August 2022

2022
International Relations Wing
Table of Contents

Strategy Snapshot ................................................................................................................................ 2

Chapter 1: Background....................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Policy framework in India .................................................................... 4
1.2 DoT’s Role ........................................................................................... 5
1.3 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ...................................... 5
1.4 India’s journey of telecommunications ................................................. 6
Chapter 2: Objective of the Strategy ........................................................................................... 7
Chapter 3: India at ITU – Opportunities and Challenges .................................................... 8
3.1 Structure of ITU .................................................................................. 8
3.2 Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) .................................................... 8
3.3 Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) .............................. 9
3.4 Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) .................................. 9
3.5 Types of Membership in ITU .............................................................. 10
3.6 Other activities of ITU ........................................................................ 11
3.7 A Holistic Approach in Engagement with ITU ..................................... 11
3.8 Opportunities for engagement with ITU .............................................. 13
3.9 Status of Indian participation ............................................................ 14
Chapter 4: Blueprint of India’s Strategy for leveraging ITU platform ........................ 16
4.1 Action points ..................................................................................... 16
4.2 Strategy for upcoming hi-level events ................................................. 21
Annexure I .............................................................................................................................................. 24
Annexure II ............................................................................................................................................ 30
Annexure III........................................................................................................................................... 32

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 Strategy Snapshot
A. Aim

 Shaping of ITU’s policy framework and programmes and align these with
India’s development plan and requirements including bridging the digital divide
in India.

 To position India as a champion of ICT development across the world.

 To develop Indian Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)/Standard Essential

Patents (SEPs) and ensuring their adoption by ITU for global use.

 To improve India’s position globally in its ranking in several international

indices such as Cyber Security Index, ICT Development Index among others.

 To help in accomplishing the strategic objectives of NDCP 2018.

B. Ways and Means

a) Standardization: Enhancing participation of Indian academia, industry,

research organization, start-ups, SMEs and other stakeholders in standard
development activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) from
inception stage.

b) Radio-communication: Exploring solutions to address the need for

additional radio spectrum allocations and harmonized standards to improve
interoperability for coordinating the vast and growing range of radio
communication services, as well as protection of Indian interest with respect to
terrestrial wireless services and satellite orbital resources.

c) Development: By sharing best policies and practices with the ITU Member
States.

d) Human Resources: By putting in more HR resources in ITU from India

from Indian Government, Industry and academia

e) Funding participation of Indian industry/academia in ITU activities: By

arranging funds for such Indian participation in ITU activities.

f) Developing Systematic institutional mechanisms: Development of target

oriented institutional mechanisms at different levels.

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C. Action-plan and Roadmap

i) Identify the activities where participation of India is important in ITU.

ii) Create a pool of Human Resources who are passionate and domain experts
especially from academia, industry and SMEs, in addition to officials of
DoTs. (Timeline: 3 months after identification of priority items)
iii) Devising a mechanism for funding participation of industry/academia in
ITU activities. (Timeline: 30 June 2022)
iv) Establish Centres of Excellence (CoE) in identified areas. (Timeline:
December 2022)
v) Systematic institutional monitoring mechanism for work carried out.
(Timeline: July 2022 to establish shadow ITU of DoT)
vi) Setting target for improvement in international indices. (Timeline: December
2022)
vii) Enhance presence of Indian staff on secondment basis at ITU similar to
WHO. (Timeline: July 2022)
viii) Posting of DoT expert to PMI Geneva. (Timeline: December 2022)
ix) Leveraging Presence of ITU Area Office in New Delhi. (Timeline: March 2023)
x) Creation of Engagement Platform and Repository. (Timeline: August 2022)
xi) Enhancing presence of India in ITU Offices. (Timeline: August 2022)
xii) Participation in APT and CTO activities. (Timeline: Dependent on APT and
CTO calendar of events)
xiii) Taking Digital India Global. (Timeline: December 2022)

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 Chapter 1: Background

1.1 Policy framework in India

The National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 seeks to unlock the

transformative power of digital communications networks - to achieve the goal
of digital empowerment and improved well-being of the people of India. India is
aggressively pushing its agenda at domestic and international level through its
flagship programs such as Digital India, Make in India, Startup India, Skill India
etc. Digital India envisages India’s transformation into a knowledge economy
considering its core competencies which include cost effective professional
human resources, competent academia, budding startups, large number of
SMEs eager to address challenges. There is an imminent need to drive the agenda
on international forums to provide fillip and complement domestic efforts and
enhance India’s role in global supply chains, IPRs & Standard Essential Patents.
The National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) 2018 has also highlighted
the need and opportunity to position India appropriately on the global standards
landscape. The strategic objectives envisage to enhance India’s contribution to
‘Global Value Chain’ and ensure ‘Digital Sovereignty’. In this direction, creation
of - innovation led start-ups, global Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Standard
Essential Patents (SEPs), inter alia, are the key planed strategies. The NDCP also
speaks about providing financial incentives for the development of Standard
Essential Patents (SEPs) in the field of digital communications technologies.
Promoting Indian IPR through international collaborations and active
participation in standard development processes and IPR related events is
envisaged as an important step to realize the objectives. The NDCP stresses the
need for collaboration among Industry-Academia-Government partnerships to
develop capacity and skills in line with future technology needs. The policy has
appropriately summed up the need to build national capacity and institutional
capabilities as a way forward. This can be achieved through enhanced presence
of India in ITU at multiple levels.

