This World Standards Day, let’s celebrate that open standards bring smartphones, computers, cars, televisions and industrial tools to life by enabling electronics to communicate with one another and help people connect worldwide.

The United Nations celebrates World Standards Day each October 14^th. This year, it is celebrating the contribution of standards to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #9.

What do standards have to do with sustainable development?

“Economic growth, social development and climate action are heavily dependent on investments in infrastructure, sustainable industrial development and technological progress,” the UN says. ““In the face of a rapidly changing global economic landscape and increasing inequalities, sustained growth must include industrialisation that, first of all, makes opportunities accessible to all people, and second, is supported by innovation and resilient infrastructure,” it says.   

The UN sees mobile telephony, one of the world’s most successful standardised communications technologies, as a foundation for sustainable industrialisation.  

About 95% of the world’s population was within reach of a mobile broadband network in 2022. About 97% of the world’s population lived within reach of a mobile cellular signal, according to UN statistics. That common technical foundation enables people worldwide to reach markets, build businesses, trade and make efficient use of natural resources.  

Investments in infrastructure – fast, secure modern communication technologies, transport, energy, and water management  – “are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries,” it says.  

IP Europe members contribute to key open standards

Members of IP Europe proudly engage in foundational scientific research and compete to contribute innovative engineering solutions to global open technical standards. Those standards include 4G, 5G and soon 6G and enable connected smartphones, computers, televisions, vehicles and even remote energy infrastructure such as wind and solar farms to communicate with one another.  They also include digital audiovisual compression, which enables videoconferencing, remote health care services and trade along with streaming entertainment services.

So this World Standards Day, let’s celebrate the role of global open standards in bringing technological innovation and sustainable industrialisation to life.