ETSI Report of Technical Activities in 2008 · ETSI Project eHealth ... Report of Technical...

Report of Technical Activities in 2008

Contents Committee Page TC ATTM (Access, Terminals, Transmission & Multiplexing) ............. 1

TC BRAN (Broadband Radio Access Networks) .................................. 3

JTC Broadcast ................................................................................. 5

TC DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) .............. 6

Ecma TC32 (Communication, Networks & System Interconnection) .. 7

TC EE (Environmental Engineering) ................................................. 9

ETSI Project eHealth ...................................................................... 11

SC EMTEL (Emergency Telecommunications) ................................. 12

TC ERM (EMC and Radio Spectrum Matters) .................................. 14

TC ESI (Electronic Signatures & Infrastructures) ............................ 20

TC GRID ........................................................................................ 22

TC HF (Human Factors) ................................................................. 23

INT (IMS Network Testing) .............................................................. 25

TC ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) ............................................ 27

TC LI (Lawful Interception) ............................................................. 29

TC M2M (Machine to Machine communications) ............................. 31

TC MCD (Media Content Disctribution) .......................................... 32

ETSI Partnership Project MESA (Public Safety Partnership Project) . 33

TC MSG (Mobile Standards Group) ................................................. 34

TC MTS (Methods for Testing and Specification) ............................. 35

TC PLT (Powerline Telecommunications) ......................................... 36

TC RRS (Reconfigurable Radio Systems) ......................................... 37

TC RT (Railway Telecommunications) ............................................. 38

TC SAFETY .................................................................................... 39

SC SAGE (Security Algorithms Group of Experts) ........................... 40

TC SCP (Smart Card Platform) ........................................................ 41

TC SES (Satellite Earth Stations and Systems) ............................... 43

TC STQ (Speech and multimedia Transmission Quality) ................. 45

TC TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) ............................................ 48

3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) .................................. 49

TC TISPAN (Telecommunication & Internet converged Services…) ... 51

SC User Group ............................................................................... 53


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TC ATTM Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing

Chairman: Dominique Roche France Telecom

Responsible for the standardisation of access, terminals, transmission and multiplexing, including cabling, installations, signal transmission and other forms of signal treatment up to digitalisation in the private and public domains, and focusing on the specific technology, equipment, installations and regulatory aspects of the physical layer Energy efficiency is now a key focus of ETSI’s Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing Technical Committee (TC ATTM). The TC is defining the general landscape of work required to address the energy consumption of all telecommunications equipment and systems. TC ATTM is addressing new developments in xDSL technologies and the needs of an industry which is focussing increasingly on reaching as many customers as possible with a broadband service. Good progress was made in 2008 on the delivery of energy efficient broadband through xDSL technologies. Work has recently been extended to include the design of energy efficient and sustainable broadband networks in the early stages of network planning and roll-out. TC ATTM will examine the possibilities for sustainable energy savings within the broadband infrastructure (installations, buildings etc.) and in the multi-services that broadband can offer. Work continues on access network xDSL transmission filters, to revise the existing 5-part ETSI Technical Specification (TS) which covers static filters, and to create a new sub-part 6 on dynamic filters. The first drafts of the multi-part TS on splitters for European deployment, based on the ITU-T DSL Recommendations, were finalised in 2008 and work on this series is now nearing completion. The results of this activity are eagerly awaited by the industry; key players have already agreed to take the TC’s work into account. The first ADSL specification for copper transmission equipment, designed to increase energy efficiency, is expected to be finalised early in 2009. Work continued on the European functional requirements for VDSL2, which will be forwarded to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for inclusion in their relevant Recommendation. Work on the VDSL2 signal model is ongoing; the existing TS was revised in 2008 in response to the latest developments. New work began on the management of frequency for VDSL with the aim of improving the efficiency of transmission. TC ATTM and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) are working together on broadband implementation in Europe. Energy costs continue to rise, while broadband penetration is introducing new equipment to the network architecture. Energy consumption is therefore a major consideration affecting widespread broadband deployment. Work on the specification of the installation of cabling and control/command within buildings and homes progressed well in 2008 following the establishment of an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF). This STF is developing a series of ETSI Technical Specifications which address the energy efficiency of the key sub-systems for broadband deployment ranging from the operators’ data centres, sites and core networks, via the access network, to customer premises. The work is due for completion by June 2009. The output of this STF is crucial; it is expected to direct the future work of TC ATTM on energy efficiency.


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Use of the frequency ranges 71-76 GHz and 81- 86 GHz for point-to-point radio links has now been included in the corresponding Harmonised Standards family. Collaboration with other standardisation organisations increased throughout 2008, particularly with the ITU’s Telecommunications Standardisation sector (ITU-T) in the area of broadband deployment and multi-service implementation. Work has now started on network termination, and a new TS was completed in 2008. The TC is working with the Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) in this area and is taking their specifications into account in its work. TC ATTM’s activities in Home Networking were reorganised in 2008. The Committee’s Task Group (TG HN) was closed and in November three project groups were created to focus on respectively: home networking, optical access networking (including customer networks) and cable access networking. The Home Networking group will co-ordinate its work with CENELEC with the aim of attaining a unified position on multi-services at the European level. The project group will also liaise with the HGI. The Cable Access Networking group has agreed to study the new DOCSIS service and to produce a series of five new TSs for DOCSIS v3. The first drafts are expected to be ready by mid-2009. The nine subparts of a Harmonised European Standard for fixed radio systems were revised and published in 2008 and the relevant ETSI Technical Report was updated. TC ATTM also works closely with ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TC TISPAN), Machine-to Machine (TC M2M) and Environmental Engineering (TC EE) Technical Committees.


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TC BRAN Broadband Radio Access Networks

Chairman: Bernd Friedrichs Ericsson GmbH

Responsible for the standardisation of Broadband Radio Access Networks ETSI’s Broadband Radio Access Networks Technical Committee produces standards and specifications for various Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) technologies in various frequency ranges. The main focus in 2008 was on new spectrum demand (System Reference Documents), Harmonised Standards produced under a mandate from the European Commission, as well as conformance testing (radio and protocol testing). TC BRAN has been very successful in the development of HiperMAN technical specifications for interoperable systems (to enable communication between equipment from different vendors), where there is a particular emphasis on the lower layers (physical and data link control). The Technical Specifications for the air interface of HiperMAN systems have been continuously harmonised with the IEEE 802.16 Working Group specifications. In co-operation with the WiMAX Forum, TC BRAN is developing protocol and network conformance test specifications for HiperMAN to be used for the certification of WiMAX Forum-compliant devices. (The certification scheme and all related aspects are under the full control of the industry forum.) The work on test cases and their validation is expected to continue for several years in order to achieve good test coverage and to take into account the latest IEEE 802.16 specifications. ETSI and the WiMAX Forum share a common interest in performing and promoting standardisation to enable global markets, which is embodied in a formal Co-operation Agreement. TC BRAN has made extensive use of ETSI Specialist Task Forces (STFs) for the production of Protocol Conformance Test Specifications, covering in particular the BRAN HiperMAN technology. The TC is indebted to the efforts of the STFs and the support of ETSI’s Centre for Testing and Interoperability (CTI) for their invaluable assistance with the production of its numerous deliverables. The work on System Reference Documents, Harmonised Standards and other regulatory issues is undertaken within TC BRAN’s Regulatory Competence Working Group (RCWG). In 2008, the RCWG produced several new Harmonised Standards as well as a revision of the Harmonised Standard for 5 GHz Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs). This revision of the Harmonised Standard for 5 GHz RLANs was a difficult exercise which was required to improve the Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) mechanism which RLANs have to employ in order to protect other primary services within the 5 GHz band, notably civil and military radar systems. The work was completed in close co-operation with the Telecommunication Conformity Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee (TCAM) of the European Commission and EUMETNET, the network of European Meteorological Services. These changes will have a serious impact on the RLAN industry as it means new chip sets will have to be used and, in most cases, the re-designing of products will be unavoidable. RCWG has also virtually completed the development of Harmonised Standards for Personal Broadband data transmission systems in the 2.500 MHz to 2.690 MHz frequency range. It has


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taken almost three years, but agreement has finally been reached between all the stakeholders, and a first set of standards for Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems has been delivered. This work was co-ordinated with other ETSI technical bodies including the joint Task Force for European Standards for IMT-2000 (TFES) of ETSI’s Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio Spectrum Matters (TC ERM) and Mobile Standards Group (TC MSG) Technical Committees and with Project Team 1 (PT1) of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). Work on a Harmonised Standard for Personal Area Networks (PAN) in the 60 GHz frequency range began in 2007, based on a previously developed System Reference Document for Wireless Gigabit Systems. This standard was also finished by the end of 2008. The Harmonised Standard for Broadband Wireless Access Mobile Terminal Stations in the 3.400 MHz to 3.800 MHz frequency band was also completed and new work began to produce a Harmonised Standard for Broadband Wireless Access Base Stations in the same frequency band. Prof. Dr. Bernd Friedrichs was Chairman of TC BRAN for six years, during which time he guided the Committee successfully through a difficult period full of challenges. However, in 2008 he announced that he was taking on a new challenge within a new company, and therefore tendered his resignation as Chairman of TC BRAN. His hard work within the Committee is greatly appreciated.


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JTC Broadcast Joint Technical Committee of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) and ETSI

Chairman: Phil Laven EBU

Responsible for the standardisation of broadcast systems for television, radio, data and other new services via satellite, cable, Satellite Master Antenna Television (SMATV) and terrestrial transmitters, for the transmission of programmes and receiving equipment JTC Broadcast made good progress in 2008 on the standardisation of Hybrid Satellite/terrestrial transmission to handheld devices (DVB-SH) with the publication of a new European Standard (EN). DVB-SH is designed to deliver video, audio and data services to vehicles and handheld devices. Its key feature is the use of satellites to achieve coverage of large regions or even a whole country but, in areas where direct reception of the satellite signal is not possible, terrestrial gap filler can be used seamlessly to provide complete coverage. The first ten parts of an ETSI Technical Report (TR) on Content Protection and Copy Management (DVB-CPCM) were also published in 2008. This system protects and manages commercial digital content delivered to consumer products from, among others, broadcast (e.g., cable, satellite and terrestrial), Internet-based services, packaged media and mobile services. CPCM is intended to protect all types of commercial content – audio, video and associated applications and data. It provides specifications to facilitate interoperability of such content by networked consumer devices for both home networking and remote access. In the area of Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), work is ongoing on the second generation of European Standards for digital transmission in cable systems (DVB-C2) and for digital terrestrial television (DVB-T2). The existing ENs for digital terrestrial television (DVB-T) and for digital satellite broadcasting (DVB-S2) are being revised. The existing EN containing the DVB specifications for data broadcasting was revised in 2008 and work to update the EN on the interaction channel for satellite distribution systems (DVB-RCS) was almost completed. Work continues on an ongoing basis to update the DVB service information Standard. New work was initiated to create a revised version of the ETSI Standard (ES) on the MHEG-5 broadcast profile with extensions for High Definition (HD) and content delivery. This will add additional features to the existing profile and enable HD operation and connection to a broadband interaction channel. With the assistance of ETSI’s Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio Spectrum Matters Technical Committee (TC ERM), JTC Broadcast is also working on small gap fillers designed to complement the network of traditional high power ‘DVB-T like’ transmitters with additional ‘on-frequency’ repeaters to improve the reception of DVB-H services, especially in urban areas, in the lower floors of buildings and when using receivers with integrated antenna. Revisions of numerous Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) specifications were completed. The ES on the system specification was updated; this work will continue in 2009 to include DRM+, which is designed for digital radio broadcasting operating at frequencies between 30 MHz and 174 MHz. Work on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) included updates to take account of new developments and the creation of a number of new specifications including ETSI Technical Specifications (TSs) on IP Datacast (IPDC) services, transport and voice applications. Finally, ongoing work ensures the maintenance of TV-Anytime standards for services delivered to personal video recorders (for example, based on hard disks or removable media such as DVDs).


