At the “Global Technical Standardization: Effective Engagement of European Industry” event, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), one in four participants was a woman. The event, held in Gdansk, Poland on May 7, gathered industry leaders to discuss approaches to bridging the standardization gap (BSG) and promoting women involvement in ITU initiatives. The event highlighted the need for more discussions on gender equality in technology, as evident in the statistics.
Spearheaded by the ITU TSB Director, Mr. Seizo Onoe, the event drew participation from delegates and invited speakers attending the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT) Committee on ITU (Com-ITU) meeting. Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, also delivered a message, citing the significant role of standardization.
Strategies for Effective Communication
The session commenced with the ITU TSB Director outlining his vision for industry engagement and closing the standardization gap to promote meaningful connectivity and sustainable development via ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) standards. Mr. Onoe emphasized the importance of standardization and highlighted the huge gap between the high- and low-income countries, particularly the new generations. “We need to make more effort to bridge the gap. My view is to reach worldwide,” the ITU TSB Director underscored.
Addressing strategies for effective implementation, he proposed strengthening cooperation, industry engagement, and bridging the standardization gap. Highlighting the strategic pillars of the new BSG program—development and implementation—Mr. Onoe reiterated the ITU’s global advantage and the crucial role of industry engagement in implementing the standards.
Furthermore, he delineated the ITU's initiatives aimed at supporting its objectives, including the ITU Journal Webinars and the CxO Roundtable meeting organized by the Telecom Review Group. Notably, the latter event, held in Dubai last year, drew participation from 34 C-level executives.
Opportunities and Challenges
Jaroslaw Ponder, Head of ITU Office for Europe, moderated the panel discussion which brought together industry luminaries to explore opportunities and challenges by engaging and cooperating with the ITU.
Headed by industry experts such as Mihail Ion, Chair of CEPT-COM-ITU Project Team on ITU-T issues; Lidia Stępińska-Ustasiak, International Collaboration Expert, KIGEIT; Per Fröjdh, Vice President of International Standards, Ericsson, Vice-Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 16 on Multimedia and Vice-Chairman of ITU-T Focus Group on Metaverse; Fryderyk Lewicki, Orange Polska and Chairman of ITU-T Working Party 1/5; Pawel Biskupski, CEO, Systemics-PAB; Jan Kondej, Chief Technical Officer, Systemics-PAB; Didier Berthoumieux, Director of Technology Strategy, Nokia; and Arnaud Taddei, Global Security Strategist, Enterprise Security Group; the discussion covered the panelists’ perspectives on the topic and highlighted best practices for implementing ITU standards.
Ponder prompted the discussion by addressing one of the ITU’s top priorities—industrial engagement—and the vital role of the private sector and collaboration with stakeholders in standardization initiatives.
Ion underscored the need to make the ITU-T involvement and environment more attractive. He suggested minimizing the gap between regions, including the Asia Pacific and North America.
Lewicki recommended making standards and informational documents accessible to the public and other countries facing similar challenges.
Stępińska-Ustasiak, the sole woman panelist, highlighted the importance of addressing the diverse needs of standardization, ensuring the inclusion of small and medium enterprises (SME) and women who are often underrepresented in the process.
On the other hand, Fröjdh emphasized Ericsson’s efforts and engagement in the ecosystem, while Taddei underscored the critical role of cybersecurity, initially presenting X.1060, a framework for the creation and operation of the Cyber Defence Centre (CDC), an entity within an organization which offers security services to manage the cybersecurity risks of business activities.
Kondej and Biskupski highlighted the necessity of standards for facilitating measurement comparison and Systemics-PAB’s evaluation of service quality. They expressed their willingness to contribute to the implementation of these standards.
Inspiring Women to Lead in Tech
Moderated by Charlyne Restivo, Coordinator of the Network of Women in ITU-T, the second session convened women leaders in the industry to discuss leadership insights for women in the European digital landscape and suggest recommendations for women navigating careers in the male-dominated technology sector.
Led by women experts in the industry including Izabela Iglewska, Minister Advisor of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Poland; Susanna Mattsson, Sweden’s Councilor and Deputy Director of Ministry of Finance, Sweden; Ksenja Podpečan, Secretary of the Digital Society Directorate, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Slovenia; Zina Bumbálková, Senior Expert, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Czech Republic; and Emilia Zalewska-Czajczyńska, Alumni Youth Envoy ITU Generation Connect Europe and Senior Specialist for Strategic Analysis in Cybersecurity, NASK, Poland; the session addressed challenges faced by women, including barriers to acquiring leadership positions.
Restivo highlighted the significance of the session in preparation for the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), a governing conference for ITU standardization, occurring on October 15 – 24, 2024 in New Delhi, India.
Emphasizing Poland’s dedication to promoting women's engagement in the ICT sector, Iglewska noted that the country's initiatives led to the establishment of the Women in Tech Summit. This summit, recognized as the largest conference in Europe for women involved in technology-driven initiatives, reflects Poland's commitment to fostering gender diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s dedication to bridging the gender gap was emphasized by Mattsson, who cited the country’s top ranking as the most gender-equal in Europe. She advocated for the encouragement of young girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to reinforce Sweden’s goal of being the world’s knowledge and research hub.
Podpečan emphasized Slovenia’s initiatives to narrow the gender gap and empower women in the ICT sector through digital education. She highlighted the country's objective of achieving a minimum of 25% female representation among employed ICT professionals. Furthermore, Podpečan shared Slovenia’s pilot training program, which attracted over 500 participants who successfully completed the training.
Bumbálková discussed her experience with women-led teams for internet governance forums and the impact technology has on our daily lives.
Furthermore, Czajczyńska, the youth’s representative in the discussion, accentuated the gender gap in fields like cybersecurity and advocated for women-supporting communities and mentorship programs, implying the insufficiency of internships alone.
“Empowering women is not diminishing the role of men in the community but establishing equal relationships and teaching how we can better cooperate with each other,” Czajczyńska added, emphasizing the importance of men’s cooperation in empowering women in the field of ICT. She also tackled issues such as Imposter Syndrome and lack of self-confidence among women in pursuing leadership roles, an opinion that resonated with male audience members as well.
The session concluded with the ITU TSB Director advocating for increased women's participation in the upcoming WTSA, setting a target of 35% this year in female representation.
