PM Modi Inaugurates ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2024 in New Delhi

On 15th October 2024, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister(PM) of India, inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)– World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Delhi.

• PM Modi also inaugurated the 8th edition of India Mobile Congress(IMC 2024), Asia’s largest digital technology forum during the programme.
• ITU-WTSA 2024 was held from 15th to 24th October 2024 hosted by India in New Delhi, Delhi.
• WTSA was hosted in India for the first time in ITU’s history of 150 years. This also marks the first WTSA hosted in the Asia-Pacific.

What is WTSA? 

WTSA  is held every four years and defines the next period of study for ITU- International Telecommunications Standardization Sector(ITU-T).

WTSA is the governing conference for the standardisation work of the ITU, the United Nations(UN) Agency for Digital Technologies.

ITU-WTSA 2024: 

i.WTSA 2024 offered a platform for countries to discuss and decide the future of standards of next-generation critical technologies like 6G(6th generation of wireless technology), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, cybersecurity, etc.

ii.This year’s WTSA-24 witnesses 3300 delegates, including 36 ministers, from over 160 countries, the highest ever for any WTSA assembly.

8th edition of India Mobile Congress

8th edition of India Mobile Congress(IMC 2024) was held from 15th to 18th October at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi along with WTSA 2024.

• The theme of the IMC 2024 was- The Future Is Now.
• It was jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Points to note: 

i.While addressing IMC 2024, PM Modi declared that India has emerged as the world’s second-largest 5G market and is already working towards 6G development.

ii.He highlighted that in just ten years, the length of the optical fibre that India has laid is eight times the distance between the earth and the moon.

MeitY’s Digital India Innovation Zone at IMC 2024:

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had set up a pavilion, ‘Digital India Innovation Zone’, at IMC 2024 to provide firsthand experience to the delegates on India’s various Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs).

• The aim of this state-of-the-art pavilion is to spread awareness amongst global stakeholders of projects that are scalable and bring Ease of Living, Ease of Doing Business, and Ease of Governance for the citizens.
• The MeitY pavilion provided hands-on experience to the delegates on various DPIs viz DigiLocker, Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG), Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), eSanjeevani, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), and Digital India BHASHINI.

IMC 2024 Showcases Innovations in Quantum Tech, 5G & Circular Economy

IMC 2024 displayed India’s innovation ecosystem, in which leading telecom companies and innovators will focus on developments in Quantum technology and Circular Economy along with emphasis on 6G, 5G use-case showcase, cloud and edge computing, IoT, semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satcom and electronics manufacturing.

Key Points

i.The IMC 2024 witnessed over 310 partners and exhibitors, and participations from 13 government ministries, 29 academic institutions, 920 startups, and representatives from more than 123 countries.

ii.The event provided a vibrant platform for showcasing over 900 technology use cases, including 750 Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based applications.

iii. The event included 186 sessions, involving more than 820 speakers globally, who discussed themes such as 5G, 6G, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), quantum computing, cybersecurity, and electronics manufacturing.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia Inaugurates International 6G Symposium

i.Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, inaugurated the International 6G Symposium during the ITU-WTSA24 and IMC 24.

ii.The event was organized by the Bharat 6G Alliance to show India’s efforts to move towards global leadership in 6G technology.

• It integrates various stakeholders to boost innovation, standardization, and research in the field of 6G telecommunications and make contributions to global 6G standards through bodies like the ITU and 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project).

iii.The Bharat 6G Alliance(B6GA) signed various Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with global collaborators – NGMN Alliance (Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance), 5G ACIA (5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation), Germany, UKI-FIN (UK- India Future Networks Initiative) and UK TIN (UK Telecom Innovations Networks), 6G Forum (South Korea), 6G Brasil (Brazil). B6GA has already forged alliance with NextG Alliance of ATIS USA, 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G IA), European Council and 6G Flagship- Oulu University.

iv.B6GA has also formed 7 working groups for specific areas of 6G, including spectrum, device technologies, use cases, standards, green and sustainability, RAN and core networks, AI and sensing, and security and reports by the groups on Applications, Spectrum, 6G Use Cases & Revenue Streams and Green & Sustainability were released in the event.

v.In addition, a workshop was conducted with the academicians of 5G Use Case Labs by National Communications Academy, Department of Telecommunication, Ghaziabad and around 100 participants from top 100 academic institutions, took part across the country.

Reliance Jio launches JioBharat V3 and V4 4G feature phones

Reliance Jio has introduced the JioBharat V3 and V4, the next generation of affordable 4G feature phones at the IMC 2024.

• These phones are worth Rs 1099 with a monthly recharge plan of Rs 123, and unlimited voice calls and 14 GB of data.
• These devices were launched with an aim to provide affordable 4G connectivity to the millions of 2G users reducing the digital divide.