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TC DECT™ Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications

Chairman: Günter Kleindl Siemens AG

Responsible for the development and maintenance of standards for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) The popularity of DECT is continuing to spread throughout the world. The system has now been adopted in over 110 countries. With over 670 million devices sold and more than 100 million devices being added every year, DECT is a global technology, designed for both cordless voice and broadband home communication. In 2008 there was particularly strong growth in DECT sales in the United States, partly as a result of the fact that DECT operation is now permitted in the 1920-1930 MHz band in North America. Following the official introduction of DECT in the USA in January 2006, DECT had reached 64% of the total cordless US market by the end of 2008. ETSI’s DECT Technical Committee (TC DECT) is responding to the evolution of the fixed communication network which is moving to a new generation – Next Generation Networks (NGN). Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and IP-based value-added services are already generating new services for the end-user – and new revenues for suppliers and operators. As the dominating technology, therefore, for in-home distribution of voice services, DECT is also moving to a new generation especially scaled for Next Generation communication networks – ’New Generation DECT‘. In close co-operation with the DECT Forum, TC DECT is working to drive the standardisation, development and market preparation for New Generation DECT technology and appropriate products, studying the market with a view to proposing future DECT implementations. TC DECT also liaises with the DECT Forum over service requirements. In 2008, TC DECT finalised Part 3 of the New Generation DECT specification. This includes a number of additional features, such as several supplementary services and a new ‘no emission’ mode, which provides the ability to deactivate all radio transmissions. Power-down is negotiated and an algorithm is provided that guarantees a short resynchronisation time, if a service is requested. Part 3 also offers improved audio quality, easy pairing (it works like a sort of ‘plug and play’ for DECT), and multiple calls and multiple lines for more complex systems. These and other additional services have been achieved through the improved compatibility between different products from different manufacturers, especially products for Internet access, for example integrated products containing a DECT base station together with a router, which usually handles data, so that users can talk directly over the Internet. New Generation DECT will become an integral part of home gateways, so interoperability is an important driver for these standardisation activities. New Generation DECT has already attracted many supporters and the new features will provide an additional push for the continuously growing DECT market. In 2008, TC DECT updated the European Standards (ENs) for the multi-part base standard and for the generic access profile, and completed new ETSI Technical Specifications (TSs) for New Generation DECT covering wideband speech and extended services. A TS providing for software updating over the air and content download is also being prepared. This will allow users to upgrade their equipment and download new software instead of having to discard existing equipment and start again in order to enjoy the latest technological developments.


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Meanwhile maintenance of the New Generation DECT specifications continues on an ongoing basis and work has almost been completed on three Harmonised Standards to take account of the new features of New Generation DECT. Liaison with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) continues to update the specifications for IMT-2000 air interfaces, underlining the importance of DECT as a global standard. The ITU recommendations have been revised to include the latest versions of the relevant DECT standards, including the New Generation DECT functionality. New long term work on DECT-Advanced began in 2008, preparing specifications for the ITU for the evolution of New Generation DECT. DECT-Advanced will offer additional services, which require higher speed and throughput for transmission, video will have higher resolution and real-time services will be available. A completely new physical layer is required for DECT which will provide much higher bit rates and greater efficiency, fulfilling the requirements of IMT-Advanced. DECT-Advanced represents the major task of 2009 and 2010; TC DECT is working on an ETSI Technical Report which will be followed later by Technical Specifications. Finally, TC DECT works closely with a number of other ETSI committees. For example, TC DECT has been co-operating with ETSI’s Speech and Multimedia Transmission Quality Technical Committee (TC STQ) on a wideband codec for New Generation DECT. TC STQ has been helping to develop the necessary new audio transmission parameters. There is also co-operation with ETSI’s Security Algorithms Group of Experts (SAGE), which has recommended improved security algorithms for New Generation DECT, and in 2009 these will be included in the DECT base standard.


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Ecma TC32 Communication, Networks and Systems Interconnection

Chairman: Bernard Hammer Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co KG

According to the co-operation agreement between ETSI and Ecma International, Ecma TC32 acts as the ETSI core competence centre for communication, networks and systems interconnection in the field of private/corporate telecommunications. This includes architecture, service, protocol, interoperability and management. During 2008 Ecma TC32 worked on aspects of communication systems for corporate networks, including the enhancement of Computer Supported Telecommunications Applications (CSTA) and business communication involving Next Generation Corporate Networks (NGCN) and public Next Generation Networks (NGN). In August, TC32 set up a new Task Group (TG21) on ‘Proxying support for sleep modes’ and an Editing Group to produce a Technical Report on ‘Personal Networks & Federations (PN&F)’. The current focus of CSTA work is on a new standard for the CSTA object model, CSTA Location-Based features (use cases, services, modelling and service interaction with ECMA-269), enhancements to ECMA-348 outbound operations to use WS-Addressing and WS-Base Notification and Unified Modelling Language (UML) modelling for Monitoring Services. Further enhancements and maintenance of the CSTA technology will include work on new editions of ECMA-269, ECMA-323 and ECMA-348 and TR/82. In the area of NGCN, the committee is addressing the demand of enterprises for cost effective and highly responsive business communication which integrates Information Technology with telecommunication infrastructures. The characteristics of NGCN include the consolidation of multiple services such as voice, video and data into a single converged Internet Protocol (IP)-network, hosted service provided by third party service providers and with the support of mobility features on and off campus. Ecma TC32 has consulted in depth with ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN) with the aim of solving service signalling and management issues for business communication across NGNs and NGCNs. In 2008 Ecma TC32 started work on two Technical Reports on NGCN, addressing security and emergency calls, and on the second edition of TR92 (enterprise mobility). These are expected to be approved by the end of 2009. In August 2008 TC TISPAN and Ecma TC32, together with the Third Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP™) Core Networks and Terminals (TSG CT) and Service and Systems Aspects (TSG SA) Task Specification Groups, held a 2-day workshop to evaluate the impact of IMS – Next Generation Corporate Network (NGCN) interconnection, as specified by Ecma TC32 and TISPAN, on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) specifications in 3GPP Release 8. The workshop acknowledged Ecma’s concerns about the complexity of the IMS specifications and the difficulty in deriving the interface specification applicable to an NGCN site. As a result, Ecma TC32 and TC TISPAN have begun work on a Technical Report which will offer implementers a guide to the 3GPP interface(s) supporting corporate network interconnection. With effect from January 2009 the Co-operation Agreement between Ecma and ETSI for standardisation in the field of telecommunications (popularly known as the JEEC Agreement), which was signed in 2000, has been replaced by a new contract and ETSI Technical Committee Ecma TC32 was closed. This new framework continues the longstanding relationship between Ecma International and ETSI and will optimise the opportunities for further co-operation.


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TC EE Environmental Engineering

Chairman: Beniamino Gorini Alcatel Lucent

Responsible for defining the equipment engineering and environmental aspects for telecommunication infrastructures and equipment ETSI’s Environmental Engineering Technical Committee (TC EE) deals with the following issues: environmental requirements (mechanical, chemical and climatic conditions), the acoustic noise emission of equipment, power supply interface requirements and monitoring, grounding and bonding and related topics, mechanical structure and physical design, thermal management and the ecological aspects of environmental topics. The TC has two working groups (WGs): EE2, which works on Power Supply topics, and EEPS (Eco Environmental Product Standards) for eco-environmental issues, including power management and energy reduction. In 2008, WG EE2 worked on the requirements for control and the monitoring of power and cooling systems used in telecommunication infrastructures. These are defined in a nine-part ETSI Standard (ES); Part 1 was published in 2007 and revised in 2008. Other parts of the standard, containing the generic interface and dedicated to particular equipment (DC power systems, air conditioning systems, other utilities, and remote feeding telecommunication and outdoor cabinet system control and monitoring), were virtually completed in 2008 and are due for publication in 2009. Other activities in WG EE2 included revision of the European Standards (ENs) on the power supply interface requirements of telecommunication equipment, which are expected to be published in 2009-2010. Work also continues on an ETSI Technical Report (TR) for reverse power feeding, which is due for publication in 2009. This work, which is being undertaken in collaboration with Working Group TM6 of ETSI’s Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing Technical Committee (TC ATTM TM6), will define a new powering interface. The main highlights of WG EEPS in 2008 included a definition of life cycle analysis (LCA) for telecommunication products, an environmental impact assessment of Information Communication Technology (ICT) products, and alternative energy sources for TLC sites. A new ETSI Technical Specification (TS) of the power consumption of broadband network equipment was published in 2008, detailing the power consumption requirements of access telecommunication equipment (e.g. xDSL). Work also continues on a TS for the energy efficiency of wireless access networks which is due for publication in 2009. Work has now begun on a related TS on measurement methods and limits for the energy consumption of end-user broadband equipment. Following the publication by the European Commission of its new Regulation (1275/2008) on standby and off-mode of office equipment, work on this TS will be adjusted in order to also produce an ETSI standard for the measurement method of energy consumption of end-user broadband equipment, to meet the requirements of the new regulation. WG EEPS also made good progress with two Technical Reports on alternative energy sources, and on the reduction of energy consumption in telecommunications equipment and related


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infrastructures. A new Technical Report on ICT energy consumption and global energy impact assessment methods is being prepared. In response to the European Commission’s Energy using Product (EuP) Directive, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) is producing a database of ecological standards in Europe and TC EE is collaborating with CENELEC to ensure that relevant ETSI standards are included. By the end of 2008, a revised version of the European Standard on acoustic noise emitted from telecommunication equipment was almost completed. Work also progressed well to revise the climatic standard for indoor equipment and the multi-part EN and TR on equipment practice and thermal management; these should be completed in 2009. A TR is being prepared on equipment installed in outdoor locations. TC EE liaises with other bodies, including the Focus Group on Climate Change of the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) and CENELEC’s TC111X committee on the standardisation mandates for the EuP Directive. In 2008 TC EE participated actively in the work of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on the Codes of Conduct for energy consumption of broadband equipment (a second version of which was published in November 2008) and Data Centres (also published in November 2008) to monitor their impact on telecommunication equipment. In 2008 TC EE’s Work Programme on eco-environmental matters was presented to the ITU-T and at the European Conference on ‘Green Initiatives’ in Berlin in November. TC EE makes a significant contribution to ETSI’s Green Agenda.