India’s foray into new territories of technology such as development of 5G

technology standards1, ICT standardization in areas such as Cyber security,
IoTs, M2M applications, Smart Sustainable Cities, ICTs in Environment and
climate change, enhanced space programs etc. speak a lot about India’s arrival
on global technology landscape. These are essential and necessary for ensuring
1
ITU has published the IMT vision – Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2020
and beyond in September 2015 that attempts to define the capabilities of future networks including 5G

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Indian strategic and business interests considering the role of a dominant few in
international digital communication technologies.

1.2 DoT’s Role

The Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules for Department of

Telecommunications include the following as part of DoT functions.
i) International cooperation in matters connected with telecommunications
including matters relating to all international bodies dealing with
telecommunications such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU), its
Radio Regulation Board (RRB), Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R),
Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), Development Sector (ITU-
D), International Telecommunication Satellite Organization (INTELSAT),
International Mobile Satellite Organization (INMARSAT), Asia Pacific
Telecommunication (APT).
ii) Promotion of standardization, research and development in
telecommunications.

1.3 International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an specialized agency of the

United Nations responsible for all matters related to information and
communication technologies. ITU promotes the shared global use of the radio
spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits,
assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works
to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world. It is also
active in the areas of broadband Internet, wireless technologies, aeronautical
and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, TV
broadcasting, and next-generation networks.

Entities involved deeply in the Study Groups, working Groups & Focus Groups,
are able to take forward their ideas/solutions/technologies acceptable to global
communities, thereby reaping fruits in form of ownership of Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) and Standard Essential Patents (ESP) for the products which are
based on globally accepted standards. By the time, others initiate research work
to develop telecom equipment based on ITU standard, initially involved entities
are ready with their products flooding the market and getting benefit of early
movers.

The details regarding India’s engagements in ITU are detailed in Chapter 3.

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1.4 India’s journey of telecommunications

India has largely been consumer of imported telecom equipment, be it ‘Number

Please exchanges’, ‘Step-by step Strowger exchanges’, ‘Cross-bar switches’,
‘Analogue electronic switches’, ‘Digital switches’ or ‘1G to 4G of Cellular mobile
technologies’. In fact, availability of requisite eco-system for developing/
producing such products in India has always been a challenge, despite huge
investment made by the Government in R&D institutions.

The Current and Next Generation ICT technologies, particularly, 5G Connect,

beyond 5G & 6G, Wi-Fi6e, Wi-Fi7, Advancing Artificial Intelligence, Machine
Learning, CloudNet, Fintech, Internet of Everything and Tech horizon primarily
use Software Defined Networks, where Use Case Applications can be developed
over ‘Off-the-self’ hardware with the help of cloud computing solutions including
Open Radio Access Network. India has proven skillset in IT based solution
developments, and this is precisely what puts India in an advantageous position
over other countries with its vast pool of ICT engineers who possess the required
technology expertise for developing software based cutting technology products
of global standards.

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 Chapter 2: Objective of the Strategy

India can leverage the ITU platform to advance its national objectives, if we
develop a clear-cut strategy with well-defined Ends, Ways and Means and pursue
the same with resolute Action points and a definite Roadmap. This encompasses
taking systematic approach for enhancing our participation in various activities
of ITU. Such participation will help us in engaging with ITU from inception stage
of R&D, drafting specification, formulating standards and thereby developing
Indian technologies, solutions and application fetching Intellectual Property
Rights and Standard Essential Patents.

The Objectives of the strategy are as follow:

i) To unleash the India’s potential to play a leading role in international

arena of Telecommunications/Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) through enhanced participation in standardizations
activities, furthering India’s interests in radio-communication sector and
demonstrate India’s leadership in development activities of ITU.
ii) Enable Indian contribution in global value chain by virtue of regular
participation and making contributions in global ICT Standards, build
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in Telecommunications/ICTs and
conversion of IPRs to Standards Essential Patents (SEPs).
iii) Maximize spectrum availability and protection for new era services taking
note of Indian needs and challenges together with global ecosystem.
iv) Shaping of ITU’s policy framework and programmes aligned with national
development plan and imbibe global learnings and policy toolkits, where
relevant, without the need for reinventing the wheel.
v) Take Digital India global and build visibility for Indian value contribution
and position India as a champion of ICT development in developing
countries and others at the bottom of the pyramid (LDCs, LLDCs, SIDs,
etc.
vi) Take leadership positions at ITU announcing India’s arrival on global
scene, build coalition of likeminded States to build support for Indian
proposals and ensure that global ICT actions don’t affect Indian interests.

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 Chapter 3: India at ITU – Opportunities and
Challenges

3.1 Structure of ITU

Founded in 1865, ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information
and communication technologies – ICTs. ITU has three main areas of activity
organized in ‘Sectors’ which work through conferences and meetings.

ITU

Radiocommunication Telecommunication Telecommunication

sector Standardization Sector Development Sector
ITU-R ITU-T ITU-D

3.2 Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)

The ITU-R is responsible for the international management of the radio

frequency spectrum, radio frequency assignments and of any associated satellite
orbit in order to avoid harmful interference and coordinate efforts to eliminate
harmful interference between radio stations of different countries and to
improve the use made of radio frequencies. ITU-R develops worldwide standards
for Radiocommunication sand over 1500 standards are currently in force.

The allocation of frequency bands to radio services is laid down in the Radio
Regulations, an international treaty governing the use of spectrum, which are
revised and updated during the ITU World Radio Conference (WRC). The work
programme, the studies and resulting ITU-R Recommendations are approved at
a Radiocommunications Assembly (RA), which is held every three to four years,
usually prior to a WRC.

For India, enhanced and continuous participation is required to address the

need for additional radio spectrum allocations and harmonized standards to
improve interoperability for coordinating the vast and growing range of

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radiocommunication services, as well as protection of Indian interest with
respect to terrestrial wireless services and satellite orbital resources.

