1

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for this opportunity to give you insights into how IEC and ITU international standards support economic development and corporate efficiency. During my presentation I will share with you how international standards

• contribute to innovation and global trade • help companies access more markets faster • support governments in protecting populations and the environment

You will hear how the technical know-how, specifications, metrics, and terminology that are part of these standards increase the efficiency of devices and systems. And finally, how the IEC and ITU work together and some of the areas where we facilitate global technology roll-out.

2

Both the IEC and ITU were founded to allow scientists to build on each other’s research and stimulate the development and commercialization of technology and machinery. New technologies such as the telegraph and later the broad roll-out of electricity and the telephone generated an increased transnational flow of ideas and products. Scientists realized that they needed common metrics, terminology and symbols to build on each other’s research, and to facilitate the development and roll-out of new innovations.

Then - as today - inventors and commercial developers understood that standardization would help them not only to broaden their markets but also to achieve economies of scale in the production of such products as light bulbs, telephones and electrically powered machinery.

3

The scientists and engineers that founded the IEC and ITU understood that they needed international standardization to eliminate the cost of NOT coordinating on common units and basic building blocks. Today, most companies, who want to build products that are accepted worldwide use international standards and conformity assessment systems. While the IEC and ITU cooperate to provide the best standards to industry, their set-up is quite different.

The IEC counts 162 countries and provides a platform to close to 10 000 experts. Those experts help develop the rules and specifications their countries and industries need. The IEC is not for profit and totally neutral of any economic or political influence. Today, the IEC develops the common language, specifications, metrics, protocols and guidelines for a large range of devices and systems that contain electronics or use, produce or store electricity. IEC work also covers safety, quality, performance, efficiency, environmental impact, recycling, electromagnetic compatibility, and accessibility. Any company can participate in the IEC via the National Committee of a member country. Consensus plays an important part in the IEC standard setting process. To be published any standard must have at least a 75% buy-in of all participating experts and countries. Any stakeholder in any member country can comment on any standard via their National Committee. Their comments must however be supported by a clear scientific or engineering argument.

4

The ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology. It is the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. The agency is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and its membership includes 192 Member States and more than 700 private sector members. The ITU also establishes the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems, including:

Broadband Internet, access and data Wireless technologies Aeronautical and maritime navigation Radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology Fixed and mobile phone Voice and TV broadcasting and next-generation networks

Over the last 145 years, the ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum and more recently of satellite orbits. It works to improve the telecommunication infrastructure of the developing world and helps address global challenges such as climate change and cybersecurity.

5

IEC, ISO and ITU standards are often complementary and always technically aligned. The ITU develops the requirements and related standards that help operators build their systems. It leads standardization work related to network deployment. The IEC prepares, the interoperability, performance and quality standards that help manufacturers build the devices the operators need for their systems. It leads standardization work related to fibre component developments. ISO/IEC prepares the standards needed to install fibre cabling systems in non-public environments.

Standards have and continue to increase in importance. A first significant increase in standardization occurred following the massive decrease in transportation costs from the 1970s onward. Suddenly manufacturers were able to produce anywhere in the world.

6

To fully benefit from this new opportunity, it became necessary to better harmonize the rules, specifications and performance requirements for all electrical and electronic devices. Over the following years, national standards increasingly yielded to international standards. As a consequence of this acceleration in global trade, the World Trade Organization was established in 1995. Its mission is to eliminate hurdles by establishing rules of trade between nations. To date the treaty has been signed by 164 nations and also includes an agreement to reduce technical barriers to trade. As part of this, every WTO member state commits to using international standards as the technical basis for laws and regulations. Today, IEC, ISO and ITU international standards help eliminate hurdles to global trade by facilitating technology transfer, quality control and conformity assessment.

The WTO has a very clear view on what international standards must and mustn’t do. Notably it specifies that international standards should be performance based so as to not limit innovation and technological development. They must be of broad relevance and may not give preference to the characteristics or requirements of one country or region. In sum, they have to fully support fair global competition and trade.