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EP eHEALTH ETSI Project eHEALTH

Chairman: Saad Mezzour Medtronic Bakken Research Center BV

Responsible for co-ordinating existing ETSI activities which are already contributing in the eHealth domain, identifying gaps where further standardisation activities might be required and producing standards to plug those gaps which are not the responsibility of other ETSI bodies A major task for ETSI Project eHEALTH in 2008 was the development of a set of user service models for eHealth, which will be used to classify applications. This work represents the first step towards finding interoperable solutions for healthcare data collection, transmission, storage and interchange, with appropriate security, privacy and reliability. The next step will be to develop requirements and a service architecture to improve eHealth services, involving the relevant stakeholders, including both users and medical professionals. The ultimate aim is that eHealth systems should offer users better access to more cost-effective healthcare services, irrespective of location. Work progressed well in 2008 with the support of an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF 355). An ETSI Technical Report (TR) was completed, which analysed user services models, technologies and applications supporting eHealth. Work continued in parallel on two other TRs, one collecting together architectures and service models for eHealth and the other mapping use cases and services to telecommunication services. This work will not only identify standardisation gaps, but also develop a set of use cases linked to standards. EP eHEALTH made a significant contribution to the joint response from the three Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) – the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) and ETSI – to European Commission Mandate 403 (M/403) on barriers to ICT standards adoption for eHealth purposes. EP eHEALTH is also working in collaboration with other international organisations which may have already developed standards in this area (not all of which are formal SDOs) to avoid the duplication of effort and the creation of new, unnecessary standards. EP eHEALTH is also working to define the service requirements for Short Range Radio communication and networking such as quality of service (QoS), security, privacy, reliability, robustness, frequency bands, regulatory issues and power consumption. A TR is scheduled for completion in 2009. As a result of changes in European spectrum regulation for Short Range Devices for wireless medical communications, EP eHEALTH and ETSI’s Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio Spectrum Matters Technical Committee (TC ERM) have made a joint request for the allocation of additional spectrum for wireless medical communications. STF 352 was established in April 2008 as a joint project of EP eHEALTH and ETSI’s Human Factors Technical Committee (TC HF), to work on the personalisation of eHealth services. Effective user profile management is critical to achieve eInclusion and eAccessibility. It is important that products and services match the needs of every user, even when those needs may be different from those of the majority. The objective of this work is to demonstrate how the goal of the new ICT era, where services and devices within eHealth can be personalised by users in order to meet the individual’s needs, can be achieved. This STF will result in specifications of objects, preferences and contexts that are specific for personalisation within the eHealth domain, to complement other ongoing ETSI work on general user profile management.


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Special Committee EMTEL Emergency Telecommunications

Chairman: Ken Mott BAPCO (British Association of Public Safety Communications Officers)

Responsible for identifying the operational and technical requirements of those involved in the provision of emergency communications, for conveying these requirements to other ETSI committees and for liaison with other organisations involved in this field Meetings of ETSI’s Emergency Communications Special Committee (EMTEL) are regularly attended by experts from operators, vendors and administrations and a significant representation of emergency organisations, which places the Committee in an ideal position to identify user needs. EMTEL’s task is to distil user requirements into reports and specifications and to co-ordinate with other ETSI committees to ensure that the necessary standardisation is achieved. As well as user needs, the Committee’s mission implies consideration of topics linked to network architectures, network resilience, contingency planning, priority communications, priority access technologies and network management, national security and Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR). Work to revise the set of ETSI Technical Specifications (TSs) on requirements for communication in emergency situations was completed in 2008 with the publication in February of a new version of the TS on communication between authorities/organisations which captures the requirements in a technology-neutral way. The ETSI Technical Report (TR) on solutions and standardisation activities for emergency calls and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was published in July 2008. The Committee’s Special Report on European regulatory opinions has now been revised to take account of future developments in VoIP; it was published as a TR in April 2008. Three new areas of work were opened in 2008. A study into unauthenticated and unregistered access to the emergency services will help tackle the problem of emergency calls made from handsets without a SIM card, where the details of the caller are unavailable. A Special Report on call forwarding and the referral of emergency calls is being compiled. At present in some countries, emergency calls have to be redialled if more than one service is required. The Committee is looking at ways in which the call can be forwarded, to save crucial time and increase efficiency. Thirdly a Special Report on test verification for emergency calls, looking at the possibility of standardising procedures, is being drafted. The Committee is making particular efforts to involve the public safety community more closely in its work and in the standardisation process generally, and has adopted a strategy to encourage participation. Members of the Committee have made a number of presentations at relevant conferences and EMTEL is investigating the enhancement of the current EMTEL website to provide a forum for the publication of documents, the dissemination of information and for consultation among the wider public safety community. EMTEL continues to monitor the work being undertaken throughout ETSI which is relevant to emergency situations, to ensure a co-ordinated approach and the stimulation of further work. EMTEL thus works closely with ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN) and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) on emergency requirements in Next Generation Networks (NGNs),


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and with ETSI’s Mobile Standards Group (TC MSG) Technical Committee on the European Commission’s eCall vehicle safety initiative. In addition, EMTEL liaises with organisations outside ETSI such as the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T, Study Group 2) and the Joint Technical Committee of the International Organisation for Standardisation and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC JTC). EMTEL continues to monitor discussions with the European Union’s CoCom group of experts, especially in relation to the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and emergency calls in a VoIP environment, and is involved in discussions with the European Commission over the IP interface between all-IP networks and next generation Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).


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TC ERM EMC and Radio Spectrum Matters

Chairman: Gabrielle Owen Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs

Responsible for a range of radio product and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards and the overall co-ordination of radio spectrum matters

ETSI’s EMC and Radio Spectrum Matters Technical Committee (TC ERM) is working to progress a variety of applications in a wide range of areas. ETSI is an observer in several groups relating to the European Commission (EC), in particular its Telecommunication Conformity Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee (TCAM), and continues to provide a broad range of Harmonised Standards required under the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive. TC ERM also works closely with the EC on radio spectrum issues, especially the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) and the Radio Spectrum Committee (RSC), as well as with the Electronic Communications Committee of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT-ECC). In October, TC ERM updated its register of spectrum use. This widely used ETSI Technical Report (TR) gives an overview of ETSI standards and specifications, together with their applications and frequency bands, and is essential reading for manufacturers. New work began in 2008 on spurious domain emissions which pollute the environment for radio users. TC ERM’s Radio Matters Working Group (WG RM) is co-ordinating ETSI’s input into the revision of CEPT/ERC Rec. 74-01. The WG is also co-ordinating the project to assess the alignment of ETSI Harmonised Standards with Rec. 74-01. Work continues on the provision of System Reference Documents to handle requests from ETSI for European Harmonised spectrum. To optimise communication with the regulators in CEPT, revision of the ETSI Guide on drafting a System Reference Document is being undertaken. In close co-operation with ETSI’s Reconfigurable Radio Systems Technical Committee (TC RRS), TC ERM has embarked on a new study of Software-Defined Radio (SDR) parameters and their effect on compatibility studies as a result of the introduction of new SDR equipment. This is a long-term project, anticipating future needs as technology evolves. In 2008 there was considerable activity by the regulators in CEPT and the RSC to make radio spectrum available under conditions through which it is possible to change the technology being used. ETSI has therefore assessed the impact of the trend towards flexibility in spectrum usage on the design of Harmonised Standards and the ETSI work programme. The results were published in a TR in May. During the drafting of ETSI Harmonised Standards, the inclusion – or not – of parameters, in particular of those relating to receiver performance, has triggered intense debate in other ETSI committees. By the end of 2008, TC ERM had virtually completed a new TR on ETSI’s current practice on receiver parameters and how to approach this topic in the future. This is a


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preliminary step before updating the guidance contained in the ETSI Guide on the production of Harmonised Standards, which is expected to commence in 2009. TC ERM is working in support of Project Walter, the EC project aimed at developing interoperability and conformance test specifications, test methods and test tools for Ultra Wide Band (UWB) devices. Spectral measurement work was carried out in 2008 on an example of UWB office communications equipment. The results successfully demonstrated both the capability of the cryogenic techniques used and assessed the performance of the devices under test. The existing TR on measurement uncertainty is being updated to include a review of measurement uncertainty values based on new information on state-of-the-art measurements at higher frequencies. This will include a recommended approach, and possible limits for measurement uncertainty for the measurement of radiated electromagnetic fields. Work on UWB communications is progressing well. A European Standard (EN) was published in 2008 and a TR on Radio Frequency (RF) compliance methods is expected to be completed in 2009. A TR which provides the technical specifications of Detect And Avoid (DAA) mitigation techniques for UWB devices, to protect active radio services, was published and subsequently updated. New work on UWB applications in planes was initiated and a TR is due for publication in 2009. In UWB automotive radar applications, the EN on short range radar (SRR) equipment operating in the 24 GHz range for Road Transport and Traffic Telematics (RTTT) was revised. Work on 77 - 81 GHz auto radar is ongoing and a two-part EN is due for publication in 2009. New work was completed on a TR for UWB SRR in the 24 - 29 GHz range, anticipating the granting of additional spectrum to increase market growth. TC ERM will prepare related ENs for this frequency range in 2009. In the area of UWB sensors, the EN on ground- and wall- probing radar applications was published and the related TR was updated. The existing Standard and TR on UWB for Location Tracking were updated to take account of new spectrum allocations. A TR on location tracking and centre applications for auto and transportation environments is being prepared and appropriate spectrum is being requested, to be used, for example, in the payment of tickets and in location applications for the emergency services. A new Harmonised Standard was published on UWB equipment operating in the frequency band from 2,2 - 8 GHz and used for the analysis and classification of building materials, for example by construction workers to pinpoint supports in walls. Work is ongoing on a TR covering transmission characteristics and related measurements for UWB; publication is due in 2009. A new EN is being produced on object discrimination which will have safety applications in DIY tools. Work on the spectrum requirements of these applications is progressing. On the aeronautical front, TC ERM is revising the EN on ground-based VHF hand-held, mobile and fixed radio transmitters, receivers and transceivers using amplitude modulation (AM). The changes will accommodate the co-location of frequencies in highly populated areas and meet the EC’s requirements for air-ground voice channel spacing for the Single European Sky (SES). Work on Part 1 is nearing completion. Part 2 will be revised to include several minor technical modifications and some textual changes, but finalisation of this – and a number of other TC ERM projects – is awaiting a decision regarding the relation between the R&TTE Directive and the SES Interoperability Regulation. Considerable work was undertaken in 2008 to clarify the confusion between the different RF parameters required by these two codes. In parallel with the work on ground-based VHF equipment and in response to manufacturers’ needs, TC ERM is developing ENs for ground-based UHF hand-held, mobile and fixed radio transmitters, receivers and transceivers for the UHF aeronautical mobile service using AM in 225 - 400 MHz. The existing STANG 4205 (Standardisation Agreement in NATO) was very limited for ground-based UHF equipment. Work progressed well in 2008 and, by the end of the year, the technical characteristics and methods of measurement were virtually completed.


