ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING

These standards developers are: ARIB - Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (Japan); CCSA - China Communications Standards Association; TTA - Telecommunications Technology Association (South Korea); and TTC - Tele-communication Technology Committee (Japan).

All four have signed a Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) with ITU — recognising ITU as the pre-eminent global ICT (information and communication technologies) standards body.

According to ITU, the agreement seeks to smooth the way for regional standards, developed in the four key regional bodies, to be internationally recognised.

Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of ITU, explained: “China, Japan and Korea have been at the forefront of the development of many of the technologies that underpin the information society. At the same time, all three countries have shown a commitment to the development of the international standards that provide the interoperability needed to seamlessly connect the world. This agreement cements the relationship between ITU and four premier standards organisations in the region.”

Apart from building on the good relationship ITU has established with all the four bodies over many years, the MoU will increase transparency between the organisations and avoid duplication of work and increase efficiency in the publication of standards.

All this means that product manufacturers will be able to more efficiently incorporate globally standardised solutions in their products, leading to greater economies of scale and lower costs to consumers.

The agreement will also bring better access for ARIB, CCSA, TTA and TTC to international standards-making activities, allowing all partners to profit from information sharing on the standardisation aspects of nascent technologies. The MoU will also encourage the identification of topics for joint work programmes in order to avoid duplication.

Masayoshi Wakao, secretary general of ARIB, said: “This MoU presents an enormous range of benefits to the ICT industry. While our joint efforts will benefit all participating organisations, the real winners will be the industry and, ultimately, the consumers. More efficient and effective global standardisation activities will facilitate an open global market for systems, lowering costs and providing for global inter-operability.”

Added Zemin Yang, secretary general of CCSA: “ITU is the globally recognised leader in international ICT standards. CCSA is a long-time contributor to and supporter of the ITU standards process. We welcome the opportunity to join with regional partners to improve efficiency and underline this relationship. This cooperation is not only for the benefit of the partners but also in the interest of the global ICT industry.”

Keun-Hyeob Lee, president of TTA, commented: “TTA welcomes this MoU, which will become the foundation for further strengthening the relationship among the five organisations. TTA believes that this MoU will create the momentum for moving forward with international standardisation of newly emerging ICT technologies.”

Yoichi Maeda, CEO of TTC, said: “TTC welcomes this MoU which leverages expertise in some of the most technologically innovative minds in the world today. This is a sign of visionary and constructive thinking. The collective power of ITU herein will surely bring benefits to the creation of standards that reflect the needs of a very demanding ICT market.”

The ITU initiative even drew praise from the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Said Sharad Sadhu, technical director of ABU: “This is a major milestone in the international standardisation area. The arrangement will result in bringing the standards quickly to the notice of the manufacturers and end-users.”

He added: “Given that a substantial work of standardisation and product development for the broadcast industry is being done in this region, this measure will bring about significant benefits to the whole industry.”

This new development also got the thumbs up from broadcast solutions manufacturer Harris Corporation. Stan Moote, vice-president for Business Development at Harris Broadcast Communications, said: “Having multiple standards organisations working towards a common end-goal is always good. This clearly speeds up standards and assures compatibility. For years, ITU has recognised SMPTE, SCTE and ANSI standards; by adding in Asian standards developers into the mix, it makes the world of different standards more concise which is ultimately better for world compatibility.”

The ITU has always been at the forefront of bridging digital divide and development disparities in ICT. In last month’s ITU regional workshop on Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) for Asia-Pacific Region, participants agreed on the need for adaptable and scalable solutions to address common issues faced by island states in the Pacific.

These include conformity assessment and certification; spectrum management best practice for mobile broadband and digital broadcasting; and national spectrum allocation tables, public protection and disaster relief systems.

In addition, delegates agreed on the need for assessment of ICT standardisation benefits and ways to prioritise involvement in global standards development activities.

 

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