3.3 Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)

ITU-T develops international standards that underpin global communications

network. On an average 200-300 standards are approved every year and over
4000 are in use today. ITU-T standards cover the quality of voice conversation,
Audio Video streaming and mobile phones connected to hands-free systems as
well as act as a tool for conformity assessment and interoperability. ITU-T
standards include Smart Grids, Smart sustainable cities, Intelligent transport
systems, universal chargers for mobile phones & laptops, energy-efficient data
centres and power feeding systems, eco-friendly management of e-waste and
green cables. These provide international numbering resources, international
mobile roaming and counter misuse.

Therefore, enhance participation of Indian academia, industry, research

organization, start-ups, SMEs and other stakeholders in standard development
activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is of utmost
importance from inception stage with the objective of developing Indian
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)/Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and
ensuring their adoption by ITU for global use.

3.4 Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)

ITU-D strives to spread equitable and affordable access to telecommunications

as a means of stimulating broader social and economic development. World
Telecommunication Development Conference is held every four years and
mandates action plan-strategic direction and international programme of
activities for next four years; and sets study group questions. It also reviews the
outcomes of the action plan set forth in the previous conference.

ITU-D shares strategies to use ICTs to promote youth employment and

entrepreneurship and women empowerment through ICTs. It promotes digital
inclusion of persons with disabilities. It is also engaged in extensive ICT Skill
development outreach through ITU academy where 60 Centres of Excellences
have trained over 2500 professionals per year for past 12 years.

Demonstrating Indian leadership in global ICT arena, to bridge the digital divide
and bring holistic development is possibly only by means of sharing best policies
and practices with the ITU Member States, continuous participation in these
activities and garnering support from likeminded and friendly countries.

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3.5 Types of Membership in ITU

Member States They

They are
are members
members ofof all the threeSector-R
individual sectors of ITU and
and/or have voting
Sector-T and/orrights.
Sector-D
Sector Members have the right to participate in all activities in ITU in the sector in which they
are the members, including chairing the groups, taking part in consensus-
based decisions, and making contributions to all meetings.

Associate States They can participate in only one Study Group from one sector and cannot
take part in the decision-making process.

They can access to all the learning resources of all the three sectors and
Academia Members align the academic courses to the latest development taking place in the ICT
sector. No voting rights/ cannot take part in the decision-making process.

Exempted Entities Members with a limited scope of access to ITU activities.

(REGINTORG)

Figure1: ITU Membership

Details of membership and Indian participation are provided in Annexure I and

II respectively.

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3.6 Other activities of ITU

a) Developing skills and knowledge: Connecting the unconnected' is not just a

question of putting infrastructure in place. Infrastructure has to be supported
by effective regulatory strategies and policies and an understanding of future
trends: technical, social and economic. ITU brings partners together to discuss
these issues, share insights and best practice, and lay the groundwork for long-
term industry growth. ITU publishes regular reports highlighting important
developments and also has its own ITU Academy programme which trains
technicians, regulators, administrators and local communities in how best to
use the power of ICTs.

b) Publishing International rankings: ITU Publications – expert, unique and

reliable ICT content delivered via 4000+ titles, including publications,
handbooks, reports, software, and databases. ITU also publish Global cyber
security Index, Global ICT development Index and many more relating to
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

3.7 A Holistic Approach in Engagement with ITU

Engagement with ITU needs to be treated at a holistic level as the outcome of its
activities are embedded in the Telecommunication/ICT ecosystem worldwide.
Being a treaty based organization, ITU continues to be a place of confluence of
telecommunication standards, radio-communication & radio regulation and
telecommunication development. Hence, as a country with budding telecom
technologies, India should also use ITU as a platform of influence.

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Figure2: Different standard entities and their confluence at ITU

Technical
ITU APT

... ICANN
Legal

Other platforms and

Regional
UNGGE engagements
Policy
including BRICS,
ASEAN, SAARC etc

ISOC
UNCSTD IETF, W3C,
ISO
UNODC

Figure 1: External entities and its engagement with ITU on techno-policy

issues

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While most of the agenda at ITU summit level conferences is reasonably technical
in nature, there are some areas such as Internet Governance, Cyber Security,
MoUs with other international organizations, some new technologies (AI and
ethical frameworks), Telecom Infra Assistance to Least Developed Countries
(LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Small Island Development
States (SIDS) and countries impacted by disasters, do have inter organizational
dynamics (within UN family). So, having a close eye on developments about these
topics across UN family and other entities is important.

3.8 Opportunities for engagement with ITU

Based on industry interactions, domestic competencies, opportunity for new

standardization, opportunity for regulatory learning, TEC/TSDSI discussions
and work items in ITU and other platforms the following key technologies are
considered as a starting point.

SN Technology Domain

1 6G

2 Quantum Communication Technologies

3 Wi-Fi

4 5G, 4G

5 AI, Future Networks

6 Network Management

7 Agriculture and Smart Villages

8 Intelligent Transportation

9 Smart Health

10 Public Safety and PPDR

11 Banking and Finance Services

12 Intelligent Utilities

13 Shared use of Spectrum resources

14 Propagation models and spectrum engineering

15 OTTs and interoperability

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16 Consumer protection in Mobile Financial Services

17 IoTs, sensor networks

18 Integrated BB and TV networks

19 Cloud computing ecosystem, covering inter- and intra-cloud computing

and technologies supporting XaaS

20 Optical Transport Networks

21 Civilian unmanned aerial vehicle communication services

22 Brain healthcare quotients and Communications

23 Metadata Analytics

24 Digital Fiat Currency

25 Data processing and management

26 QoS in NFV and Network slicing technologies

29 Identity Management including DoA

30 Active Antenna Systems including Intelligent Reflector Surfaces

31 Wideband Sensing

32 Identification of new spectrum bands

33 Protection for existing services

34 Coexistence studies

35 Space Research

3.9 Status of Indian participation

Dr. M.B. Sarwate was the first Indian who occupied the position of the Deputy
Secretary General (DSG) and later the Secretary General (SG) during 1965-67.
Since then India has not occupied any post out of top five elected positions
(Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, Director (TSB), Director (BR) and
Director (BDT). However, we have been Member of ITU Council since 1952 and
had also been a member of the Radio Regulation Board (RRB) from 1998 to 2014.