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In close collaboration with the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE), TC ERM is working on new ‘Community Specifications’ intended to ensure an interoperable European Air Traffic Management Network (EATMN). Community Specifications are European Standards that may be used to give presumption of conformity to the SES Interoperability Regulation. In 2008, the first of these specifications, Part 1 of a four-part EN on Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), was completed; work is ongoing for the other three parts. Work also continues on a specification for Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), aimed at improving airport operations by ensuring that airport partners (such as airports, airlines and air traffic controllers) all receive relevant and accurate information on time. In broadcasting, new work started in June 2008 on the creation of a standard for digital transmitting equipment for audio and data services operating in Band II of the broadcasting service, within the frequency range 87.5 - 108 MHz, including but not limited to DRM plus, FM extra and HD Radio. This new standard will complement and co-exist with the existing Harmonised Standard for Analogue Transmitting Equipment. It is designed to support the deployment of new digital technologies which allow broadcasters to add digital signals to their existing analogue broadcasts, providing the capability for an eventual transition to digital only transmission. Other broadcasting work being undertaken in the Joint Technical Committee of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ETSI (JTC Broadcast) has triggered the start of new work in TC ERM to analyse the compliance of the Forward Link Only air interface specification with the DVB-T Harmonised Standard. Technical tests began in November. TC ERM is also assisting JTC Broadcast with work on DVB-H small gap fillers designed to complement the network of traditional high power ‘DVB-T like’ transmitters with additional transmitters to improve the reception of DVB-H services, especially in urban areas, in the lower floors of buildings and when using receivers with integrated antenna. In the land mobile area, TC ERM has been working with ETSI’s Mobile Standards Group Technical Committee (TC MSG) on GSM™ systems on board aircraft, including requirements for installation and operation in order not to cause interference to mobile networks on the ground. An EN was published in 2008; a TS limiting the power outside an aircraft radiated from the Base Station System equipment is expected to be completed in 2009. TFES, the joint Task Force set up with TC MSG, has been working on a large multi-part Harmonised Standard to ensure that the base stations, repeaters and user equipment required for IMT-2000 third generation cellular networks reach the market. With publication of the final part of this EN in 2008, the full set was completed. Revisions to accommodate developments embodied in future Releases of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) and its North American counterpart, 3GPP2, are now continuing. Relevant parts of the EMC standard for radio equipment and services are also being updated in line with recent revisions of the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT™) standards and to enable their use by WiMAX base stations. The DECT work was finished in 2008; the WiMAX revisions are expected to be completed in 2009. TC ERM is conducting a general revision of existing standards for Private Mobile Radio (PMR)/Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR). This work made good progress in 2008 and is on schedule for completion in 2009. Work on the technical characteristics of CB radio equipment using Double Side Band (DSB) and/or Single Side Band (SSB) modulation advanced; compatibility of CB radio equipment using DSB and/or SSB modulation with a range of domestic equipment including TV and audio devices has been investigated and the results will be presented to CEPT in the form of a System Reference document, with a view to harmonising the regulations throughout Europe. Pending positive results, the TC will draft revisions of the current standards.


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In 2008, TC ERM updated its Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) standards. In particular, a new TS on Digital Private Mobile Radio (dPMR), covering the air interface protocol including voice and data services and enabling dPMR radio equipment using FDMA channel spacing of 6.25 kHz was published. New work also began, in collaboration with ETSI’s Centre for Testing and Interoperability (CTI), to create test specifications for the protocol conformance and interoperability of dPMR. In a co-operative effort with ETSI’s Railway Telecommunications Technical Committee, a new TR was produced in 2008 which provides information on additional PMR/PAMR spectrum required for use by railway operators for GSM-R in the duplex frequency band 873 - 876 MHz paired with 918 - 921 MHz. One of the applications requiring additional spectrum resources is the European Train Control System (ETCS), which releases the train driver from a number of control activities, thereby reducing the risk of human error. The spectrum request is now under consideration. In the area of public safety and security, the request for the necessary spectrum for 5 GHz Broadband Disaster Relief applications has been granted, and TC ERM is now creating a Harmonised Standard to enable equipment to be deployed in hotspots in disaster situations. In a co-operative effort with ETSI’s TETRA Technical Committee, TC ERM also prepared the necessary System Reference Document for additional spectrum requirements for future Public Safety and Security wireless communication systems in the UHF frequency range. European Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) equipment operating in the 5.795 - 5.815 MHz range can suffer from interference caused by, for example, Intelligent Transport System (ITS) transmitters. In 2008, TC ERM completed a TR which provides guidance on how to achieve co-existence between existing DSRC equipment and other users. The TR is scheduled for publication early in 2009. Also in the automotive area, as part of the drive to reduce road accidents and traffic jams, in 2008 TC ERM produced a Harmonised Standard which enables the automotive industry to introduce radio systems for ‘smart’ vehicle communications systems (so called ‘co-operative’ systems). Such systems enable one car to 'talk' to another and to road infrastructure providers, using wireless communication technology. Warning other drivers of adverse road conditions or of a crash which has just happened are just two examples of possible uses for this technology. The EC has already allocated a single European Union (EU)-wide frequency band to be used for these purposes. This new EN completes the set of legal and regulatory instruments required for introducing ITS across the EU. Work on the Harmonised Standard covering ITS/Road Transport and Traffic Telematics communications systems operating in the 63 - 64 GHz band has been postponed, pending a decision from the CEPT/ECC about this frequency band. In the maritime sector, the standards governing Narrowband direct-printing telegraph equipment for receiving meteorological or navigational information (NAVTEX) are being revised to take account of changes resulting from the International Maritime Organisation. The EN on Satellite Personal Locator Beacons operating in the 406,0 - 406,1 MHz frequency band was also updated and a new EN on active radar target enhancers is being produced. The Harmonised Standards on Digital Selective Calling (DSC) are being revised to take account of changes to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommendations. The ENs for radiotelephone transmitters and receivers for the maritime mobile service operating in VHF bands, which are used for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and on inland waterways, are also being updated. A new Harmonised Standard for navigation radar used on non-SOLAS vessels was published. The market for inductive devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) systems has seen steady growth in many areas. RFIDs are used, for example, in the automotive industry, access control, waste management and animal


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identification. EAS anti-theft systems are the only real protection against theft in shops and supermarkets. Independent marketing reports point to a dramatic growth in RFID over the next 15 years. To ensure that adequate spectrum is available to meet future needs, ETSI has prepared a System Reference Document outlining new spectrum requirements for RFID equipment and inductive loop systems operating in the frequency range 9 - 148,5 kHz. At the same time, the related EN is being revised. A System Reference Document for RFID equipment and Short Range Devices (SRDs) was published in 2008. The spectrum request is under consideration in CEPT and will include a monitoring study of the 863 - 870 MHz band to determine its present level of occupancy. The related EN was published and a revised version is due in 2009. Installation guidelines have been prepared and maintenance of existing standards continues. A successful RFID Plugtests™ event was performed at venues in Germany and The Netherlands during June 2008 to check for interoperability problems when multiple tags manufactured by different vendors are simultaneously present in the same interrogation field. Tests were run to scan clothing tags, stacks of DVDs, pallets containing multiple tagged items passing through a portal and items on a conveyor belt, simulating, for example, airline baggage or tagged goods moving along a production line. A report of the event was published. A major revision of the two-part Standard on SRDs operating in the 25 MHz - 1 GHz range has almost been completed and, in response to a market survey by the Administrative Co-operation between Surveillance Authorities (ADCO) which showed that administrative documentation related to conformance assessment levels for SRDs is generally poor, a related test report template is being developed. The new version of the generic standard covering radio equipment operating in the 1 - 40 GHz frequency range was published in 2008 and will be updated in 2009 to accommodate the ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GBSAR) application, which can be used in bridge construction and maintenance, and for monitoring landslides, volcanoes and earthquakes. Work continues on very high frequency SRDs in the 40 - 125 GHz range, which is due for completion in 2010. At the request of public safety agencies, a Standard is being developed for new, higher frequency navigational satellite devices. Already on the market, although considered illegal by some authorities, the huge potential of these devices in emergency situations has now been recognised. Emergency services would be able to gather information about an incident by satellite access, even before leaving their base, thus increasing response times. Publication of the Standard is expected in 2010. Two new ENs were published for short range devices used on railways – for Eurobalise (part of the automatic train protection system) and Euroloop (designed to improve communications for the railways). A new TR on radar level gauging applications in still pipes was published in 2008. This covers the application of Tank Level Probing Radar for use in ‘floating roof tanks’, which are not covered by existing standards governing radar installed in a closed metallic tank. The TR will demonstrate that the radar energy propagating inside the pipe has limited leakage to the outside of the tanks, and conformance to applicable standards can be achieved. Floating roof tanks are often used in petroleum refineries and storage plants. Measurements of oil quantities must be accurate to ensure accurate billing. Work has now begun to develop the requirements and a TS is expected to be completed in 2009. TC ERM is also developing a new EN governing the use of radar to measure, for example, the water level in rivers etc. A spectrum request has already been submitted to CEPT. Medical implants such as devices for the remote monitoring of blood, cranial and heart pressures, cardiac devices and insulin delivery systems have significantly improved the lives of many patients. With the rapid development and increased use of such devices, there is a need to increase the range and system capacity significantly to allow patients greater mobility and to


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increase convenience. Both higher data rates and sufficient memory are available technologically and are already provided by other non-medical systems, for example Bluetooth and Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs). However, such systems use spectrum with high user density and, because of the protocols used, require several orders of magnitude higher current consumption than is practical for medical implants. Therefore, a new spectrum able to handle the increased demand is required. At the end of 2008, TC ERM published a TR on Low Power Active Medical Implants operating in a 20 MHz band within the 2.360 - 3.400 MHz range. The document defines the requirements for radio frequency spectrum usage for low power, active medical implants and their peripheral radio control systems. The request for appropriate spectrum is currently under consideration in CEPT. Work continues on an EN for EMC in medical equipment, which is due for publication in 2009, and on the updating of other existing standards in this area. The EMC standard for radio equipment and services on earth stations covering conditions for Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) interactive earth stations operating in frequency ranges from 4 - 30 GHz in the fixed satellite service was published in 2008. The EN on cordless audio devices in the range 25 - 2.000 MHz was revised. The ENs on wireless microphones operating in the 25 MHz - 3 GHz frequency range was updated. Ongoing work includes preparation of a TR on the spectrum requirements for wireless audio devices for hearing impaired people. A revised version of the TR on Professional Wireless Microphone Systems is due for publication in 2009. Work began in November 2008 to revise the EN for commercially available amateur radio equipment to align with other more recent documents and with new spurious emission limits. Finally, the ENs on EMC for radio equipment and services and the EMC requirements of telecommunication network equipment were revised. The joint working group formed with the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) continues to work on the three-part EN for EMC for wireline telecommunications networks. Parts 1 and 2, which are due for publication in 2010, cover respectively telephone wires and coaxial cables; Part 3 covers powerlines.


