Wireless Future - Telenor

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Box 2 – ETNO Declaration
We, the 45 member companies of the European Public Telecommunications
Network Operators’ Association, welcome efforts by the ITU-T sector to develop
global standards which could have a strong impact on the future of our industry.
We have been in Montreal this week to underline our support for the work of the
ITU, which provides for a unique global partnership between governments and
industry.
However, we believe that the ITU-T should be a more commercially oriented
organization designed to promote telecommunication services of value for both
developed and developing countries. Necessary changes should be implemented
rapidly as our member companies must deal with the realities of today’s
fast-changing marketplace.
At week’s end, we remain seriously concerned over the exceedingly slow pace
of change that does not reflect the “drastic changes” called for by the Secretary
General of the ITU at the outset of this assembly. For the ITU to remain relevant,
the industry sector must be given a stronger voice. Far too much debate
during this assembly has been taken up with procedural matters rather than
focusing on technical standardisation issues.
For the first time ever, some of our member companies are not participating in
this assembly out of frustration with the slow pace of the ITU reform process.
The next plenipotentiary gathering in Morocco will be critical to the future of the
ITU. Unless we see more evidence of meaningful reform, our member companies
will increasingly consider other standardisation bodies to develop specifications
and standards.
Still we rely on the understanding and sense of compromise of a majority of
visionary member states that will allow the ITU-T to develop into a more efficient
standardisation body without detracting from the ITU’s strength and values also
fully recognised by ETNO Members. We would also like to express our sincere
appreciation for those member states who support us in finding a good way for
acting together in the future.
Montreal,
October 2000
tion is expressed in the various phases of the
procedure, a Recommendation might be approved
within two months from the time when
the text is mature.
The AAP will be applicable upon the termination
of the WTSA. It remains to be seen whether
the AAP will be successfully applied in the T-
Sector. The TSB will make use of electronic
means in the consultation of Member States and
Sector Members.
7 Associates
The Plenipotentiary Conference, Minneapolis,
1998, introduced a new category of participants
known as Associates to enable small entities or
organisations to take part in the work of ITU’s
three sectors. WTSA confirmed that Associates
are entitled to take part in the work of one
selected single Study Group of ITU-T. The
WTSA participants hope that this new category
of membership will encourage smaller compa-
nies, institutions and organisations to take part
in ITU-T activities. The Council has decided
that the annual amount of financial contribution
for Associates will be 10,500 Swiss Francs (1/6
of the 2001 financial contribution of a Sector
Member).
8 Resolution on ITU-T Reform
It was agreed that WTSA should offer an opinion
and advice on the future organisation of
global standardisation activities as an input to
the ongoing work of ITU’s Working Group on
ITU Reform (WGR) to consider a new global
standardisation entity under the umbrella of ITU.
The European contribution endorsed the idea
that all technical standardisation in the ITU
should take place in one single body and secondly,
that a possible new entity dealing with
global standardisation should be within the ITU,
but not necessarily within the ITU-T as proposed
by Canada.
The WTSA adopted a resolution focusing on
issues relating to technical standardisation and
lists a number of key attributes considered
important for the successful continuation of a
global standardisation body such as openness,
transparency, visibility, consensus based
approval and responsiveness to the needs both of
the market and the developing countries. TSAG
is encouraged to support the work of the Working
Group on ITU Reform and Member States
are requested to make input on these issues to
the next Plenipotentiary Conference.
9 Draft Recommendation Diii
on International Internet
Connection
In exceptional cases draft Recommendations are
submitted to WTSA for approval. There is a tendency
that this procedure is used for contentious
draft Recommendations. At a WTSA approval
by formal vote can be done by simple majority.
The draft Recommendation Diii on cost sharing
for international Internet traffic was one of the
most controversial issues of the whole Assembly.
The Recommendation put forward by SG3
aimed at setting down a principle for the equitable
cost sharing of international Internet connections.
The opponents to the Recommendation
feared that the Recommendation might impact
on the development of the Internet if it imposed
a given result on commercially negotiated agreements.
There was a sharp divide between the US
and a number of industrialised countries and the
rest of the world. Europe’s proposal of an alternative
text was rejected. It would have been
preferable to have the text sent back to the SG
for further work.
Telektronikk 1.2001