India has pushed for global standards on digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) technology at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024, which concluded on Thursday.
Among the 8 new resolutions adopted by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which conducts WTSA, two resolutions on DPI and AI standards were pushed by India, and those will be prioritised further to make global standards for worldwide acceptance.
ITU is a United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. It conducts WTSA every four years to define the areas to be studied for which standards are required.
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For India, inclusion of DPI for formulation of standards is crucial given its success with Aadhaar, Digilocker, unified payment interface (UPI), among other solutions, which it can start to export to other countries. Lately, many countries have shown interest in the same. Similarly, a global standard framework on AI technologies is crucial from the perspective of security.
“India is ready to play its part in this shared journey and we will champion international collaboration and actively contribute to the development of global standards,” communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said at the closing ceremony of WTSA 2024 event.
Besides eight resolutions on which now discussions and deliberations will be conducted for making global standards, 44 modified resolutions were also taken up.
Some of the other areas which are adopted for standardisation include enhancing the standardisation activities on sustainable digital transformation, metaverse standardisation, and for vehicular communications.
Provision of handset-derived caller location information for emergency communications, and enhancing the engagement of next generation experts in ITU-T standardization activities, were also key resolutions passed during the 10-day event in New Delhi.
“In collaboration with India, we are exploring ways to leverage ITU’s inclusive platforms to bring early research and prototypes to market, and to work with academic partners on the latest advancements in network technology,” said ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
According to the government, these resolutions are aligned with four pillars of Digital India – low-priced devices, extensive reach of digital connectivity to every nook and corner of the country, easily accessible data, and goal of ‘Digital First’.
Additionally, India has also contributed significantly to the revision of about 25 existing resolutions.
This includes telecom numbering management, cybersecurity, telecommunication/ICT (information and communication technology) accessibility for persons with disabilities, and ICT & environment/climate change.
Around 3,700 delegates from over 160 countries attended the 10-day event, which is the highest ever for a WTSA event.
