ITU-WTSA 2024 Drives New Agreements on AI, Metaverse and Sustainability

​​​​Members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have agreed on priorities for standards and capacity development in areas from artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse to sustainable digital transformation at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) which closed in New Delhi, India.

The conference reviewed and modified existing guidance and agreed eight new resolutions reinforcing the organization's standards work to meet fast-evolving global needs.

“The outcomes of WTSA-24 remind us that humanity has one Earth, one human family and one shared digital future," said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Together with the global standards community, ITU is committed to ensuring that our digital future is technically strong, with innovation, inclusion and sustainability at its core."

“What was seen as a form of communication has today become the highway on which the future of not only our countries, but the future of humanity in the next decades will be building,” said India’s Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia. “Over the past 10 days we have embarked on an extraordinary odyssey. One that has not only allowed us to envision a radiant digital future but also empower us in order to be able to sculpt for the future, for rich dialogues, audacious ideas, and transformation partnerships.”​

Accelerated support for high-priority standards work

The new WTSA Resolutions all emphasize support for developing countries.

The decisions direct ITU to prioritize:​​​

Responsible, safe, and inclusive AI, including collaboration via the AI for Good platform;
Trusted, inclusive and interoperable metaverse applications;
Sustainable digital transformation across multiple industries and technologies;
Technical requirements for digital public infrastructure;
Communication technologies for vehicle-to-everything, intelligent transport systems, and automated driving;
Caller-location information from mobile phones to support emergency communications;
Preparing students and young professionals as the next generation of ITU standards experts;
Continual improvement and evolution to meet new policy objectives and market demand.

“ITU standards and capacity development must create the foundation for the digital future we want," said Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. “My top priorities are impactful standards and the strong industry engagement and support to developing countries that create this impact. The decisions of WTSA highlight ITU membership's commitment to these goals." ​

​All decisions of the conference are publicly available in the WTSA-24 Proceedings.​​

“As we look ahead to the future, I am confident that the resolutions that we have developed will pave the way for groundbreaking innovations, sustainable growth and greater connectivity worldwide," said Ritu Ranjan Mittar, Chair of WTSA-24. “It is said that the march of technology will always continue, and it is the collective responsibility of all of us that standards and standardizations keep pace with it."

Planning the way forward, together

WTSA is the governing conference for ITU's standardization work.

The conference set out the strategy, structure and working methods of ITU's standardization arm (ITU-T). The conference also appointed the new leadership teams of standardization expert groups and established their mandates and scope of work for the next four years.

Two expert groups were consolidated to create the new ITU-T Study Group 21 on technologies for multimedia, content delivery, and cable TV.

ITU's standardization work is driven by the contributions and consensus decisions of ITU's membership, including 194 Member States and over 1000 member companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.

All eyes on New Delhi

India's Prime Minister, the Honourable Narendra Modi, inaugurated WTSA-24 on 15 October with an emphasis on the importance of universal connectivity, ethical AI, consensus decisions, and meaningful digital inclusion.

Prior to the main conference, ITU's Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) and celebrations with partners of World Standards Day on 14 October explored innovation and standards to propel sustainable AI, smart cities, virtual worlds, and more.

The opening week also featured the first International AI Standards Summit, organized by the leading developers of international standards, ITU, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The new summit finished with AI for Good Impact India, kicking off a new series of regional AI for Good events.

Other high-profile special events during WTSA-24 raised awareness in India and globally about how ITU standards can ensure new technologies are a force for good.