial energy consumption in data centers. To address this, we published a report just a couple of months ago on AI and the environment, examining both sides of the issue. While it is true that AI increases power consumption, industry players and governments can look to ITU standards for tools to measure, mitigate, and reduce electricity consumption in data centers. These standards also detail how AI can be harnessed to reduce data centres’ energy consumption.
We view this equation holistically. It is in the public domain and has been quite useful in guiding discussions on AI's environmental impact over the past few months.
A closely related topic is quantum computing, which plays a role in the energy demands of AI computing platforms. While traditional computers are power-hungry, quantum computers can be more energy-efficient. At WTSA in India, we will showcase a small, portable quantum computer that could help reduce energy consumption in AI applications.
This represents advanced efforts from a standards perspective to reduce electricity use and create more environmentally friendly data centers, while also embracing emerging technologies like quantum computing to revolutionize how AI algorithms are implemented.