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India is one of the top contributors to ITU in terms of financial support with 10
units, which is about Rs. 26 crores per annum. There are 10 persons of Indian
origin out of support staff of 183 working at ITU.

There are six Study Groups in ITU-R Sector, eleven in ITU-T sector and two in
ITU-D Sector. There are seven Focus Groups and six Council Working Groups.
Although, there are Indian members in some of the Study Groups & Focus
Groups, but continuous participation by India has always been an issue. One
issue is that the person who is making contributions in the study group of
his/her interest is allowed to make only one or two visits to provide an
opportunity to more number of people to visit ITU. Second issue is that there is
no dedicated team assigned to specific work item. Officers make their
contributions to ITU in addition to regular office work. Third issue is that the
participation from academia is very limited though there is some representation
of industry limited to certain study groups of their interest, perhaps owing to
high cost of membership and international travel. Details of nomination from the
government in various Study Groups/Working Groups & Focus Groups are
listed in Annexure-III.

If we compare with China and other countries, the participation is in groups of

100 persons. We do have Indian participation in some of these groups for sake
of presence, but it needs to be enhanced especially in ITU-T sector. More
appropriately, we need to engage academic institutions, R&D Institutions, Start-
ups and SMEs, besides DoT.

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 Chapter 4: Blueprint of India’s Strategy for
leveraging ITU platform

4.1 Action points

i) Identify the activities where participation of India is important in ITU

This will be done by setting up a systematic mechanism for inviting relevant

stakeholders including industry and academia for regular meetings at DoT, say,
every three months, for seeking their feedback for prioritizing participation in
underway and upcoming activities of ITU. A roadmap/strategy will be devised
therein for ensuring India’s stand and sufficient representation in important
meetings.

Considering the large number of questions and over 200 number of resolutions
in each sector, following responsibility and action plan will be followed:

1. The questions of all Study Groups in ITU-T Sector and SG5 of R-Sector shall
be got examined by Senior DDG (TEC) through the respective Chair & Vice-
chairs of each National Working Group in consultation with academia,
industry and chalk out a list of priority questions/items, which are important
from Indian perspective either to generate IPR and SEP or showcase our
success story. Such priority list shall be submitted to Member (Technology)
for recommendation.

Timeline: one month from issue of strategy.

Similarly, all the Resolutions relating to WTSA, ITU Council & PP dealing with
standards shall be distributed by the Sr. DDG(TEC) amongst all the DDGs in
TEC. The respective DDG shall deliberate with academia/industry and decide
priority items/areas along with lead academic institution for each priority
item and associated lead industry to suggest new Resolution or to suggest
amendment in existing Resolutions. Such priority list shall be submitted to
Member (Services) for recommendation.

Timeline: Six month from issue of strategy.

2. The questions of all Study Groups in ITU-R sector shall be got examined by
Wireless Advisor through the respective Chair & Vice-chairs of each National
Working Group in consultation with academia, industry and chalk out a list
of priority questions/items, which are important from Indian perspective

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 either to generate IPR and SEP or meeting specific country needs or showcase
our success story.

Timeline: one month from issue of strategy.

Similarly, all the Resolutions relating to WRC, Radio Assembly, ITU Council
& PP dealing with Radiocommunications shall be distributed amongst Joint
Wireless Advisor, Directors of WMOs, Senior Joint Wireless Advisors and
Deputy Wireless Advisors. The respective officers shall deliberate with
academia/industry and decide priority items/areas along with lead academic
institution for each priority item and associated lead industry to suggest new
Resolution or to suggest amendment in existing Resolutions. Such priority
list shall be submitted to Member (Services) for recommendation.

Timeline: Six month from issue of strategy.

3. The questions of all study groups in ITU-D Sector and Council Working Group
shall be got examined by the DDG(IR) through respective Chair & Vice-chairs
of each National Working Group in consultation with academia, industry and
chalk out a list of priority questions/items, which are important from Indian
policy perspective or showcase our success story.

Timeline: one month from issue of strategy.

Similarly, all the Resolutions relating to WTDC, ITU Council & PP dealing
with Development Sector shall be distributed amongst relevant divisions and
relevant Ministry /Department, NTIPRIT, TSDSI, COAI, TEPC, ITU-APT
Foundation of India, TEMA, BIF and other industry stakeholders. The
deliberations shall be held with academia/industry and priority items/areas
shall be identified along with lead Ministry/Department for each priority item
and associated lead industry and academic institution to suggest new
Resolution or to suggest amendment in existing Resolutions.

Timeline: Six month from issue of strategy.

4. NTIPRIT shall conduct quarterly training courses to create awareness about

ITU, writing contributions, analyzing the potential impact of the contributions
of other nations and process of submission among others. DG (NTIPRIT),
DDG(IR), WA and Sr. DDG(TEC) shall finalize the list of speakers amongst
highly experienced officers including retired and experts from Industry.

Timeline: One month from issue of strategy.