7

International standards fulfil a variety of needs: They define minimum requirements for products in terms of performance, reliability but also safety and the environment. They include testing methods and measurement processes to assess a product’s ability to operate. And they encourage interoperability, allowing products from different manufacturers to work in all relevant environments and with all applications. Rather than providing detailed product specifications, which would lead to a huge number of different standards and would likely limit innovation, international standards offer a set of interface specifications. This leaves manufacturers free to develop their technology solution but ensures that their products are able to connect with others in the market.

Exports are a powerful economic engine.

8

Just HOW powerful depends on how successful a country is in advancing its technological interest at the international level. That’s why many countries have made standards an integral element of their competition policies. According to a recent study by the US Congressional Research Service, a country that applies standards that differ from international standards may experience a negative impact on exports of up to 3% of its GDP. Technological innovation drives economic growth. And international standards help economies expand across borders.

To facilitate market access, the IEC provides a standardized approach for testing and certification. Hundreds of testing labs participate in its conformity assessment systems, and because they mutually accept the conformity assessment reports of all the other participating labs, products often need to be tested only once to get access to all member markets. This allows companies to enter many markets much easier and at lesser cost, including the largest and fastest-growing developing country markets.

9

International standards are market driven. They are often close behind the cutting edge of technological development. To deliver the most relevant international standards IEC and ITU cooperate with relevant organizations on the regional and international level. In the following slides some examples of relevant areas where the IEC and ITU develop international standards.

IEC International Standards enable radio, television, digital multimedia broadcasting, encoding and reception for home and commercial use.

ITU allocates the radio spectrum for the global broadcast industry and has developed core standards for High Definition TV, 3DTV and the codec that drives video on our phones and computers.

10

The IEC develops standards for all the fundamental building blocks for electronic and electric devices, including semiconductors, switches, cables and more. It defines the protocols that enable cloud computing and the transfer and storage of data and file formats for home and in-car networks.

ITU standards enable phone calls to next door…and the other side of the world. They make the Internet work. Without them todays information technology powered world would not exist as we know it.

The IEC prepares standards for the safe use of nanotechnology in electrical and electronic products

11

The many kinds of switches and sensors that are used in and on products. During manufacturing and communication processes, and to enhance the safety of all.

Connectors and plugs of all sizes and variations.

Optical radiation safety and laser equipment

12

All IEC Standards cover aspects of safety and dependability of devices and systems.

The IEC is the world leading organization working on electromagnetic compatibility. Protecting sensitive equipment from interference and containing electromagnetic emissions.

And, as more technologies emerge to allow the exchange of data within the home and small business environment, the ITU is addressing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of these devices and networks.

13

The IEC and ITU both keep a close eye on the environment and recycling. The IEC provides guidelines that enable environmentally conscious design, helps regulate the use of toxic substances in the production process and facilitates end-life recycling. The ITU has defined a methodology that provides information technology companies with a consistent mechanism to report their carbon footprints. Both organizations have cooperated to standardize a universal charging solution for mobile phones which is not only much more efficient, but will significantly reduce waste.

All new ITU and IEC standards are assessed for energy efficiency. The IEC has been instrumental in enabling the 1 watt standby energy consumption regulations that have come into effect in many countries around the globe.

14

IEC International Standards allow to compare, test and improve stand-by energy consumption of high-tech and household devices. Energy efficiency programs such as Energy Star depend on them.

Both the IEC and ITU have made significant effort in the last few years to increase developing country participation in standardization activities. Bridging the standardization gap has involved holding more meetings in developing countries but also increasing opportunities for remote participation. Today there is a huge emerging pool of engineers and scientists from developing markets like India and China and they increasingly participate in the international standard setting process. In many ways these economies are jumping development hurdles and this not only stimulates their uptake of new technologies, but increasingly also their creativeness and innovation potential. And they are determined to defend their technological interests at a global level.

15

In an era of shrinking product development cycles, participation in standard setting can translate into a significant competitive advantage. CEOs should have more than a passing interest in the development of international standards and conformity assessment, because they increasingly dictate access to global markets. They influence the nature of technology and product development and enable companies to build products that are accepted worldwide. www.iec.ch www.itu.int