Bridging the Standardization Gap

Md. Saiful Islam *

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) purpose is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The 2019 theme will allow ITU Membership and other key stakeholders to focus on the opportunities for:

• Participation of developing countries in ITU’s standards-making process;

• Empowering local experts in the standardization process at the national, regional and international levels; and

• Promoting the implementation of international standards in developing countries

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets will stimulate action until 2030 in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet. Like Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said at the UNGA in 1974: “The role of Science and technology is to ensure minimum conditions of decent life for everyone everywhere”. Similarly ICT for SDG in Bangladesh focuses on no poverty, quality education, gender equality, industry innovation and infrastructure, peace and justice and partnerships for the goals. Digital Technology Waves started with Internet in 2000 where the number of users or devices with Internet reached one Billion. The second wave of Mobile Internet started in 2010 when the number of users reached a staggering ten Billion. The third wave of Internet of Things (IoT) is starting around 2020 where the no of users or devices is forecasted to reach 50 Billion. The fourth wave or the wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Robotics is something also in the very near future. Bridging the Standardization Gap in Bangladesh: Critical Areas for bridging the standardization gap in Bangladesh include:

1. Mitigating the Knowledge Gap

2. R&D Facilities

3. Standardization in rules & regulations

4. Standardization of Equipment

5. Standardization of Quality of Service

Below is an elaboration of the Challenges in bridging the Standardization Gap in Bangladesh context.

1.       Mitigating the Knowledge Gap: Creating the “Right” Enabling Environment for telecommunications & ICT in Bangladesh includes:

• Adding relevant topics in the educational curriculum.

• Creating an “Enabling environment” meaning policy, legal, market, and social considerations that interact both at domestic and global levels to create fertile conditions for ICT-led growth.

• Regulatory reform in terms of regulation of communications services and infrastructure, data privacy protection, security, intellectual property rights, public infrastructure, Internet governance (including domain name registra- * Director & Head, Network Planning & Deployment, Grameenphone Ltd. tion), and general principles of competition. Telecom operators, regulators and competition authorities also need to update their knowledge of what creates competition in the market.

• Competition from over the top (OTT) providers

• The evolution of network technology

• Single Play vs. Full Service Providers

• Changing Regulation in Investment Time Horizon

2.      R&D Facilities: Research and development (R&D) refers to innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, or improving existing services or products. OEMs (Original Equipment Vendors) must establish R&D centers in Bangladesh if their business volume crosses a certain limit (for ex 100 Mil USD per Annum) in the country. Existing giants like Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, etc. are making massive investments in Asian countries to utilize the cost advantage. Bangladesh, with its huge under-utilized manpower (cheaper than India, Malaysia and China), can also benefit from these initiatives, provided an established foreign investment platform with a nationwide IT infrastructure and skilled labor force is created. Policy of the Country needs to support development of R&D Facilities. Some examples which could create a favorable environment for R&D establishments are listed below:

a. Mobilization of sufficient research and training funds, venture and investment capitals from government, public, private and external sources for the promotion and application of R&D Centers.

b. Promotion of awareness about the importance of R&D among politicians, bureaucrats, researchers, managers, administrators, academics, professionals, members of the public and other stake holders.

c. Strengthening of intellectual property rights regime (e.g. enactment and enforcement of laws, strengthening of administrative and judiciary institutions) of the country.

3.      Standardization of Rules & Regulations:

There is a burning need for regulating telecommunication. Some steps in this regard can be as below:

a. The regulations of interconnection and pricing are the critical steps by regulators in the transition from monopoly to a competitive market.

b. In order to develop a national sound telecommunication infrastructure to support the economy and welfare of the country by providing telecommunication facilities on demand, assuring satisfactory quality of service and ensuring value to the customers, a sound National Telecommunication Policy (and regulations) are essential.

c. The existence of a functioning regulatory regime means the investors will feel safe to invest in a level playing field free from anticompetitive practices.

d. The radio frequency spectrum is considered to be a valuable limited national resource. It has been maintained by different national governments that control must be exercised on the allocation and usage of the radio frequency in order to check anarchy and disorder.