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ii) Create a pool of Human Resources who are passionate and domain
experts especially from academia, industry and SMEs, in addition to
officials of DoTs

Based on identified priority technology areas, steps will be taken for identifying
the experts from government, industry or any stakeholders in the related field,
who can effectively contribute towards incorporating India’s
requirements/technical developments in the standards under development.

For each identified priority item, lead academic institutions for research and pre-
standardization work, lead R&D institution for prototype development, team for
standardization, patenting of IPRs and developing SEPs may be recommended
by Member (S) for ITU-T and Member (T)
for ITU-R sector. For ITU-D sector, recommendations shall be given by AS (T).
thereafter, all the recommendations shall be placed before the “Shadow ITU
Council of DoT”.

Timelines: 3 months after identification of priority items.

iii) Devising a mechanism for funding participation of industry/academia in

ITU activities and for Supporting Memberships

For ensuring that financial constraints do not come in the way for enhanced
participation in ITU activities, a mechanism shall be devised. Modalities of such
a mechanism and budgetary support required will be worked out by Sr. DDG
(TEC), DDG (IC) and DDG (SRI) for providing financial support to facilitate
membership fee and participation of MSME, start-ups and academic
institutions.

Timeline: 30 August 2022

iv) Enabling policy changes in India based on ITU recommendations/

Global best practices

Officers returning from every ITU meeting must invariable prepare a short report
of key ITU recommendations that could be implemented by Government of India
or its agencies. Also any other best practice shared by any member country that
is fit for adoption by India may also be reported. Such reports must be shared
with the division concerned with the subject and in case it relates to another
Ministry, through the Secretary on file.

Officers, on return from ITU conferences/SG meetings, must also come forward
to make detailed presentations to groups of relevant officers on return from

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meetings on subjects that are of great importance to DOT and Government of
India.

v) Systematic institutional monitoring mechanism for work carried out

A monthly meeting by sector heads TEC/WPC/IR with experts to review ongoing

work of Study Group/ Focus Group/ Council Working Group shall be convened
and reports be furnished to the Secretary (T). Bi-monthly review meetings shall
be conducted by the Member (S) for ITU-T, Member (T) for ITU-R sector and by
the AS(T) for ITU-D sector. Quarterly review meeting will be held by the Secretary
(T) inviting all the position holders in ITU, NWGs/Study groups. Finally, annual
report shall be submitted to the Hon’ble Minister of Communications.

Timeline: Periodic meetings as per calendar

vi) Setting target for improvement in international indices

India’s position is reflected globally in its ranking in several international indices

such as Cyber Security Index, ICT Development Index and GSMA Mobility index
among others. Recent experience (Cyber Security Index, Network Readiness
Index etc.) has shown that these rankings can be improved substantially by
proper coordination and timely provision of data to rating agencies. A team of
officers will be nominated from relevant stakeholders and tasked with the
objective to work closely with ITU to ensure better ratings in international
indices.

There are various attributes in ITU indices which are not available with
ERU/TRAI. Therefore, there is need to find ways to collect such data. Economic
Advisor (ERU), JS(T), DDG (SRI) and DDG(IR) will identify suitable mechanism
for making such data available.

Timeline: December 2022

vii) Enhance presence of Indian staff on secondment basis at ITU similar

to WHO

Experts will be deputed on secondment basis to suggest activities wherein Indian

participation is important. Also, such officers will facilitate effective coordination
between ITU and India.

Proposal will be submitted by DDG (IR) in one month on the lines of secondment
done by Ayush Ministry in WHO.

Timeline: July 2022

viii) Posting of DoT expert to PMI Geneva

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Presence of a DoT officer in PMI Geneva has been planned to enhance close
coordination with ITU.

Timeline: December 2022

ix) Leveraging Presence of ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre in New
Delhi

ITU has thirteen field offices, six Regional Offices and seven Area Offices.
Establishment of ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi is
strategically important for India.

We may leverage its presence by supporting its activities getting aligned with
Indian policies and programmes by continuous engagement of start-ups
showcasing their innovations and play leadership role in the region and use this
capacity for bilateral/multilateral gains. Also we shall endeavour to secure one
of the positions (P5/P3) in ITU Area Office in Delhi

Timeline: March 2023

x) Creation of Engagement Platform and Repository

Create an internet portal for ITU Study Groups members, as repository of

complete data including historical references, on-going activities, contributions
planned and out of box thinking. The portal will also provide a protected
placeholder for contributions from DoT delegations on substantive issues,
positions taken on key subjects.

A common platform to be launched in the form of web portal for accessing all
ITU related activities and documents will be made available to all stakeholders
including industry and academia, DoT officers. The discussions/ reports of
NWGs for all the three sectors will be hosted on this portal and the portal will be
created and maintained by TEC.

Timeline: August 2022

xi) Enhancing presence of India in ITU Offices

Placement of Indian officers/ officials at D2, D1 and P5-P1 position of ITU

whenever notified. Such ITU vacancies should be prominently advertised on DoT
website and other organisations of DoT. Participation in various Junior
Professional Officers Programme (JPO) of ITU shall be encouraged. Also there
should be a webpage on ITU engagement platform being developed by TEC.

Timeline: August 2022

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xii) Participation in APT and CTO activities

APT is the forum where the common proposals of the Asia Pacific region to be
taken up at ITU are formalized; therefore, consistent participation in various APT
programme areas and preparatory activities is also beneficial to the country.
Similarly, CTO is the platform for developing common strategies for effective and
efficient participation of CTO members in ITU.

