May 17, 2026 marks the 58th World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has designated the 2026 theme as "Digital lifelines – Strengthening resilience in a connected world," emphasizing the importance of resilient digital infrastructure for economic stability, inclusive growth, and technological innovation.
The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is the merger of two earlier observances: World Telecommunication Day, established in 1968 to commemorate the founding of the ITU and highlight the role of telecommunications in national economic development and people's lives; and World Information Society Day, established by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in 2006. That same year, the ITU merged the two days, designating May 17 as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
In response to the UN's call, the Standardization Working Committee of the China International Association for Promotion of Science and Technology (CIAPST) successfully held the "World Telecommunication and Information Society Day Technical Exchange Meeting" on May 17, 2026. This event marks another UN-themed activity organized by the Committee, following its successful "International Plant Health Day Technical Exchange Meeting."
The technical exchange meeting was hosted by He Shuwei, Deputy Director of the Standardization Working Committee of CIAPST. The host detailed the background, core objectives, and agenda of the event.
"Digital lifelines" refer to critical digital infrastructure such as terrestrial networks, submarine cables, satellites, and data systems that form the economic backbone of modern society. "Resilience" emphasizes the ability of these systems to withstand shocks, adapt to change, and recover quickly from disruptions, thereby protecting lives and livelihoods. The theme calls on governments, industries, and all sectors of society worldwide to focus and act together—to design and build networks and systems that can withstand various risks, ensure that critical services never fail, and guarantee that no one is disconnected during crises. This reflects the baseline requirements for infrastructure security and reliability as global dependence on digital connectivity reaches new heights, and also highlights concerns about the vulnerability of these key digital assets.
Cui Zhiguo, Deputy Director of the Standardization Working Committee of CIAPST, delivered a keynote speech. In his remarks, he emphasized the important role of standardization in building resilient digital lifelines. Standardization serves as the common language and technical foundation for constructing resilient digital infrastructure, and is a core enabler and essential path for enhancing digital infrastructure resilience. By unifying technical rules, standardizing interface protocols, defining security baselines, and codifying best practices, standardization can effectively address pain points such as fragmented development, difficult interoperability, uncontrolled security risks, and redundant construction—laying a solid rule-based foundation for cross-entity, cross-industry, and cross-regional collaboration.
Building resilient digital lifelines fundamentally requires network interconnection, data interoperability, security and controllability, and elastic reliability. As an important tool of technical governance, standardization provides comprehensive and deep support for resilience building across four dimensions: technical compatibility, security protection, efficient collaboration, and innovation guidance. He further stated that CIAPST will focus on the core need of "building resilient digital lifelines" and continue to exert efforts in standard development, system construction, promotion and implementation, and international cooperation—promoting resilience building of digital infrastructure through standardization.
Cui Zhiguo concluded his report by noting that CIAPST is an open platform, and standardization is an open endeavor. He welcomed broad participation from all sectors of society. The Standardization Working Committee is also willing to work with all stakeholders to build safe, stable, efficient, and resilient digital lifelines with greater determination, more pragmatic action, and a more open attitude—driving high-quality development of the digital economy and making new and greater contributions to building a cyber-strong nation and a Digital China.
At the technical exchange meeting, experts present provided in-depth interpretations of several group standards developed and released by the Standardization Working Committee of CIAPST.
Ms. Cai Zhengzhen from China Telecom Corporation Limited Chongqing Branch first presented a comprehensive interpretation of the group standard "Technical Guide for Data Dictionary Design for Telecom Operators," covering its background, development process, and application. This standard closely aligns with the characteristics of telecom operations, classifying data into three categories: business data, management data, and operational data. It provides strong guidance for the telecom industry, has been widely applied within China Telecom Group, and has won multiple internal awards. CIAPST will actively promote this standard as a candidate for international standardization, helping Chinese standards reach the global stage and contributing Chinese solutions and strength to enhancing the resilience of global digital lifelines.
Subsequently, Dr. Lu Jiafa, Associate Chief Physician in the Emergency Department of Shenzhen University General Hospital, interpreted three group standards: "Specifications for the Construction and Management of 5G+Aerial Medical Rescue Teams," "5G+Aerial Medical Rescue Solutions for Daily Scenarios," and "5G+Aerial Medical Rescue Solutions for Complex (Disaster) Scenarios." These three standards have also achieved good application results in practice. Particularly in complex (disaster) scenarios where network services are interrupted, using satellite communications and drone communications to rapidly build communication platforms provides critical support for emergency rescue, greatly enhancing the resilience and robustness of digital lifelines.
As an organization holding Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as a member unit of the Chinese Organizing Committee for the UN International Day of Peace and Science Week, and as the inheritor of the legacy of renowned scientist, social activist, and "Peace Elder" Mr. Zhou Peiyuan, CIAPST will continue to answer the UN's call, actively participate in various UN activities, and carry out diverse international scientific and technological exchanges. Through science and technology, it aims to promote peace and development, and is committed to advancing the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
