Dr. Mavetera attends ITU World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly in India

By Sam Mupedziswa

The Honourable Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Dr. Tatenda A. Mavetera is in New Dehli, India attending the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly 2024. 

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865, as the International Telegraph Union, significantly predating the UN and making it the oldest UN agency. 

The assembly began today with the Global Standards Symposium. The global symposium will deal with various issues including Artificial Intelligence. The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 24 will deal with standards affecting digital inclusion in the telecommunications sector, such as, the impact of 5G, and the transformative power of standardized innovation. 

Ministry Mavetera on her X handle (formerly known as Twitter) said, “the standards in Telecommunications that we establish will shape an unprecedented era of digital transformation.” She added “there is a need to build global collaboration and consensus to address great foresight to charter the new digital wave which is secure.”

Zimbabwe is expected to contribute to the discussions on various standards and to also learn how other nations are regulating disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, with Zimbabwe already working on coming up with an Artificial Intelligence Policy. The WTSA meets once in every four years. 

Permanent Mission of India is happy to share that India is hosting the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024.