.. to coordinate the standardization activities in the field of Information and Communications Technologies

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Terms of Reference
(as revised and approved at ICTSB#30 meeting on 17 March 2004 - version 1.0)

Background

• The European ICT standards arena has not held a general discussion of key issues since the Genval Conference, 1995, although Europe hosted a Global ICT Standards Conference in 1997;
• Since even the second event, technologies have developed in leaps and bounds, and the dot.com revolution has come and gone;
• In the standards environment, more and more industry consortia have been created, but still key standards issues such as usable consensus for e-business transactions are not fully resolved;
• In a global context, matters are generally driven forward by the larger multi-national companies, but this dis-intermediates local European companies, especially the "final end users", whose sectoral or cultural/linguistic issues are not taken properly (or at all) into account;
• The European standards system has facilitated the creation of open platforms designed to ensure these European specifics are handled, but at a global level similar platforms to enable an open standards dialogue still seem to be lacking;
• In December 2002 and December 2003, Conferences on these issues were held in the US, with the participation of the key interested players. It is proposed to hold a similar event in Europe towards the end of 2004.

Objectives

Over the past decade, information and communications technologies have seen significant change, from the proliferation of the network to the widespread deployment of cell phones, to the advent of mobile computing. The standards world has changed as well, but these changes are neither documented nor institutionalized.

The Group should prepare a set of proposals, in the form of reports and recommendations, in particular to be presented to the proposed European ICT Standards Conference, but also capable to be used in other ways. The topics should include at least the following; the Group may decide on additional topics:

• The structure and organization of ICT standardization at global and regional level, including the respective roles of formal standards bodies and consortia. This would focus on how to make standards development/setting organizations more "healthy", for example in terms of quality and timeliness of work, operational reliability and financial viability;
• The role of public authorities in ICT standardization, including Government as regulator, enforcer and major procurer;
• The economics of ICT standardization, including educational, promotional and awareness issues. This would include internal aspects relating to communication within standards bodies and groups, between participating companies and central services, and external ones, such as external promotion of standards activities and synergies between them, promotion of an academic curriculum concerning ICT standards issues, etc.

The draft reports and recommendations should take particular account of the role of the different market players in the standardization process, i.e. industry, as technology provider, service provider and end-user, including SMEs, public bodies, academia including research, consumers.

Membership

Participation in the Group shall be open to ICTSB delegates, or their representatives, only. Additional persons may be co-opted by agreement.

Working methods and time schedule

The Group shall hold physical meetings as it requires, but participants unable to attend meetings shall be able to participate electronically. Documents for approval by the Group shall be circulated in advance to allow for the submission of electronic comments, which shall be fully taken into account by the Group. The Group shall work by consensus; reports shall include minority views and alternative viewpoints as appropriate.

Full electronic working facilities shall be provided, with an e-mail exploder and FTP site. Telephone meetings may be held.

Deliverables

ICTSB shall determine which documents emanating from the Group shall be published and in what format, and submitted to any future ICT Standards Conference.

Timescale

The Group shall determine its timeframe of operation. Initial indications are as follows:

• Approval in ICTSB 17 March
• Start of Group April/May
• Interim report ICTSB June including initial contributions to the Conference programme
• Final report ICTSB October (though if further development work required the Group may be extended)
• Delivery as required into Conference and any other activities

Resources

The Group will be voluntary in character; CEN/ISSS is prepared to provide the Secretariat function.