GENEVA-The International Telecommunication Union, the international standards body, said it formed a relationship with the Consumer Electronics Association to work together on wireless and mobile communications, multimedia technologies and cable systems. The two groups plan to share resources and expertise to enhance international standards in these areas.
CEA is an association for consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers and hosts a large annual trade show in Las Vegas. The group develops North American standards for the consumer electronics industry.
“The accelerating pace of change in consumer technology forces efficiencies in standards setting, and we have met that challenge with our domestic standards-setting programs,” said Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive officer of CEA. “This partnership with ITU provides us with an efficient way to take these standards to the international community for worldwide adoption, quickly and without duplication of efforts.”
ITU is gearing up for ITU World Telecom 2003 in October in Geneva, which it organizes every four years. Many major mobile vendors have chosen not to exhibit in this year’s event due partially to the downturn in the telecom industry.
