TSDSI has been engaging with peer forums and entities from several countries in the Asia Pacific Region to collaborate on development of standards. In the course of these deliberations, it has been observed that several innovations emerging in a particular geography, are applicable to diverse use cases in other economies. Dual SIM Card, LMLC for Rural and Remote connectivity are two such examples. Therefore, there is a tremendous potential for knowledge sharing and technology collaboration in the region.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the specialized UN agency in digital technology, is implementing several initiatives to address the digital divide, especially in the Asia and Pacific region. From covering digital innovation ecosystems to setting the standardisation ecosystem and promoting a whole-of-government approach, the ITU has worked closely with member states and sector and industry membership to foster international cooperation to enhance connectivity, with the fundamental aim to leave no one behind.
In the lead up to the ITU’s World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) in India and the World Telecommunication Development Conferences (WTDC) in Ethiopia, there is a need to showcase digital technology innovations that can serve as case studies for the Asia-Pacific region.
Therefore, TSDSI and ITU’s Asia Pacific Regional office organised a joint webinar series on “Digital Technology Innovations – Case Studies from India and the Asia-Pacific Region” with support from Department of Telecommunications and select Ministries of Govt of India and other partners from the Asia-Pacific Region to showcase such initiatives (large public as well as private sector implementations).
The webinars helped in sharing knowledge of digital innovations emerging in the ASP region, and to discover their potential applications in different economies regionally.
The Inaugural session of this series was held on 2 September 2021. The session showcased “India Stack”. Additionally, it highlighted the International Telecommunication Union and engagement models, including the International Centre of Digital Innovation (I-CoDI).