As part of its capacity-building activities, IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) held a Fellowship Program for regulators, policy makers, and national standards bodies from emerging economies during the IEEE 802 Local Area Networks/Metropolitan Area Networks Standards Committee (IEEE 802) plenary standards development meeting, held 10-15 March 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Participation in this program provided insight into the IEEE SA open standards process, the technology related to IEEE 802, and the opportunity to network with individuals and organizations from around the world.
Participants in this year’s program were Al-Ansari Mohammad Almashakbeh, Vice-Chairman-Secretary General, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), Jordan; Afşin Büyükbaş, Head, Spectrum Management Department, Information and Communication Technologies Regulatory Authority of Turkey (ICTA); Ramy Ahmed Fathy, Director, Digital Services Planning and Risk Assessment, National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), Egypt; and Erick Alphonce Massawe, Standards Officer, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS).
“The IEEE SA Fellowship program at the IEEE 802 plenary provided program participants the opportunity to actively engage with the standards developing expert technologists from around the world while here in Vancouver,” said Jodi Haasz, manager, Operational Program Management. “It also provided an opportunity to share views and exchange information on a variety of technical topics to the benefit of both the program participants and the IEEE 802 community.”
The Fellowship Program participants attended a variety of IEEE 802 working group meetings as well as presentations on specific technical topics of interest. Participants were also encouraged to interact with expert technologists on applied technical topics and to contribute to working group discussions.
“The program provides a platform for policy makers and the industry to discuss matters of mutual interest. The opportunity to exchange views and discuss challenges facing the industry, is indeed important for achieving a healthy ecosystem,” said Fathy. “IEEE 802 is an important body in the technology standardization landscape, and witnessing the IEEE 802 standards development process up close provides a marvelous opportunity to know the latest trends in technology, and express any regulatory and/or market requirements early on.”
“The 2019 IEEE SA Fellowship Program was an incredible, transformative experience that changed my career trajectory,” said Massawe. “Prior to the Fellowship, I had little understanding of the IEEE standards development process and how new technologies are standardized. After the Fellowship Program, I felt equipped to create a path focused on leading my organization to get involved with IEEE SA.”
“It was amazing to see how the volunteer engineers are coming together and putting forward the experience and knowledge in order to determine the standards in communications and shape the future,” said Büyükbaş.
“Attending this program provided me with the opportunity to learn about the IEEE standards development process, to interact with and learn from the experts developing IEEE 802 technologies, to meet many stakeholders and enabled me to appreciate the amount of work and dedication it takes to develop standards,” said Almashakbeh. “It was an interesting learning experience for me. In addition, I learned about upcoming technologies within the IEEE 802 scope, including TV White Space. This gave me insight on how to develop TV White Space regulations.”
For more information about the IEEE SA Fellowship Program, please contact Justin Caso, Public Affairs senior manager.