4.      Standardization of Equipment:

Standardization of equipment mainly consists of Interoperability, Quality equipment as well as being energy efficient. a. Interoperability: interoperability is the ability for two or more networks, systems, devices, applications or components to communicate. As networks continue to grow and diversify with the 5G and IoT era on the horizon, it b. Quality Equipment: We always encounter ITU’s international standards every day without knowing it. A hidden part of the information and communication (ICT) networks and devices we all use every day, ITU standards are rarely perceived by users but vital in enabling the interconnection and interoperability of ICT equipment and devices manufactured by hundreds of thousands of different companies around the world. ITU standards provide developers with a global market, enabling economies of scale in production and deployment that translate into benefits for users in both cost and functionality.

c. Energy Efficient: Telecom Networks have increased significantly in utility and capacity and are now a critical feature of most businesses. However, the energy consumed by networks has also increased. Power measurement is an essential part of the energy evaluation. Consequently, a complete definition of all of the factors influencing power consumption is necessary. First, it is necessary to define environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity and barometric pressure which all affect power consumption. Next step towards energy conservation in networks is to evaluate the energy efficiency of individual components as part of the selection process during evaluation or upgrade.

5. Standardization of Quality of Service (QoS): Quality of Service (QoS) consists of a set of parameters related to the performance of traffic on telecommunication network. QoS definitions contained in the ITU-T as: “The collective effect of service performance which determine the degree of service user satisfaction”. Telecommunication operators and service providers are able to provide better QoS, are more likely to retain existing customers and may increase again from rival operator customer churn. But a better QoS requires greater costs. Normally, each operator will balance QoS and cost. BTRC QoS Guidelines mainly focuses on End-toEnd QoS measurement establishment of subscribers including Subscriber perceived quality. QoS should encompass end to end value chain including NTTNs, Tower Companies etc. Power infrastructure is an integral part of the value chain and it’s the biggest cog in the wheel of Digital Bangladesh ambitions. Net Neutrality is another important factor of QoS. Internet service providers should treat all Internet communications equally and not discriminate or charge differently based on user, content, website, platform, application, type of equipment, or method of communication. There are no laws in Bangladesh regulating Internet Service Providers (ISPs) asking them to treat all data equally. ISPs are more than welcome to pick winners and losers, or even coerce payments from others. ISPs already have broad powers to restrict access to websites under the directive of courts and governments, and have done so in the past. We as patrons have little choice but to protest loudly against such moves. This leads to allowing a fair treatment to every website. Under this principle, governments should mandate ISPs to treat all data on the internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication. Due to the above challenges Standardization delay may occur in Bangladesh and there are consequences in this delay. For example, there may be delay in 5G trial and the rollout of this Technology. Users may get lower speeds, higher delay and jitter as well as packet loss. The VAS-Content ecosystem flourishment delay as well as time to market for M-Agriculture and M-Health use cases. Overall this will impact Digital Bangladesh ambitions in the future. Guidelines for Establishment of a National Standardization Secretariat for ITU-T: Developing countries like Bangladesh need to be an integral part of ITU-T standards settings processes.

Guidelines for establishment of a National Standardization Secretariat for the ITU-T (NSS) include:

1. Preparing and submitting contributions to ITU-T study groups and TSAG (Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group): − Member states submit inputs to all ITU-T SGs and Associates to one ITU-T SGs. In preparing contributions directives should be followed.

2. Approval and deletion of ITU-T recommendations: − Traditional Approval Process (TAP) for new and revised recommendations is done by a study group which reached DETERMINATION that the draft text is mature to the approval procedures.

3. Approval and deletion of study Questions: − The work projects are defined in study Questions; − Questions and their allocation among the SGs are approved by (World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly) once every four years.

4. Role of the Member State in the process for private sector entities to join the ITU-T: − Member state decides whether or not to forward an organizations application to the ITU.

5. Authorizing delegations to ITU-T meetings: − Attendees include Member States in addition to other entities that are authorized or invited to attend.

6. Requests for TIES (Telecommunication Information Exchange Service) accounts: − Participation in the work of ITU-T and its SGs is not possible without a TIES account..

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* Director & Head, Network Planning & Deployment, Grameenphone Ltd.