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TC ESI Electronic Signatures and Infrastructures

Chairman: Riccardo Genghini Studio Notarile Genghini, eWitness SA

Responsible for the standardisation of electronic signatures and related trust infrastructures In 2008, ETSI’s Electronic Signatures and Infrastructures Technical Committee completed its work on digital accounting in response to the European Commission’s Action Plan on eSignatures and eIdentification to facilitate the provision of cross-border public services in the Single Market. Digital accounting is fundamental to boosting the advent of paperless accounting documentation (such as eInvoicing), which will increase business efficiency and reduce the potential for fraud. Work on Registered e-Mail (REM), aimed at providing a framework for origin authentication, proof of delivery and long term availability, has been very successful. The work is based on investigations among relevant players, including the Universal Postal Union, and is supported by an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF 318). Following completion of Phase 2, which delivered a three-part TS on REM architecture, formats and policies, Phase 3 has begun. This is aimed at producing a TS on REM interoperability profiles which will achieve harmonisation and ensure interoperability among REM Service Providers and REM domains. Work is on schedule to identify the profiles required by early in 2009. These are likely to include a REM Assessment Profile, which would specify requirements that a provider must satisfy for providing REM, and a number of REM Interoperability Technical Profiles to specify requirements for achieving interoperability among different REM systems and modes of operation within the same REM-Policy Domain (PD) agreement. Automatic Trust Recognition Mechanisms for cross REM-PDs (TSL and the like) will also be addressed. To enable interoperability among REM Service Providers, additional work on the Harmonisation of REM Formats and Policy is also being undertaken; this is due for completion early in 2009. In bringing together several areas of Information Technology, telecommunications and postal business, this REM work offers enormous potential with varied applications. Already Italian legislation has been changed to include the broader possibilities offered by ETSI’s standards, and in Germany the Minister of the Interior is examining the technology. Work in STF 351, aimed at creating a new version of the TS on the interoperability framework for XML Advanced Electronic Signature (XAdES), began in April 2008 and is progressing as scheduled. The results of this activity will aid interoperability for the mutual recognition of advanced electronic signatures, help achieve the widespread use of electronic signatures and related services and address new technological developments such as the use of e-signatures in mobile communication. The work is being undertaken in co-operation with the Electronic Commerce Promotion Council (ECOM) of Japan. In meetings with representatives of the European Commission (EC) responsible for the implementation of the Electronic Signature and the Services Directives, considerable interest was expressed in the outcome of this work as it relates to the build up of a trust infrastructure for electronic signatures’ interoperability in Europe. A remote XAdES Plugtests™ event of two weeks’ duration was held in March; a second was held in September 2008. A definition of test cases was completed for the September event. Software has been developed to take as input the so called ‘test cases’ document, an html page that


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specifies all the test cases of the Plugtest, includes all the interoperability matrixes and is automatically updated during the Plugtest as participants upload signatures and results. Three reports generated this way – complete, anonymous and tailored versions – were produced after the September Plugtest. The test case language definition will be reviewed and, if necessary, updated after each Plugtest. The next event is scheduled for February 2009; as Cryptographic Message Syntax Advanced Electronic Signatures (CAdES) tests are also to be included, additional work on the Test Case Definition Language and Test Cases for CAdES forms will be required. A Plugtests portal was specified and implemented in time for the September Plugtest, which includes a public documentation area (http://xades-portal.etsi.org/pub/index.shtml) and a protected documentation area. Dissemination of results and XAdES related material is a continuous activity. TC ESI has re-launched its review of the XAdES specifications. In 2008, revision of the TS which defines XML formats for advanced electronic signatures began, to align it with European Directives and incorporate additional information about cases of common use. STF 364 held its kick-off meeting in September 2008 and has progressed well with the creation of a profile for a basic variant of advanced electronic signatures in PDF which is compatible with the existing features of PDF signatures. PDF, the most widely used digital document format, with its new ISO 32000 standard status, has been recognised as a valid file format for qualified signatures (PDF/A) in several European Member States and in Japan. TC ESI will create a new TS which will represent a general consensus on the use of these signatures and hence provide a reliable basis for maximising interoperability, although some variations to the profiles may be needed in certain niche areas. A first draft of the TS was virtually completed by the end of 2008 and is expected to be published by the end of April 2009. Later phases of this project will focus on its two main objectives. Phase 2 will produce a profile for advanced electronic signatures in PDF equivalent to CAdES and XAdES and will propose extensions to ISO 32000 to support long term advanced electronic signatures. TC ESI has established a very fruitful and co-operative working relationship with the EC and its consultants. In November 2008 the EC issued Recommendation COM(2008) 798 on activities in the field of Electronic Signature (ES) standardisation. This foresees TC ESI now embarking on a number of new tasks involving the presentation of existing European Union (EU) ES deliverables. The TC is also being asked to consider a global and in-depth review and assessment of every existing standard with regard to its current status, its relevance and adequacy, with the intention of better serving market needs, particularly the needs of business. The EC has also invited TC ESI’s input and support to its efforts in drafting a new ES Decision, and would like the TC to produce a ‘Guidance Paper’ on the use of standards, including their legal relevance, which emphasises ‘business practices’, to direct future electronic signature standardisation activities within the European Standardisation Organisations. Other tasks would include establishing, maintaining and co-ordinating a general roadmap and associated budget for future electronic signature standardisation activities to achieve these activities, and establishing a plan and budget for the promotion and co-ordination of EU ES standardisation deliverables within and beyond the boundaries of the EU. This may include the organisation of ‘Stakeholders Group Meetings’ for the promotion and collection of comments from industry and business. In addition, TC ESI would support the EC in defining the specifications of a TSL for cross-recognition. This is a two-year project and an official Mandate is currently being prepared to define the tasks.


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TC GRID Chairman: Mike Fisher BT Group PLC

Responsible for producing test specifications and a broader range of Grid standards to integrate the use of telecommunications infrastructures in networked computing ETSI’s Grid Technical Committee (TC GRID) is addressing issues associated with the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and telecommunications, paying particular attention initially to the lack of interoperable Grid solutions in situations which involve contributions from both the IT and telecoms industries. TC GRID is seeking to enable interoperable and portable applications and services based on global standards, along with supporting tools and techniques for testing and validation. The vision is of interoperable elements ranging from small devices up to supercomputers, connected by global networks and capable of supporting communities ranging from individuals to whole industries. Standardisation is essential to enable many different pieces of hardware, software, operating systems, data storage systems, networks etc. to interoperate in the delivery of complex applications. ETSI’s experience in interoperability will be invaluable in Grid standardisation. During 2008, a range of IT service offerings delivered over the Internet has emerged under the term ‘Cloud computing’. Major investment by providers of computing and storage resources has stimulated considerable interest in this topic which is seen as the next step in the development of a future service-oriented ICT infrastructure. Cloud computing is fully consistent with the original TC GRID interpretation of Grid as the convergence of IT resources with wide area networks, and the need for standardisation is becoming increasingly apparent. With the support of an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) funded by the European Commission (EC), TC GRID published two ETSI Technical Reports on ICT Grid interoperability gaps in 2008. The first of these is an inventory of ICT stakeholders and the second identifies interoperability gaps. Work towards a testing framework for Grid specifications is now underway. The relationship between Grid services and telecom networks is central to the work of TC GRID. A Technical Report describing architectural options is close to publication which will form the basis for discussions –and hopefully direct collaboration– with ETSI’s Technical Committee Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TC TISPAN). In October 2008, a 5th annual Grid Plugtests™ event was held as part of VGrids@Work which was organised at INRIA in Sophia Antipolis, France. The Plugtests event was based on deploying a financial modelling application onto geographically distributed Grid resources using the Grid Component Model (GCM). This model was originally developed in a project funded by the EC and published in 2008 in the form of two ETSI Technical Specifications on GCM Interoperability Deployment and GCM Application Description. TC GRID is now organising a Plugtests event to be held in 2009, which will use the testing framework being developed by its STF. At the same time, the Committee will hold a workshop to bring together industry stakeholders from the IT and telecoms sectors, researchers, the standards community and others with common interests in service oriented infrastructures, Grids and Clouds. This is being organised in collaboration with the Open Grid Forum (OGF), specifically OGF-Europe.


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TC HF Human Factors

Chairman: Stephen Furner BT Group PLC

Responsible for human factors in all areas of telecommunications; taking a scientific and engineering approach, ETSI’s Human Factors Technical Committee produces standards, guidelines and reports to help achieve the widest possible access to converging information and communications technologies (ICT). TC HF has a special responsibility within ETSI to ensure that the needs of all users, including those who are older, young or disabled, are considered. With the steady development of ICT, new and diverse applications are flooding the market. ICT in the home are now becoming more complex than the office; on-line gaming, social networking, freeware and Open Source systems for hobbies, for example, are opening up exciting new opportunities for social and leisure use – and the market is booming. In the past, technical innovation tended to originate in the military and academic arenas; now, in a complete reversal, consumer demand is leading the drive for new products and services. The customer is playing a more collaborative role in new developments. Inevitably this raises issues for human factors. Security and personalising the way users connect with products, for example, are critical in achieving eInclusion and eAccessibility. The goal is to enter a new era of ICT where services and devices can be personalised to meet the needs of every user, even when those needs may be different from those of the majority. Different services and terminals must understand users’ preferences and offer an expected user experience. TC HF has a special responsibility to ensure that the needs of all users, including those who are older, young or disabled, are considered – and has developed an international reputation for its work. ETSI is working on general user profile management, aimed at producing an ETSI Standard on objects (including settings, values and operations) related to personalisation and user profile management. This standard is aimed at developers and manufacturers who provide services and devices that can be personalised by their customers. It will describe objects with the aim of meeting all users’ needs, including those of disabled, young and elderly people. An ETSI Technical Specification is also being prepared on architectural issues related to networks, terminals and smart cards, targeted at profile providers, telecom companies and device manufacturers who will implement and provide the underlying infrastructure and architecture of the networks and devices necessary to achieve the user profile management concept. The European Commission (EC) is active in the human aspects of ICT as it affects equality and diversity in building society, particularly in the light of an ageing population. This problem affects not only Europe; it is a global trend, and the EC is increasingly setting these issues in a global context and looking for international co-operation. In 2008, Phase 1 of the collaborative work between ETSI, the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) to examine the impact of EC Mandate 376 on procurement and the accessibility of ICT – procurement by the EC and by local and national government – was successfully completed. Negotiations are now underway over the organisation of Phase 2.


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With ever greater numbers of ever younger children now accessing the Internet on a daily basis through a host of new applications, children’s use of ICT is a major concern. In 2008 ETSI made a significant contribution to the safeguarding of children and young people with the publication of a guide to provide advice for service providers who wish to deliver their services to children. ETSI’s ongoing work on health and care services is also now focussing on the personalisation of services. In parallel with the general user profile management activities, ETSI is working on user profile management specifically for health and care services. Work also continues on multicultural studies, reflecting yet another aspect of personalisation, aimed at removing or reducing cultural barriers that can exclude people from communicating. In August 2008, ETSI published a Technical Specification which sets out the requirements for a number of Assistive Technology commands that can be used to enable assistive devices to interwork with mobile terminals. Standardised communication with assistive mobile devices will improve the quality of life for millions of disabled citizens in the European Union, and will open up opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) producing assistive devices. Work in this area will now concentrate on dissemination of the requirements. Work is also being undertaken on ICT and cars, examining how we use communication services while in a vehicle and identifying where guidelines are needed. This project addresses the potential dangers of driver distraction and its consequential impact on road safety. Issues with services and devices used by both the driver and passengers are being studied. Although the focus is on users’ needs and applications in this area, the work is also expected to open up new service opportunities. New work for 2009 includes eServices – increasing access to new user interaction technologies. In the past, the needs of people with disabilities have always lagged significantly behind the initial availability of innovative new technologies which have been developed for and targeted at mainstream consumers and frequently at closed target groups of early adopters. Subsequent measures to accommodate users with impairments have been late and costly. Unless a different approach is taken, the introduction of emerging interaction technologies such as ambient intelligence and ubiquitous communications enabled by next generation mobile networks could follow the same pattern. As with all devices and services, the aim is to have the specific requirements of elderly users and users with disabilities taken into account prior to the large-scale introduction of the technologies, in a true ‘Design-for All’ approach. However, current guidance to device manufacturers and service providers focuses on existing technologies. ETSI is therefore embarking on an analysis to anticipate the demands of emerging technologies and is beginning to develop guidelines on service design, an interaction technologies roadmap, an identification of accessibility problems and proposed solutions. The first stage of this work will be an analysis of and report on forthcoming eServices and of the technologies enabling them. 2008 was significant for the increased interest in the human factors aspects of ICT from within a wide sector of industry. As ICT penetrates ever further into the fabric of daily life in Europe, the importance of user issues and expectations looks set to continue to grow, both in Europe and globally. The consumer is becoming increasing influential in the development of ICT.