Features of the Phones

i.The phones will have a 1000 mAh battery so that users can enjoy uninterrupted service throughout the day.

ii.The phones will have a storage capacity of 128 GB and it supports 23 Indian languages.

iii.Both models, V3 and V4 come with a packed suite of exclusive Jio services like JioTV (access to over 455 live TV channels, with favorite shows, news, and sports), JioCinema (various of movies, videos, and sports content), JioPay (UPI integration and in-built Sound Box), and JioChat (unlimited voice messaging, photo share and group chat options)/

TRAI organizes Symposium on ‘Emerging Trends and Technologies in Broadcasting Sector’ 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) conducted a symposium on the theme- ‘Emerging Trends and Technologies in Broadcasting Sector’ on 17th October 2024, alongside the IMC-2024.

• The symposium aimed to search for the transformative potential and practical applications of emerging technologies within the broadcasting industry, particularly on digital radio, immersive technologies and D2M and 5G broadcasting.
• More than 100 national and international participants, including key stakeholders from the broadcasting industry, technology giants, device manufacturers and government participated in the event.

Key Highlights

i.The first session was based on Use of Immersive Technologies in the Broadcasting Landscape, which explored and discussed into how technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) can bring change in content creation and consumption in broadcasting.

ii.The second session, D2M and 5G Broadcasting: Opportunities and Challenges, focused upon the two major technological standards namely Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC 3.0) and 5G broadcasting (based on 3GPP standard) to provide easy and direct availability of content to mobile handsets, potentially transforming how users’ access and consume media.

iii.The final session, Digital Radio Technology: Deployment Strategies in India, discussed upon the ways for establish digital radio for the Indian market.

IMC 2024 Awards Honour Innovation

IMC 2024 announced the winners of the IMC 2024 Awards under 19 diverse award categories for outstanding achievements in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Telecom, Media, and Technology (TMT) sectors.

List of 2024 Winners:

Highlights of IMC 2024: 

i.The IMC 2024 saw a lineup of over 310 partners and exhibitors, with participation from 13 government ministries, 29 academic institutions, 920 startups, and representatives from more than 123 countries.

ii.Key discussions included building a future roadmap for 5G, AI and emerging technologies, with a strong emphasis on public-private partnerships to boost innovation and digital inclusion.

ITU-WTSA 2024’s Innovation Xchange

The Innovation Xchange, a foundational event of the ITU-WTSA 2024 was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi to promote global technological collaboration.

i.Objective: To foster international collaboration and innovation across key themes in emerging technologies.

ii.The program included thematic discussions on NextGen Networks (5G​/​6G), AI & robotics, Secured Communication Networks, and Quantum Communications.

iii.Each theme involved teams from India and other ITU member countries such as The United States of America (USA), The United Kingdom (UK), The United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Singapore. The composition of the teams included a lead faculty, a research student, and a startup working in the same thematic area.

iv.The inaugural session was chaired by Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State(MoS) Ministry of Communications.

Key People: Madhu Arora, Member Technology, Digital Communications Commission, Department of Telecommunications, India, Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), ITU and Sanjeev K Sharma, Deputy Director General, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communication.

ITU Kaleidoscope-2024:

i.The 15th ITU Kaleidoscope (2024) was held at the ITU-WTSA 2024 with a focus on bridging the digital divide and exploring how emerging technologies can connect underserved populations.

ii.Students and young professionals also have their opinions on how to engage the next generation in global standardization efforts.

• The first panel of Day 3 was based on Connecting the Remaining 3 billion and focused upon the reducing the global digital divide.
• The second panel was on Youth and Standardization, that focused on the growing role of youth in telecommunications standards development.

iii. Awards of CHF 6000 were presented for the best three research papers-

• 1st prize – Artificial Intelligence Driven Tilt Sensor-Based Smart Drinking Device for Stroke Survivors, developed by Preeta Sharan and Anup M Upadhyaya from The Oxford College of Engineering, India, along with R Vasanthan from The Oxford College of Physiotherapy, India.
• 2nd prize – Elderly Wellness Companion with Voice and Video-Based Health Anomaly Detection, created by Dhananjay Kumar, Mehal Sakthi M S, and Sowbarnigaa K S from Anna University, India, alongside Ved P. Kafle from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan
• 3rd prize – Alpha-Bit: An Android App for Enhancing Pattern Recognition Using CNN and Sequential Deep Learning, developed by Gobi Ramasamy, Arokia Paul Rajan, and Priyadharshini Rengasamy from Christ University, India, along with Antoine Bagula from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

8 Resolutions Adopted to Advance Telecommunications Standards

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) has adopted 8 new resolutions to target emerging areas for standardisation in telecommunications at the conclusion of the event.

Key proposals by India include:

• Enhancing the standardization activities on Digital Public Infrastructure
• Standardization activities of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector on AI technologies in support of telecommunications/ Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
• Enhancing the standardization activities on sustainable digital transformation
• Promoting and strengthening metaverse standardization
• Promoting and Strengthening Standardization Activities for Vehicular Communications
• Strategic Planning in ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector;
• Provision of handset-derived caller location information for emergency communications
• Enhancing the engagement of next generation experts in ITU-T standardization activities.

Note

Additionally, India also contributed to the revision of around 25 existing resolutions including collaboration with International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC), Telecom Numbering Management, Cybersecurity, Telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities, and ICT & Environment/Climate Change.

About International Telecommunication Union(ITU):
Secretary-general- Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Founded – May, 1865