INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix At the end of the line, theres always a user Sergio Antocicco Chairman of International Telecommunications Users Group

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix contents about INTUG interoperability standards open standards IPR conclusions

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix what are we? members: –national associations –corporations –individuals activities: –ITU and WTO –OECD –APEC TEL, CITEL, CTO and the European Union

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix our aims real and effective competition genuine choice for users lower prices higher quality more innovative services constructive co-operation with: –international bodies –governments –regulators

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix interconnection all telecommunications Users require the ability to interconnect with other users in a seamless fashion in terms of : –functions –facilities –services –protocols –commercial arrangements

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix interoperability software hardwaremainly, the ability of software and hardware on different machines from different vendors to share data, but not only. in fact, global customers (in particular, INTUG Members) require interoperability not only from a functional point of view, but also for things like Quality of Service and tariffs

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix interoperability it may refer to higher level of interactions, i.e., affecting requirements between software programs residing on terminal equipment but not directly affecting the network itself it may refer to the interconnection of terminal equipment or other networks with the incumbent telecommunications operator's network

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix interoperability interoperability is vitally important and becomes even more so, as networks move to utilise digital technologies thus, adequate and timely information must be made available to interconnecting networks and terminal equipment in some situations, users could require NO INTEROPERABILITY

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix interoperability therefore it is crucial to obtain clear information about: –what it is POSSIBLE TO DO –technical or service limitations so that the User can decide to buy or not to buy the equipment or the service

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix standards de jure standards –issued by International Organisations –officially recognised –driven by major Manufacturers / major Operators –engraved in stone de facto standards –pushed by the market –flexible for modifications/upgrade proprietary standards

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix open standards A publicly available set of specifications describing the characteristics of a hardware device or software program. Open standards are published to encourage interoperability and thereby help promote new technologies. IPR may not be an issue: –RF (Royalty free) –RAND (Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) –RANDZ (RAND, with Zero royalties)

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix IPR should be considered a VERY REASONABLE reward for innovation should NOT be used for creating monopolies unit cost should decrease as usage increases

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix conclusions users want to be clearly informed on capabilities and limits of equipment/services they intend to buy extensions to standards features made by manufacturers and service providers should have the possibility to be bypassed, in order to use standard features only a fundamental standard should be implemented on: –a minimum set of pieces of information to be released –a clear layout of those pieces of information

INTUG ETSI, Sophia Antipolis ix thank you Sergio Antocicco INTUG International Telecommunications Users Group Brussels Belgium ANUIT ANUIT Associazione Nazionale Utenti Italiani di Telecomunicazioni Rome Italy