auDA advocates for the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance to support an open, free, secure and global internet. As part of this work, we monitor and engage with a range of organisations and processes where internet governance and policy issues are under discussion.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is one such organisation, and this blog explores a major event in the ITU’s standardisation work, the ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), happening later this year.
What is the ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly?
The ITU WTSA will take place in October 2024 in India. Held every four years, the event will set the ITU’s priorities for developing technology standards and protocols.
Why is this important?
The remit of the ITU’s standardisation work is to deal with technical or digital standards relating to communication systems. Standards represent a consensus-based framework for the operation of specific activities or technical systems. In the world of communications, they are the “common language” that underpins the interoperability and interconnection that enables our everyday use of communication networks and devices.
At a time when technology is rapidly evolving, developing appropriate standards is critical to the efficient functioning of an interconnected world. This is a complex process, one that has historically been undertaken by technical experts and with little political involvement. Growing global dependence on digital technologies, however, has increased awareness of the importance of standards, and the potential strategic advantage in influencing standards making processes.
Standardisation has been at the core of the ITU’s mandate since its inception in 1865, but in recent years there has been a growing push by some countries to expand that mandate to encompass new and emerging technologies. In some areas, such an expanded mandate would overlap or clash with the role of other Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
Supporters of expanding the scope of the ITU’s standardisation work prefer its intergovernmental process to decide on such standards. This reserves decision-making to governments, excluding other stakeholders such as the internet technical community. In addition, the ITU’s large development sector community presents itself as a readily accessible market for ITU-endorsed standards and technologies since they consider the ITU as a convenient “one-stop shop” to comprehensively address their communications needs.
Supporters of maintaining the ITU’s current scope in standardisation work prefer to see the more open, inclusive, multi-stakeholder subject-focused SDOs (such as the IETF) left in place, without duplication or conflict of roles between them and an expanded ITU. auDA supports this approach.
Preparations for the WTSA
In the lead up to the WTSA, preparatory meetings are being carried out across the globe.
The world is divided into six regions and each region decides its own standardisation priorities through a series of regional preparatory meetings led by ITU-endorsed regional organisations. At the WTSA, these priorities will be negotiated down to one consensus based, consolidated outcome document that sets the ITU’s standardisation agenda for the next four-year cycle. This can be quite a complicated undertaking as it works to balance regional and global imperatives.
The Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) leads the Asia Pacific region’s preparations for WTSA. Subject to strict rules, participation is restricted to delegates of member states (of which there are 38, including Australia) or an affiliate member (of which there are 135).
During 2024, auDA attended APT preparatory meetings in person or online as preparations for this year’s WTSA got under way. At these meetings, delegates from the Asia Pacific region discussed over 50 proposals to either modify existing resolutions or create new ones.
Several of the APT proposals reference technologies that could undermine the interoperable, unfragmented internet as we know it. Also within scope are several new technologies such as AI, the metaverse, ‘New IP’ protocols, intelligent transport systems and post quantum cryptography.
auDA, along with other key stakeholders (the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Internet Society (ISOC) and the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)), has advocated for processes that would not limit or harm the current operation of the internet.
Given the ITU’s legacy in standards setting, it will likely continue to pursue opportunities to expand its mandate in this area, even if that would clash with the mandate and role of other SDOs.
The ITU, as a member state driven UN organisation, conducts its work consistent with a work agenda that has been globally endorsed. The regional meetings and the WTSA negotiations provide the optimum opportunity to influence this agenda. In the end member states – not the institution itself – will determine whether its scope changes and whether such clashes emerge.
auDA will continue to monitor ITU processes and the WTSA in October. You can read more about auDA’s internet governance and public policy work on the auDA website.