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TC INT IMS Network Testing

Chairman:Giulio Maggiore Telecom Italia SpA

Responsible for the Network Testing of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) including the development of IMS Core Network test specifications for IMS interoperability and the co-ordination of IMS interoperability efforts with other organisations IMS comprises a set of specifications designed to enable network operators to implement IP-based networks that carry services for both fixed and mobile customers. The system was originally developed in the mobile world by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™), and in the fixed world by ETSI’s Telecommunications and Internet Converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networks Technical Committee (TC TISPAN). To ensure that IMS continues to develop without fragmentation of the system, from Release 8 onwards, the common IMS is being developed in 3GPP. The business model of advanced communications over the next generation network (NGN) can only be delivered if fixed and wireless networks can interconnect. Interoperability is therefore a crucial factor governing the roll-out of IMS and, more specifically, network interconnection between operators. Operators can ensure operational excellence in a multi-vendor and multi-provider environment only via testing in a real life situation. To boost the roll-out and take-up of IMS services and operators’ network interconnections, ETSI has set up a Technical Committee to deal with IMS network testing specifications and interoperability issues. The IMS Network Testing Technical Committee (TC INT) held its first meeting in May 2008 and has since met on several occasions to plan the future of its technical work and to provide feedback from IMS Plugtests™ events into ETSI’s standardisation activities. The Committee has established close contacts with the industry fora and organisations dealing with IMS interoperability, including 3GPP, the Multi Service Forum (MSF), the IMS Forum and the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T). There has also been very constructive liaison with the GSM Association (GSMA), particularly over the opening of commercial services with operators and the need to update specifications. TC INT is developing specific IMS test specifications for interoperability, conformance, network integration etc. from specifications produced by 3GPP and TC TISPAN. Work in 2008 was supported by two ETSI Specialist Task Forces (STFs), one on Conformance Test Specifications for the use of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP) in IMS core networks and the other on Interoperability Test Specifications for IMS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI) interworking. The ETSI Technical Specifications for IMS NNI interworking tests and IMS NNI interoperability tests and for network integration testing between SIP and ISDN network signalling protocols were revised in 2008 and are expected to be published early in 2009. New work began on Technical Specifications for the conformance testing of various supplementary services. Activities in 2009 will be accelerated with the support of two new STFs.


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TC INT has responsibility for the organisation of IMS interoperability events in association with ETSI’s Centre for Testing and Interoperability (CTI) and the Plugtests interoperability testing service. In November 2008 in Bled, Slovenia, ETSI held its second highly successful IMS interoperability event. This event included the testing of 3GPP IMS Release 7 interworking, roaming, border control and the integration of application servers executing selected multimedia telephony supplementary services. The next ETSI IMS interoperability event will be held in October 2009. It is expected to be further enhanced by the incorporation of commercial IMS clients, including those using the new RCS (Rich Content Suite).


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TC ITS Intelligent Transport Systems

Chairman:Soeren Hess Daimler AG

Responsible for standardisation to support the development and implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) service provision across the network, for transport networks, vehicles and transport users, including interface aspects and multiple modes of transport and interoperability between systems Intelligent Transport Systems use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide services to improve the safety, reliability, efficiency and quality of transport. Two aspects of ITS service provision make it particularly important: the safety of road users through the reduction of death and injury (in Europe, over 40.000 deaths occur on our roads every year and there are more than 1,25 million injuries); and the efficient use of transport systems to minimise pollution emissions such as CO2 and to optimise fuel consumption. The potential applications of ITS are numerous and exciting. They include vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-roadside communication and the networks behind this communication, police and emergency services, traffic controls, signs in cars and parking services. ITS service provision, especially the more advanced services, relies on communications. This involves both wireless communications with and between vehicles and backbone system telecommunications. This makes ITS an area of strategic relevance to ETSI and one where ETSI leadership is required, particularly in relation to the European requirements for the provision of ITS services. The work of ETSI’s Intelligent Transport Systems Technical Committee (TC ITS) is actively supported by a large variety of companies including car-makers, the automotive supply industry, silicon vendors, network operators, research organisations and test houses. The initial focus of TC ITS is on the overall architecture for ITS including detailed applications, networks, media and security/privacy issues, in particular for co-operative vehicular communications to provide interoperability. Since co-operative systems in the vehicular world have a global dimension, great attention is being paid to creating commonly agreed standards for the network architecture, protocols and transmission formats. Having a set of commonly agreed standards will help lead to global interoperability and the harmonisation of ITS services and applications. The TC’s work also has clear relevance to multi-modal types of transport and travelling – railways, aviation and the maritime sector. TC ITS is addressing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communication for ITS for safety and road traffic efficiency using 5,9 GHz ITS radio. Major progress was achieved within the regulatory environment with the decision of the EC to designate a 30 MHz bandwidth in the 5,9 GHz frequency band for ITS road safety applications. An additional 20 MHz band has been identified for the future. A frequency band of 20 MHz has also been identified for non-safety ITS applications which will be important for commercial services in support of safety-related services. ETSI’s standardisation work for co-operative ITS is now based on this regulation. The main task of 2008 was the preparation of a roadmap of the standards required to support basic applications. A basic set of application requirements, including standards for Co-operative


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Awareness Messages (CAM) and Decentralised Environmental Notification Messages (DNM), is being prepared which will be published as an ETSI Technical Specification (TS) in 2009. In close co-operation with European R&D projects, TC ITS is also developing a common communication architecture for ITS. This work will define the direction of ITS and how different elements should be built up and co-ordinated to meet global acceptance. A routing protocol – ‘GeoNetworking’ – is being developed which allows the routing of data packets in ad hoc vehicle networks without the co-ordination of a communications infrastructure, and TC ITS has almost completed a European profile standard for the 5,9 GHz band as well as technical specifications for Transmitter Power Control (TPC). Security issues and mechanisms to assure the protection of user privacy in the presence of attackers at the radio interface for the 5 GHz modes are being pursued. Future work in this area will extend the functionality to provide assurance of security (authenticity, authority, confidentiality, integrity and privacy) across all ITS modes. The first full set of ETSI ITS standards is expected by the end of 2009. TC ITS has established good co-operation with the European Commission (EC), with industrial consortia and with various European research projects such as CVIS (Co-operative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems), COOPERS (Co-operative Systems for Intelligent Road Safety) Safespot and the Pre-drive C2X project, which have all confirmed they intend to use ETSI to meet their standardisation needs. The TC also liaises with other standards development organisations including the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and relevant working groups of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). ETSI’s Memorandum of Understanding with ERTICO, the European organisation which represents the interests of ITS stakeholders, was renewed in 2008 – a sign of the strengthening co-operation and harmonisation of initiatives between the two organisations. In addition, TC ITS works closely with other ETSI bodies involved in radio and mobile communications, safety and security, testing and human factors engineering. ETSI is making its mark on the international scene in the area of Intelligent Transport Services. TC ITS participated in a number of key international events in 2008, including the ITS World Congress in November, and will be involved in the 16th ITS World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, in September 2009. TC ITS is planning an international workshop to be held at ETSI’s headquarters in February 2008 to examine the current state of play with ITS and to set standardisation priorities. 40% of registered participants are not ETSI Members, demonstrating how the success of ITS standardisation is enabling the Institute to broaden its customer base.


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TC LI Lawful Interception

Chairman: Peter van der Arend Royal KPN Netherlands

Responsible for developing standards that allow support of the requirements of national and international law for the lawful interception of electronic communications where those communications services are built using ETSI or other open standards Lawful interception (LI) plays a crucial role in helping law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism and serious criminal activity. It is therefore an essential part of the infrastructure supporting electronic transactions. As such, it is a key factor in the growth and development of the Information Society. The providers of public telecommunications networks and services are legally required to make available to law enforcement authorities the information necessary to enable them to monitor telecommunications traffic in support of investigations of criminal activities. Global interest in the work of ETSI’s Lawful Interception Technical Committee (TC LI) continues to grow, with increasing attendance at plenary meetings. In 2008, TC LI focussed primarily on activities in response to the European Union Directive on Data Retention (2006/24) which stipulates that data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks must be retained. TC LI completed a new ETSI Technical Specification (TS) on the handover interface for the request and delivery of retained data, which will enable governments to implement the requirements of the Directive, and the existing specifications on the requirements of law enforcement agencies for the handling of retained data were revised. TC LI now has a permanent seat on the EC’s Expert Group, the ‘Platform for Electronic Data Retention for the Investigation, Detection and Prosecution of Serious Crime’, and will continue to monitor developments. TC LI also finalised an ETSI Technical Report (TR) which defines a security framework for securing LI and the Retained Data environment of the Communication Service Provider (CSP) and the handover of the information, and offers guidance on implementation. Work in this area will continue in 2009. Maintenance of the multi-part TS on the handover interface and Service-Specific Details (SSD) for IP delivery for various services continues; a number of the component parts were revised in 2008 and an additional part for mobile services was added. The Technical Report on ASN.1 object identifiers in LI specifications was also updated. Throughout 2008, TC LI worked closely with other committees within ETSI on lawful interception aspects of their standards including the Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing (TC ATTM), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TC TETRA), Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (TC SES) and Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TC TISPAN) Technical Committees.


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TC LI collaborates closely with the LI group in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) (SA3-LI) on lawful interception for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS™) and the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM™). By monitoring each other’s activities, the two groups ensure that their respective LI specifications are aligned. TC LI also liaises with the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T). To help raise the profile of TC LI and its work on lawful interception and retained data, in 2008 the Chairman gave presentations at the Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) World conference meetings in Dubai, Singapore and Prague, and at the Brisbane National Telecommunications conference in Australia. TC LI is pioneering the development of LI and ETSI’s LI standards are being adopted around the world. New contacts have been made with parties interested in ETSI’s lawful interception activities; some of these, including a Brazilian company, have joined TC LI and become ETSI Members. In 2009, new work will be initiated on dynamic triggering and Call Content Triggering Function (CCTF) standardisation. Service and network architectures are becoming increasingly non-monolithic, with multiple operators involved in supplying a service to a single user. It is not unusual for the service provider at the application or signalling layer to be different from the access provider. In addition, for some services it is necessary to have the option to intercept the core network where there is not always a link between the identifier used in the application layer (e.g. IMS IMPUs/IMPI) and the identifiers used in the access/transport domain (usually an IP address). The work may include adoption and standardisation of the CCTF used by TC TISPAN. TC LI will work closely with TC TISPAN and 3GPP as necessary, to develop a common solution for dynamic triggering.


