India is set to host the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 from October 15 to 24 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event will be preceded by the Global Standards Symposium (GSS) on October 14, as announced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), WTSA occurs every four years to “define the work program, working methods, and structure of study groups” for ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The assembly is expected to bring together 1,800 to 2,000 delegates from 193 member countries, global standardization bodies, and the telecom/ICT industry.
Founded in 1865, the ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It includes 193 member countries and over 900 private-sector entities and academic institutions. The ITU promotes international cooperation between governments and the private sector to address issues shaping the future of the ICT industry.
India, a member of the ITU since 1869 and a member of the ITU Governing Council since 1952, was originally set to host WTSA-20. However, the event was postponed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and held in Geneva in 2022. During that meeting, India offered to host WTSA-24, an offer unanimously accepted by delegates during the 15th plenary of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Romania later that year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the dates and venue for WTSA 2024 during the inauguration of the ITU Area Office in March 2023. Preparations for the event were presented at the ITU Council meeting in July 2023, where the logos for WTSA 2024 and GSS 2024 were also unveiled.
The theme for GSS-24 is “Charting the Next Digital Wave: Emerging Technologies, Innovation, and International Standards.”