Timeline: Dependent on APT and CTO calendar of events

xiii) Taking India’s achievement to Global Platforms

Explore the opportunity and workout a joint project to take Digital India global.
DoT in partnership with TSDSI held webinar series on successful mega ICT
projects including Aadhaar, Fintech Revolution, Mobile Applications etc., to ITU
Asia Pacific Countries in partnership with ITU Regional Office, Bangkok. As per
media reports, Indian leadership is offering Indian ICT platforms including
Aadhaar, CoWin (Open Source) internationally. DoT being the nodal for ITU from
India and considering the fact that ITU is driving several projects in for
developing countries, we will plan to have a Joint Project with ITU to take Indian
projects global. Further, ICT projects from MEA will also be studied for
enhancing their scope for better visibility as applicable. DOT will create a joint
program for technology sharing through ITU on above subjects relevant for
several developing countries in partnership with other departments including
MeitY, CDAC, CDoT etc. It may be considered to announce either as part of India
innovation centre activities.

Significant developments in India like success cases of UPI, UID, etc shall be
brought to ITU groups as contributions for developing them into global
standards.

Timeline: December 2022

4.2 Strategy for upcoming hi-level events

i) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) 26 September -14 October, 2022

in Bucharest, Romania

The Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), ITU’s highest policy-making body, meets

once every four years to set the Union’s general policies, adopt the four-year
strategic and financial plans, and elect the senior management team of the

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organization, the Member States of the Council, and the members of the Radio
Regulations Board.

Expected Outcomes

 Hi-level policy statement and Bi-lateral meetings

 Defending Indian contributions

 Casting of vote by DDG (IR) as Designated Focal Point of ITU

 Securing India’s re-election to ITU council

 Securing position on any of contesting elected position

(DSG/Director(BR)/RRB)

 Securing positions of Vice-Chair in Council Working Groups

iii) Radio Assembly 2023 (RA-23) TBD

Radio Assembly (RA) conference will be held just prior to World Radio
Conference-23. The work of the Radiocommunications Study Groups which
involves developing the technical, operational and procedural bases for efficient
use of the radio spectrum and the geostationary-satellite orbit culminates in
Radio Assembly. It addresses the activities of the six Radiocommunication Study
Groups, the Coordination Committee for Vocabulary (CCV) and the Conference
Preparatory Meeting (CPM).

Expected Outcomes

 Holding Bi-lateral meetings with Member States and ITU officials on radio
related matters

 Defending Indian contributions

 Ensure Indian interests are met in approvals of various ITU-R

recommendations

 Securing positions of Vice-Chair in ITU-R Study Groups

iv) World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) TBD

World radiocommunication conferences (WRC) are held every three to four years.
It is the job of WRC to review, and, if necessary, revise the Radio Regulations,
the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and
the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. Revisions are
made on the basis of an agenda determined by the ITU Council, which takes into

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account recommendations made by previous world radiocommunication
conferences.

Expected Outcomes

 Hi-level policy statement by India

 Holding Bi-lateral meetings with Member States and ITU officials on radio
related matters

 Defending Indian contributions

 Securing positions of Vice-Chair in ITU-R Study Groups

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 Annexure I
Types of Membership in ITU
1. Member States – All the three sectors of ITU and voting rights
2. Sector Members – Sector-R and/or Sector-T and/or Sector-D. Have the
right to participate in all activities in ITU, including chairing groups, take part
in consensus-based decisions, and make contributions to all meetings.
3. Associate Members – Participate in only one Study Group from one
sector, and cannot take part in the decision-making process.
SMEs can participate as Sector member or Associates in any of the three Sectors
of the Union with reduced fees.  To be eligible for these reduced fees, companies
must be approved by their respective Member State as meeting national criteria
for an SME.  In addition, companies must also have fewer than 250 employees
as well as annual revenues below a maximum of CHF 15 million. 
4. Academia Members – Access to all the learning resources of all the three
sectors. No voting rights/ cannot take part in the decision-making process.
5. Exempted Entities (REGINTORG) – Members with a limited scope of
access to ITU activities.
Sector Member and Associate Members: By joining ITU, the organization gets
opportunity to influence the decisions that impact its business. Sector
Membership is for complete ITU-T/D/R Sector whereas the Associate
membership is for certain study group of the Sector. Sector Members &
Associates enjoy the following benefits:
 Sector Member have the right to participate in all activities in ITU, including
chairing groups, take part in consensus-based decisions, and make
contributions to all meetings.
 Associate Members participate in only one Study Group from one sector,
and cannot take part in the decision-making process.
 SMEs can participate as Sector Member or Associates in any of the three
Sectors of the Union with reduced fees.  To be eligible for these reduced fees,
companies must be approved by their respective Member State as meeting
national criteria for an SME. 
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  Network with ICT regulators, policy-makers and experts from industry and
academia
 Contribute to global standards and best practices Advise governments on
ICT strategies and technologies
 Participate / Lead Study Groups on emerging issues in the ICT field
 Get visibility on the international scene Share expertise and access training
and specialized seminars
 Participate in global and regional conferences and debates Launch
innovative public-private partnerships
 Get access to world-leading ICT statistics, studies and restricted
information
 ITU TELECOM WORLD Forum Pass with 50% discount for ITU Members
from LDC/LLDC/SIDS. Discounts: 15%publications

Platinum Sector Member: Member of all the three sectors of ITU. The benefits
to a Platinum Sector Member are:
 Sponsorship
 Enhanced Visibility and networking benefits
 Enhanced Branding
 Personalized Account Management
 Organized team visit at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland

Academia Members: By joining ITU, the academia/ university can play an

important role in the development of international standards, best practices and
recommendations for ICTs. Academia enjoy the following benefits:
 Network with governments, ICT companies and other academia peers from
all over the world
 ITU Academia can participate in the work of all three sectors (ITU-R, ITU-T
and ITU-D)
 Contribute to international standards (include your research/patented
tech)

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  Contribute to development of best practices in policy-regulatory
environment
 Increase your technical knowledge
 Become an editor or rapporteur of ITU documents
 Share your expertise and access training and specialized seminars
 Raise the profile of your institution at the international level
 Engage in global and regional debates
 Launch innovative public-private partnerships
 Get access to world-leading ICT statistics and studies
 ITU TELECOM WORLD Forum Pass with 50% discount for ITU Members
from LDC/ LLDC/ SIDS.
 Get 80% off for ITU Publications

Exempted Entities (REGINTORG): Over the years, the Council has exempted
certain organizations of an international character from their financial
obligations in defraying the expenses of ITU conferences and meetings.