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TC M2M Machine to Machine communications

Chairman: Marylin Arndt France Telecom Group – Orange Labs

Responsible for the standardisation of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. Following a six-month strategic review of the demand for M2M standardisation by the ETSI Board, a new Machine-to-Machine Technical Committee (TC M2M) has been set up to develop standards in this fast-growing field. The first meeting was scheduled for January 2009. As part of the review, a workshop was held in June 2008, attended by over 100 M2M specialists from Europe, the USA, Japan and South Korea. Delegates from a broad range of industry included experts from telecoms network operators, equipment vendors, administrations, research bodies, as well as M2M specialist companies. The applications of M2M are diverse; they include, for example, personal health monitoring, intelligent tracking and tracing in the supply chain, smart utility metering, remote control of vending machines, industrial wireless automation and ambient assisted living. This sector is predicted to see some 2 billion machines connected by 2010. The cellular M2M segment in particular is forecast to produce record growth. While many M2M deployments will make use of short-range or proprietary radio links, for access connectivity, mobile cellular-based M2M solutions will be preferred where mobility is required. Cellular-based M2M can also provide easier installation and provisioning, especially for short-term deployments. Telecoms networks may need to be optimised to cater for these new ‘subscribers’, whose needs may be very different from those of current customers. Standardisation is required in order to deliver cost-effective M2M solutions, and to allow the market to take off. Many disjointed component-level standards already exist, addressing various radio interfaces, with different meshed or routed networking choices, or offering a choice of identity schemes. Each is optimised for a particular application scenario and there is therefore a degree of fragmentation. Until now, little effort has been made to bring all these pieces together and identify the standardisation gaps which exist. With the establishment of TC M2M, ETSI is now confronting this challenge. The Committee aims to provide an end-to-end view of Machine-to-Machine standardisation needs, and will co-operate closely with ETSI’s activities on Next Generation Networks, and also with the work of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) on mobile communication technologies. ETSI’s broad membership, drawn from the global telecoms and ICT industry, enables it to ‘see the big picture’. The collaboration which characterises its working methods and its extensive network of partnerships will facilitate co-operation with other standards bodies and industry fora. The intention is to re-use existing work wherever possible, rather than to re-create it. In addition, the Institute’s expertise in interoperability and testing means it can provide not only the architecture-level standards required, but also the test specifications essential to demonstrate end-to-end interoperability. The M2M market offers astonishing opportunities as well as unique challenges. With over 3 billion mobile phone users across the world, the mobile telecoms industry can rightly be proud of its success. But this pales in significance next to the potential market of over 50 billion devices of all types to be connected, of which only 50 million are connected today. TC M2M will support M2M services and promote innovation across the industry. It is expected to play a crucial part in developing standards to allow objects to communicate between themselves and to be connected on the web; its work will produce some of the essential building blocks of the ‘Internet of Things’.


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TC MCD Media Content Distribution

Chairman: Truls-Erik Langeggen Telenor ASA

Responsible for guiding and co-ordinating standardisation work aimed at the successful overall development of multimedia systems (television and communication) in response to present and future market requests related to media content distribution ‘Content delivery’ describes the delivery of digital media ‘content’ such as digital audio, digital video or computer software and games over a delivery medium such as broadcasting or the Internet. With the convergence of broadcast, Internet and telecommunications technologies, standardisation and interoperability are essential for the success of digital media distribution. In response to this market demand, ETSI established a ‘Starter Group’ in 2008 to assess the Institute’s potential role in media content distribution. As a result, a new Media Content Distribution Technical Committee (TC MCD) was set up. Its first meeting was held on 12 January 2009. The Starter Group attracted considerable interest, and drew participants new to ETSI. TC MCD includes representatives of the content provision industry such as broadcasters, studios and TV channels. Broadcast operators, network suppliers and operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), device manufacturers, consumer electronics and the smart card industry are also participating. TC MCD will address interoperability issues in a converged environment supporting Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), mobile TV and broadcast TV. The Committee will have a guiding and co-ordinating role. TC MCD’s activities will include organising or steering workgroups to facilitate integration and interoperability between and among different groups. The TC will foster a modular and harmonised approach to standardisation. Liaison with other relevant standards bodies or organisations is therefore particularly important to co-ordinate efforts and to prevent the duplication of activities. Wherever possible, existing solutions will be reused. Collaboration with other Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) and fora has already been initiated. As most of the manufacturing in this industry is undertaken outside Europe, TC MCD will not limit its liaisons to Europe but will involve consumer equipment manufacturers worldwide. The ultimate goal is the adoption of a consistent set of worldwide solutions. TC MCD will also provide a platform where use cases and business models can be discussed in the context of economics and global dynamics in order to assess the viability of a given standard. A framework and roadmap for service interoperability will be produced and gaps identified to highlight the challenges in the end-to-end delivery of content. The deliverables planned include the definition of use cases (content portability, interactivity portability, service interoperability, content distribution), and of implementations and ‘best practice’ for service interoperability. This will involve an analysis of current and future business dynamics. The Committee will then co-ordinate standardisation activities to realise this MCD framework vision and foster the co-ordinated development of standards for digital media distribution across unicast, multicast and broadcast networks. TC MCD will also identify regulatory issues produced by convergence effects.


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ETSI Partnership Project MESA Public Safety Partnership Project

Chairman: Craig Jorgensen APCO Project 25

Project MESA (Mobility for Emergency and Safety Applications) is a Public Safety Partnership {Project) between ETSI and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in North America, with the support of Public Protection and Public Safety agencies on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere around the world. MESA aims to produce global technical specifications for an integrated and innovative digital mobile broadband ‘System of Systems’ for the public protection and disaster response sectors, paving the way for the co-ordination of regional and international responses to manage emergencies, disasters, planned events and day-by-day monitoring. Project MESA is now reaching a point where it has only two more major hurdles to overcome: completion of a GAP Analysis between what users require and what industry can currently provide, and the development of a comprehensive set of specifications that articulate the communities’ total needs and define the missing standards components so that they may be addressed in an organised and prioritised fashion by ETSI and the TIA. It is important to note that, although much of what may be in existence today may meet MESA’s total requirements, it is not clear that all of its needs can be met with today’s standards. By the end of 2008, Project MESA had virtually completed a functional matrix that maps the users’ requirements against the relevant Standards Development Organisations’ technical understanding of those requirements. Moving into the next two critical stages, the need for a more detailed and comprehensive review of the work performed to date has been recognised to ensure that no critical elements have been missed or requirements and matching capabilities overlooked. To expedite this process, Project MESA has asked the TIA and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) to consider providing additional technical support in the form of preparing and documenting the Requirements/Capabilities GAP Analysis. In the absence of additional volunteer technical support from partners in industry, additional funding will be needed to hire an outside consulting firm to perform the GAP Analysis and propose final specifications. While this may be possible and perhaps even practical, outside technology firms may not have the resources or the legacy data to accomplish this task rapidly in an efficient and effective manner. Once the Gap Analysis has been substantially completed, Project MESA will engage a qualified and independent team of consultants to develop the final specifications. These specifications will categorise MESA user requirements in both operational and functional descriptions, as well as identify current gaps in standardisation that must be filled to achieve the Project’s final objective. Additional funding will be required to complete this work.


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TC MSG Mobile Standards Group

Chairman:François Courau Alcatel-Lucent

Responsible for the transposition into ETSI deliverables of Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) deliverables for the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM™) and the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS™), and for the production of related standards needed for regulatory purposes Work in co-operation with ETSI’s Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio Spectrum Matters Technical Committee (TC ERM) to establish a European Standard for GSM on board aircraft was completed in 2008. The first Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of the Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive and the Technical Specifications governing the technical and operational requirements of onboard base stations and the radiated power outside the aircraft were published in 2008. As a result, the use of mobile phones onboard aeroplanes is now possible.

ETSI’s Mobile Standards Group Technical Committee (TC MSG) also completed an update of existing Harmonised Standards to take account of the new specifications in 3GPP Releases 7 and 8, particularly relating to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and the latest updates of 3GPP2. TC MSG and TC ERM work together in this area in their joint Task Force for European Standards for IMT-2000 (TFES). By the end of 2008, work was well advanced on a new version of the multi-part Harmonised Standard for IMT-2000, covering essential requirements of article 3.2 of the R&TTE Directive. This work includes updates to cover base stations, repeaters and user equipment for IMT-2000 Third Generation cellular networks, and will add a new part on LTE radio technology and HSPA+. Work in TFES is ongoing on a Harmonised Standard for Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) support in 2,5 GHz bands external. New work in 2009 will include a revision of the Harmonised Standard for GSM to allow the deployment of base stations supporting the multi-carrier option, as described in Release 8. This will allow the updating of ETSI’s relevant reference specification.

Work continued in co-operation with 3GPP in support of the European Commission’s eSafety initiative, eCall. This in-vehicle emergency call service will automatically relay data about an accident from the vehicle involved to the emergency services, providing faster and more effective emergency responses. TC MSG’s work in 2008 was delayed pending the preparation of new specifications for codecs and as a result of changes in the requirements of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and the automotive industry.


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TC MTS Methods for Testing and Specification

Chairman: Dieter Hogrefe Institut für Informatik, Universität Göttingen

Responsible for the identification and definition of advanced specification and conformance testing methods, which take advantage of formal approaches and innovative techniques to improve the efficiency and economics of both the standard description and associated conformance testing processes During 2008, the highly successful test specification language, Testing and Test Control Notation version 3 (TTCN-3), was developed further. The continued uptake of TTCN-3 is very encouraging and has extended both outside the telecommunications sector and to an ever-widening geographical area. For example, there is a strong interest in TTCN-3 in China and the standard has been translated into Chinese. This is also reflected by the annual Asian TTCN-3 user conference in November. A number of user-driven change requests were resolved in 2008, leading to the publication of edition 3.4.1. A compliance test suite for TTCN-3 tools has been developed and approved. With this test suite, ground was paved for the first TTCN-3 Plugtests™ event which is being organised by ETSI and will be held in May 2009. This is expected to lead to enhanced tool compatibility. Within MTS-IPT, the testing group set up in ETSI to improve the quality of Internet Protocol (IP) -based technologies and to ensure the convergence of telecommunications and IP, the main focus in 2008 was again IPv6. A number of deliverables were approved and published during the year. The IP Testing Library was maintained and extended. In addition, a language for the specification of Test Purposes, called TPLan, was further developed as part of a new test case development methodology resulting from the IPv6 testing activity. During the year, ETSI’s Methods for Testing and Specification Technical Committee (TC MTS) updated its book of guidelines on making better standards with the addition of security-related issues. These guidelines are posted on the ETSI website where they are easily accessible to all and can be continually updated. Activities for 2009 will concentrate on further enhancements of TTCN-3, leading to edition 4.1.1. An ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) on Automated Interoperability Testing will be formed with the support of the European Commission, with the aim of facilitating IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Grid testing.


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TC PLT Powerline Telecommunications

Chairman: Victor Dominguez Richards DS2

Responsible for the standardisation necessary to enable the provision of multimedia, voice and data communications applications and services via the existing public and private mains power networks In 2008, ETSI’s Powerline Telecommunications Technical Committee (TC PLT) continued to address co-existence issues. Two ETSI Technical Reports (TRs) were published in 2008 following the Plugtests™ event held in 2007 on the co-existence of PLT and short wave radio broadcasts. This event confirmed frequency notching as an effective mitigation technique to permit co-existence between PLT and short wave broadcast systems. One TR reports the results of these trials; the other provides test cases for a future anticipated event to examine co-existence between different PLT systems. Plugtests events provide valuable feedback to the standardisation process; the event in 2007 helped to validate and finalise the draft ETSI Technical Specification (TS) on PLT-short wave co-existence, which was published in August 2008. A Plugtests event to evaluate the co-existence between PLT and Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 (VDSL2) is now being organised for May 2009. The results will be analysed with the assistance of an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF), and new algorithms and technologies will be proposed to improve co-existence. TC PLT completed a TS on the Programmable Power Spectral Density (PSD) Mask, which standardises the way that PLT systems adapt to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements and includes specifications for access and indoor systems. The Specification was published in June 2008. New work began on a TS to provide interoperability between PLT modems for in-home triple-play applications (including Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), Video on Demand (VoD), audio, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and the Internet) and consumer electronic needs. The TS will cover the system requirements, network architecture and all the necessary technical layers. Power control and PSD shaping considerations allowing co-existence with other technologies in the same environment will also be addressed, taking into consideration the QoS requirements of each service. The work will also take into account the reduction of power consumption required by new European and international regulations. Other new work was initiated in 2008 to define a TS for wideband low rate Command and Control PLT for in-home networks. This specification will address applications such as in-home energy efficiency and saving and load control in-home applications. TC PLT continues to collaborate with other organisations involved in powerline standardisation including the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).


