India signs Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union

India signs Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union

Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-III: Infrastructure: Telecommunications

In News: India signed Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union for establishment of Area Office & Innovation Centre at New Delhi.

• Expected to serve South Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India
• India has been taking concrete steps towards development of telecom standards. The 5Gi standards developed within India have now been recognised by ITU as one of the three technologies for 5G. With more than 1.2 Billion telecom subscribers, a robust ecosystem of start-ups and innovation hubs, India is poised to contribute meaningfully in developing telecom standards further.
• Signed during the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly-20 (WTSA-20) being held in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Note:

• About World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly: WTSA is a four-yearly global conference of ITU dedicated to standardisation of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). India has proposed to host the next WTSA to be held in 2024.
• About International Telecommunication Union is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. ITU currently has a membership of 193 countries and over 900 private-sector entities and academic institutions.

News Source: PIB