A four-day workshop on “AI Standards for Increasing the Efficiency of Telecommunications & ICTs: Shaping the Future Responsibly” was inaugurated today at the National Communications Academy–Finance (NCA-F) in New Delhi. The event, jointly organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office & Innovation Centre and the NCA-F, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, brings together participants from BIMSTEC countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives—along with international experts, regulators, industry associations, startups, and academia. The aim is to collaborate on creating trustworthy and globally harmonized AI standards for telecommunications and ICT sectors.
The inaugural session featured keynote addresses from distinguished dignitaries including Shri Manish Sinha, Member (Finance), DCC, DoT; Ms. Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director for Asia Pacific, ITU; Shri Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC; and Ms. Madhavi Das, Director General, NCA-F. The session set the tone for forward-thinking discussions on AI’s role in shaping the future of digital infrastructure and bridging the standardization gap.
In his keynote address, Shri Manish Sinha welcomed the participants and praised the collaboration between NCA-F and the ITU Area Office, calling it a model of institutional partnership. He emphasized the importance of consensus within the ITU framework to develop AI standards that are inclusive and globally harmonized, ensuring that these technologies benefit all nations. He also highlighted India’s commitment to economic inclusivity, particularly through initiatives like Digital Bharat Nidhi.
Shri Sinha underscored India’s dual focus on advancing AI standardization and strengthening its manufacturing sector, highlighting the Telecommunication Engineering Centre’s (TEC) role in promoting ethical AI development through fairness assessments and rating mechanisms. He encouraged participants to actively engage in shaping practical AI standards and to build strong cross-border partnerships for future-ready, ethical AI applications that can accelerate sustainable development.
Shri Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC, reinforced the importance of regional collaboration on AI standards, stressing that it is essential for ensuring emerging technologies drive growth across member nations in a responsible and interoperable way.
Ms. Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director for Asia Pacific, ITU, expressed gratitude to BIMSTEC, NCA-F, and the Government of India for hosting the workshop. She highlighted AI’s significant potential, projecting a $15 trillion contribution to the global economy by 2030, and emphasized the importance of developing inclusive, interoperable, and responsible AI standards.
Ms. Madhavi Das, Director General of NCA-F, in her Welcome Address, stressed that while AI is transformative, strong, inclusive standards are essential to ensure no one is left behind. She reiterated the importance of collaborative workshops to bridge the standardization gap and emphasized that standardization is about safety, ethics, and equitable access in a rapidly evolving digital world.
Over the course of four days, the workshop will feature simulation exercises, expert panels, country presentations, hands-on sessions for drafting and negotiating technical contributions, and field visits.
About NCA-F:
NCA-F, part of the Department of Telecommunications’ National Communication Academy, is an UTKRISHT-graded premier central training institute. It provides induction and in-service training to officers of the Indian Posts & Telecom Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) and other officials across DoT and DoP. NCA-F’s core training areas include telecom policy, spectrum management, revenue assurance, USOF projects, financial regulations, and digital inclusion. It also focuses on leadership and soft skills development and regularly hosts national and international workshops in collaboration with institutions like ITU, WHO, TRAI, RBI Staff College, LBSNAA, and IIT Bombay.