Criteria and guidelines no membership fee needs to be paid by such

organizations/ institutions.
 be an organization of international character dealing with
telecommunications;
 be a legally-recognized non-profit organization, representing members
which also have non-profit status;
 have a significant membership, presence and activities in multiple Member
States whose participation in ITU activities would be beneficial to the aims
of the Union;
 allow ITU to be represented at and participate in the organization's meetings
free of charge and with the rights and benefits available to their members;
 allow ITU access to relevant documentation, including information available
only to their members.

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  In reaching a decision as to the granting of an exemption, the Council shall
take account of views expressed by the Secretary-General. Such views shall
identify:
 the advantages for ITU of participation of the organization in ITU's activities;
 the benefits arising from participation of ITU in the activities of the
organization.

Procedure for applying for exempted category

 Each application for exemption shall be submitted, in writing, to the
Secretary-General. It shall be presented to the Council for consideration,
accompanied by evidence justifying the application (§ 1.2) and by comments
from the Secretary-General (§ 1.3).
 The Secretary-General will examine the request for exemption according to
the criteria as stipulated in §§ 1.2 and 1.3 above and will report to the
forthcoming session of Council, as appropriate.
 If the application for exemption is approved by the Council, it will take
immediate effect from the date of the plenary meeting at which the decision
is taken. Unless otherwise decided by the Council in exceptional
circumstances, the exemption shall not be granted retroactively. Entities
exempted by the Council remain responsible for any amounts owed prior to
the effective date of exemption.
 The exemption shall be valid until the following plenipotentiary conference,
although the Council may at any time choose to revoke the exemption
status from an entity which no longer fulfills the criteria noted above. Each
plenipotentiary conference will review the list of exempted entities and
decide which ones will continue to benefit from exempted status.

Benefits enjoyed by Sector Members, Associates & Academia

 Network with ICT regulators, policy-makers and experts from industry and
academia

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  Contribute to global standards and best practices (including your
research/patented tech)
 Participate and Contribute to Study Groups on emerging issues in the ICT
field* -*Sector Members can take leadership positions in Study Groups
whereas Academia and Associates can serve as Study Group rapporteurs
and editors
 Advise governments on ICT strategies and technologies
 Share expertise and access training and specialized seminars
 Get visibility on the international scene
 Participate in global and regional conferences and debates
 Launch innovative public-private partnerships
 Get access to world-leading ICT statistics, studies, databases and Members-
only information
 Discounts on ITU publications**-**Academia members benefit from an 80%
discount on many ITU publications, while Sector Members and Associates
receive a 15% discount.

Fee Structure for all categories

Sector Sector Member Associate Academia

ITU-R CHF 31'800 CHF 10'600

(Radio CHF 3'9751 CHF 3'9753
communication) CHF 1'987.504

CHF 31'800 CHF 10'600 CHF 3'975

ITU-T
CHF 3'9751 CHF 3'9753 CHF 1'987.502
(Standardization)
CHF 1'987.504

ITU-D CHF 7'950 CHF 3'9753

(Development CHF 3'9752 CHF 1'987.502

1Developing Countries with annual per capita income <2,000.00 USD (UNDP),
not yet joined either or both Sectors and shall not be subsidiaries of a
multinational corporation with HQ in a developed country.

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2 Developing Countries & LDCs
3 SMEs from Developed Countries
4 SMEs from Developing Countries & LDCs

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 Annexure II

Details of participation of members from India

a. Overview of participation of academia members from India (8 Academia

members)

i) Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad

ITU-R SG5 | Terrestrial Services
Participation in Focus Groups: ITU-T Focus Group on Autonomous Networks,
ITU-T Focus Group on Vehicular Multimedia.

ii) Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE) India, New Delhi

ITU-T SG20 | IoT, Smart Cities & Communities
ITU-R SG5 | Terrestrial Services
Participation in Focus Groups: FG ML5G Meeting, ITU-T Focus Group on
Environmental Efficiency for AI and other Emerging Technologies.

iii) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

ITU-R SG5 | Terrestrial Services
ITU-T SG9 | Broadband cable and TV
ITU-T SG13 | Future Networks & Cloud
ITU-T SG16 | Multimedia
Participation in ITU-T Focus Group on Vehicular Multimedia, ITU-T Focus
Group on AI for autonomous and assisted driving, ITU-T Focus Group on
Artificial Intelligence for Health

iv) Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

Participation in ITU-T Focus Group on Autonomous Networks, ITU-T Focus
Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management. None of participation in Study
Groups

v) National Law University Delhi, New Delhi

Participation in Focus Groups on AI for Natural Disaster Management. None
of participation in Study Groups

vi) Centre for Development of Telematics, New Delhi

ITU-T SG11 | Protocols and test specifications

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 Participation in FGs FG ML5G Meeting, The ITU-T Focus Group on Artificial
Intelligence for Health, ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster
Management

b. Overview of participation of Sector members from India (6 Sector

members)

i) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), NEW DELHI – All 3 sectors

