The work the ITU Standardization Sector (ITU-T) on artificial intelligence

28.08.2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) ITU works on the development and use of AI to ensure a sustainable future. To that end, it convenes intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder dialogues, develops international standards and frameworks, and helps in capacity building for the use of AI. AI and Machine Learning are gaining a larger share of the ITU standardization work programme in fields such as network orchestration and management, multimedia coding, service quality assessment, operational aspects of service provision and telecom management, cable networks, digital health, environmental efficiency, and autonomous driving. ITU organises the annual AI for Good Global Summit, which aims to connect innovators…

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The impact of policies, regulation, and institutions on ICT sector performance

25.08.2020

Introduction The current crisis has brought new challenges to the ICT sector. Regulatory frameworks need to be adjusted to stimulate investment while maintaining a moderate level of competition. Markets and consumer benefits are now examined by decision-makers through the lens of financial adversity and uncertain outlooks. Amid disruption, policy-makers and regulators need evidence-based guidance that provides a solid ground for their reforms. A new ITU study has used econometric modelling to examine the impact of the regulatory and institutional frameworks on the performance of the ICT (Information Communication Technologies) sector and its contribution to the national economy as a whole.…

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Innovative approaches to sector regulation

24.08.2020

Innovative spectrum use rules Simply applying existing – and potentially outdated – regulation to new digital technologies and services risks stifling innovation. To better keep pace with technological developments, policy-makers are examining different measures to provide clear, flexible, and objectively applied rules that avoid hampering progress. Among the increasing trends toward light-touch and experimental regulatory models are innovative ways to use spectrum, license new technologies, and facilitate universal access. As new wireless technologies enter the field with existing services, there is an ever-increasing demand for spectrum, including for commercial 5G, satellite services, and fixed wireless, as well as increased spectrum…

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Consumer affairs in general

19.08.2020

Basic consumer rights The concept of consumer rights has been with us since humans began bartering goods and services over 150,000 years ago. Based on widespread notions of fairness in trading, human societies have agreed, for example, that a kilogram weight should in fact weigh 1000 and not 900 grams, that products should be truthfully described and be fit for purpose (e.g. flour should not contain chalk powder), and that promises to sell at a certain price should be kept. The development of consumer rights as now understood, however, started only in the twentieth century. More choice of household goods…

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Spectrum management: Key applications and regulatory considerations driving the future use of spectrum

13.08.2020

Introduction In an increasingly digital environment, adequate access to spectrum is key to expanding the deployment and coverage of telecommunication networks, and addressing the ever-increasing demand for data services. These networks support a variety of online applications, extending the impact of spectrum management to several sectors of the economy by transforming the way people access resources for health, transportation, education, agriculture, employment, government, and financial services. As a scarce resource, spectrum requires proper management from regulators, to ensure equitable access and an interference-free environment among different users and services, as well as to introduce new technologies. Accordingly, there is a…

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Technical regulation – Quality of service

13.08.2020

Introduction What is quality of service? People everywhere depend on ICT services. Unless these services are good enough, people need face-to-face contact in order to hold conversations, send and receive messages, obtain news, transfer money, play games, monitor and control machines, take part in markets, meetings, lessons, and entertainment, and so on. The range of services continues to grow. What “good enough” means depends on many factors, such as user feelings and expectations, which themselves vary with applications and environments. To be good enough, services usually have to be not annoying, even if they are not delightful. In the words…

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Technical regulation: Numbering, naming, addressing, and identification (NNAI)

13.08.2020

Why do numbering, naming, and addressing matter? Telephone numbers were devised well over a century ago to provide a way of identifying destinations of telephone calls uniquely. They then became used to identify sources of telephone calls, in calling line identification (CLI). They could contain information about tariffs and value-added contents. They are now used much more generally as unique identifiers, in money transfers, over-the-top (OTT) messages, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and so on. In effect “destination” has been expanded to refer to people and things generally. The rotary dials originally used to input numbers have long since disappeared…

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Related resources

10.06.2020

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Spectrum management: Guidance on the regulatory framework for national spectrum management

06.06.2020

This article is excerpted from Report ITU-R SM.2093-3, Guidance on the Regulatory Framework for National Spectrum Management, and is reprinted here with the permission of the ITU. Society’s increasing use of radio-based technologies, and the tremendous opportunities for socio-economic development that these technologies provide, highlight the importance of radio-frequency spectrum and national spectrum management processes. Technological progress has continually opened doors to a variety of new spectrum applications that have spurred greater interest in, and demand for, the limited spectrum resource. Increased demand requires that spectrum be used efficiently and that effective spectrum management processes be implemented. Spectrum management is the…

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Related resources

29.05.2020

Regulatory databases World Bank body of knowledge on infrastructure regulationWorld Bank global indicators of regulatory governanceITU ICT Regulatory TrackerITU ICT Eye Publications

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