ii) Bharti Airtel Limited, GURGAON – All 3 Sectors
iii) Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, NAVI MUMBAI – All 3 Sectors
iv) Sterlite Technologies Limited, AURANGABAD - In ITU-T Sector
v) Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT),
CHANAKYAPURI, NEW DELHI – In ITU-D Sector
vi) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), NEW DELHI – All 3 Sectors

c. Overview of participation of Associate members from India (3 Associate

members)

i) Broadband India Forum – Associate Member of ITU-D Study Group 2

ii) Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI), New
Delhi - Associate Member of ITU-R Study Group 5 and ITU – T Study Group 15
iii) Plintron Mobility Solutions Private Limited, Chennai- Associate Member of
ITU –T Study Group 2

d. Overview of participation of REGINTORG members from India (2

Associate members)

i) ITU APT Foundation of India – REGINTORG of all 3 sectors

ii) Global ICT Standardization Forum for India (GISFI), PUNE – REGINTORG
for ITU – T Sector

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 Annexure III

Details of current participation in ITU

Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R): Presently, ITU-R has six Study Groups:

i) Study Group 1 (SG 1) Spectrum management

ii) Study Group 3 (SG 3) Radio wave propagation
iii) Study Group 4 (SG 4) Satellite services
iv) Study Group 5 (SG 5) Terrestrial services
v) Study Group 6 (SG 6) Broadcasting service
vi) Study Group 7 (SG 7) Science services

There are 6 Indians as Vice- Chair persons in each of the above study groups.

S.N. Study Groups Position Name of Indian

secured Chairs/Vice-Chairs
during RA-19
1 SG1 — Spectrum management Vice-Chair, Sh. Gulab Chand,
DoT
2 SG3 - Radiowave propagation Vice-Chair Sh. M Pattanaik, DoT
3 SG4 - Satellite services Vice-Chair Sh. P.K. Jain, ISRO
4 SG5 - Terrestrial services Vice-Chair Sh. Ashutosh
Pandey, DoT
5 SG6 - Broadcasting service Vice-Chair Sh. M.S. Ansari,
6 SG7 - Science services Vice-Chair Sh. P.V.
Kumaramohan, ISRO

Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T): The ITU-T has eleven

Study Groups:

i) Study Group 2 (SG 2) Operational Aspects

ii) Study Group 3 (SG 3) Economic and policy issues
iii) Study Group 5 (SG 5) Environment and circular economy
iv) Study Group 9 (SG 9) Broadband cable and TV
v) Study Group 11 (SG 11) Protocols and test specifications
vi) Study Group 12 (SG 12) Performance, QoS and QoE
vii) Study Group 13 (SG 13) Future networks (& cloud)
viii) Study Group 15 (SG 15) Transport, access and home
ix) Study Group 16 (SG 16) Multimedia
x) Study Group 17 (SG 17) Security

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xi) Study Group 20 (SG20) IoT and smart cities

During WTSA-20 meetings, discussions were held to secure positions of chairs,

vice-chairs of different Study Groups. After intense negotiations and
deliberations with different stakeholders India secured 8 positions in 11 Study
Groups. The details of the secured positions are as follows:

S.N. Study Groups Position Name of Indian

secured Chairs/Vice-Chairs
during WTSA
20
1 SG2 — Operational Aspects Vice-Chair, Sh.V.K.Roy, DoT
2 SG3 - Economic and policy issues Vice-Chair Sh.S.K.Mishra, DoT
3 SG9 - Broadband cable and TV Vice-Chair, Sh. Pradipta Viswas,
IISC Bangalore
4 SG 11-Protocols and test Chair, Sh.R.R .Mittar, DoT
Specifications
5 SG13 - Future networks, with Vice-Chair Sh.A.S.Verma, DoT
focus on IMT-2020, cloud
computing and trusted network
infrastructure
6 SG15 - Transport, access and Vice-Chair Sh. Sudipta
home Bhaumik, M/s
Sterlite
7 SG16 – Multimedia Vice-Chair Sh. Ashok Kumar,
DoT
8 SG17 – Security Vice-Chair Sh. P.K.Singh , DoT

Focus Groups

The ITU-T has currently 7 Focus Groups functioning:

i) ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management (FG-AI4NDM)

ii) ITU-T Focus Group on Autonomous Networks (FG-AN)
iii) ITU-T Focus Group on AI for autonomous and assisted driving (FG-AI4AD)
iv) ITU-T Focus Group on Quantum Information Technology for Networks (FG-
QIT4N)
v) ITU-T Focus Group on "Environmental Efficiency for Artificial Intelligence and
other Emerging Technologies" (FG-AI4EE)
vi) ITU-T Focus Group on "Artificial Intelligence for Health" (FG-AI4H)
vii) ITU-T Focus Group on "Vehicular Multimedia" (FG-VM)

India has only Vice-chairs in some Focus Groups.

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Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D):

The ITU-D has two Study Groups:

i) Study Group 1 (SG 1): Enabling environment for the development of

telecommunications/ICTs
ii) Study Group 2 (SG 2) ICT services and applications for the promotion of
sustainable development

India has a Vice-chair in Study Group 1 (SG 1) and some Rapporteur, Co-
rapporteur and Vice-rapporteur.

Council Working Groups:

There are 6 Council Working Groups and India has only Vice-chairs in some ITU
CWGs.

i) CWG-FHR - Financial and human resources

ii) CWG-Internet - International Internet-related public policy issues
iii) CWG-WSIS&SDG
iv) CWG-COP - Child online protection
v) CWG-LANG - Use of the six official languages of the Union
vi) CWG-SFP - Strategic & Financial Plans for 2024-2027

India has three Vice-chairs in different ITU CWGs.

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