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TC RRS Reconfigurable Radio Systems

Chairman: Peter Olanders Ericsson

As ETSI’s main centre of expertise in Reconfigurable Radio Systems (RRS), including Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Cognitive Radio, responsible for studying the feasibility of standardisation in this area, for collecting and defining related RRS requirements from relevant stakeholders and for identifying gaps in standardisation ETSI’s Reconfigurable Radio Systems Technical Committee was set up in 2008 to examine the possible standardisation of RRS. RRS are intelligent radio devices which offer significant potential for maximising the use of scarce and expensive spectrum by sensing – and acting upon – their environment. For example, they can adjust for location, time, frequency, other users etc. They can scan for unused frequency, opening up the opportunity to negotiate the use of unused spectrum. The establishment of TC RRS extends recent research into Software Defined Radio and Cognitive Radio, and demonstrates ETSI’s commitment to respond to the latest technological innovations. The committee held its first meeting in March 2008, bringing together manufacturers, operators, regulators and other interested parties. TC RRS is tasked with answering three key questions: why should RRS be standardised, what should be standardised and how should RRS be standardised. The Committee is charged with completing its reports on these topics within 18-24 months. Work progressed well in 2008 and the first ETSI Technical Report, a reference architecture for SDR mobile devices, is due for approval in February 2009.


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TC RT Railway Telecommunications

Chairman: Robert Sarfati Systra

Responsible for those aspects of Global System for Mobile communications (GSM™) standardisation which are specific to Railway and Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) operations (GSM-R) The spread of GSM-R continued unabated in 2008, rolling out across all five continents. The technology has now reached 60% of the rail lines in Europe, where it covers 140 000 kilometres of track. Australia has issued a call for tenders as the first step towards introducing GSM-R in the 1800 MHz band. The intention here, in a departure from usual applications, is to use it mainly for suburban transport. As well as expanding geographically, GSM-R is adding new features to cope with the growing demands of users, and frequency bands are being extended. In Europe, GSM-R is being combined with the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to form the basis of an Intelligent Transport System to offer railways the means to improve the efficiency of their operations and provide opportunities for new services to users. In 2008, high speed lines went into operation in France, Italy and Spain. With roaming agreements in place in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, cross-border freight traffic is running freely in Europe. By 2010 GSM-R on border-crossing trains will also be available on passenger trains all over Europe. 2008 was a year of consolidation for ETSI’s Railway Telecommunications Technical Committee (TC RT), with an emphasis on ensuring the compatibility of equipment. In particular, TC RT is liaising with the European Rail Agency (ERA) on the communications aspects of Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) to ensure the interoperability of the trans-European rail system. Continuing work on Direct Mode Operation (DMO) within GSM-R is a major breakthrough evolution of GSM-R; it answers not only the requirements of railways identified in the European Directive on Safety in Railway Tunnels but also offers the possibility of fulfilling PMR requirements for the emergency services. TC RT continues to work closely with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) on enhancing Advanced Speech Call Items (ASCI) features which could impact on the interoperability of railway telecommunications, particularly with a view to improving the efficiency of PMR operations. New services and features were added in 2008, and new markets are being reached. Additional liaison with 3GPP on enhanced Voice Group Call Service (VGCS), including the encryption of group calls, is ongoing. Further improvement of the One channel VGCS solution and the introduction of enhanced Railway Emergency Call are under investigation. Additional spectrum requirements for PMR/Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR) systems operated by railway companies are being addressed. The TC is co-operating with ETSI’s Intelligent Transport Systems Technical Committee (TC ITS). TC RT’s particular interest in this field is the developing area of Intelligent Public Transport Systems (IPTS). A Special Report is being produced on the increasing applications and development of system requirements to accommodate expansion.


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TC SAFETY Telecommunications Equipment Safety

Chairman: Ian Marshall Nortel Networks (Europe)

Responsible for co-ordinating safety requirements between ETSI and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), for monitoring the safety aspects of all ETSI deliverables and co-ordinating ETSI’s position on telecommunications equipment safety ETSI’s Safety Technical Committee (TC Safety) continued to concentrate on acoustic safety in 2008, although the focus shifted from the effect of acoustic shock on operators in call centres to the output of, for example, MP3 and other portable music players. There are moves in some quarters to regulate the levels of output, particularly to protect children, but such regulations would also affect users of other types of equipment including, for example, outdoor cameramen. TC Safety is liaising with the European Commission and with ETSI’s Speech and Multimedia Transmission Quality Technical Committee (TC STQ) in assessing the technical feasibility of appropriate measures to protect users from volume levels. Work continued on air traffic control management equipment; TC Safety is working on a Harmonised Standard for civilian radar, addressing aspects related to electromagnetic fields and exposure to RF radiation. TC Safety liaises with other standardisation organisations to ensure that their activities take account of, for example, the impact on terminal equipment. The IEC is currently undertaking a complete revision of the electrical safety standards which apply to communications equipment. Given the convergence of technologies, this also includes domestic audio-visual and information technology products. The new standards will have the effect of changing the basis of the safety certification of all communications, IT and AV equipment by adopting a risk assessment process rather than assessing potential hazards. By anticipating risks in this way, equipment should become safer and more future-proof and the need to continually revise standards to take account of emerging technologies should be reduced. The standards are expected to be published in 2009 with a five-year transition period before they become de facto global standards. TC Safety is working closely with the IEC and CENELEC on this work. In the light of forthcoming changes to IEC Laser Safety standards, TC Safety is monitoring the safety of lasers used in fibre optic communications, liaising with IEC Technical Committee 76. High-power LED lights have been removed from the latest draft, but the intensity of some LEDs is approaching that of low-power lasers. TC Safety is concerned that this equipment should either be reinstated into the IEC standards, or separate standards should be produced by ETSI. New work began in 2008 on an ETSI Standard covering the safety requirements for the erection and operation of information technology installations with remote power feeding. This activity is aimed at replacing the procurement requirements of individual operators with a Europe-wide standard. Publication is expected in 2009. TC Safety continues to offer safety expertise to other committees within ETSI and provides advice and guidance where appropriate to those producing Harmonised Standards.


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SAGE Special Committee Security Algorithms Group of Experts

Chairman: Steve Babbage Vodafone

Responsible for specifying cryptographic algorithms for telecommunications standards The Security Algorithms Group of Experts (SAGE) continues to respond to the needs of other committees for cryptographic algorithms. The Group specifies cryptographic algorithms for use in standardised telecommunications systems. In recent years most of its work has been for mobile telephone standards – the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM™), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS™), with some work on Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT™). The main task of 2008 was the creation of two sets of algorithms for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) radio access technology. The first of these was based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the second on SNOW 3G, which is at the core of the second set of UMTS algorithms. The similarities between the UMTS algorithms and those for LTE meant that new specification work for SAGE was less than originally anticipated. By the end of the year two new sets of LTE algorithms were ready: 128-EEA1 and EIA1, and 128-EEA2 and EIA2. SAGE also offered advice to 3GPP on other security aspects of their work. The Group produced a new set of algorithms for DECT based on AES – DECT Standard Cipher 2 (DSC2) and DECT Standard Authentication Algorithm 2 (DSAA2). These were delivered to the Chairman of Technical Committee DECT in November 2008. An additional small function algorithm (TA101) was added to the set of TETRA algorithms in December. Finally, SAGE continued to support GSM in 2008, dealing with reported attacks on the A5/1 algorithm and in promoting the use of the stronger A5/3 algorithm.


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TC SCP Smart Card Platform

Chairman: Klaus Vedder Giesecke & Devrient GmbH

Responsible for the development and maintenance of a common Smart Card Platform for all mobile telecommunications systems, for the application independent specifications for the interface with terminal equipment and for smart card standards for general telecommunications, m-commerce and security applications The main task of ETSI’s Smart Card Platform Technical Committee (TC SCP) is to expand and maintain the smart card platform specifications for mobile communication systems. In particular, this allows users access to global roaming by means of their smart card, irrespective of the radio access technology used. The specifications of TC SCP are generic in the sense that they provide a true multi-application platform (called the UICC) not just for mobile communication systems but for all applications using a smart card. Interoperability between applications which are based on the smart card platform can thus be assured. The major achievement of 2008 was the conclusion of work on the use of the smart card platform for Near Field Communication (NFC) applications. This allows applications on the UICC to communicate directly with the outside world via an NFC chip in the terminal. Potential uses are ticketing and access control for public transport, access control to premises as well as payment by credit card or an electronic purse residing on the UICC. While the work on the lower layers, the Single Wire Protocol (SWP), which had been published in 2007 continued with the usual improvements resulting from the first implementations, the finalisation of the management level, the so called Host Controller Interface (HCI), proved to be difficult due to diverging interests. Two similar proposals had been specified: one with an assumed host id where the UICC can only talk to the CLF (Contactless Front End) in the terminal, and one with a stated host id which also provides an architecture and placeholders for a potential (interoperable) extension of the specification. This second proposal also included a mechanism for the UICC to proactively request the terminal to start interaction with the user (e.g. with the aim of displaying the result of a transaction or the remaining balance for an e-purse). After long and intense discussions, TC SCP decided in the end in favour of the latter option. To further the work on NFC, a Memorandum of Understanding between ETSI and the NFC Forum was signed in late 2008. With the completion of the HCI specification, TC SCP closed all technical work on Release 7 of the Smart Card specifications. At the same time, the elaboration of requirements for Release 8 was also closed, and the first requirements for Release 9 have already been approved. All the requirements, together with use cases, can be found in a dedicated requirement specification. As part of Release 8, TC SCP has also delivered a comprehensive secure channel technical solution that allows the encryption of all communication on an application-to-application and a platform-to-platform basis. Maintenance of this specification following initial implementations has produced a very robust specification. This is now being used as an element of the security for the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Mobile Broadcast Services Enabler Suite (BCAST), the open global specification for mobile TV and on-demand video services. In January 2008 TC SCP established a new Working Group to deal with the increasing demand for test specifications for new features and functions such as the high speed interface between a


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terminal and the UICC as well as the maintenance and the extension to new releases of existing specifications. An ETSI Specialist Task Force was established in to develop test specifications for the contactless interface. This set of four specifications deals with both the Single Wire Protocol and the Host Controller Interface from the terminal as well as the UICC point of view. The specifications are expected to be completed early in 2009. Collaboration with the OMA resulted in a number of new features and functions for the Smart Card Web Server as well as in the elaboration of requirements for the use of the UICC as Secure Removable Media (SRM). While these were agreed for Release 8, the technical realisation of having digital rights stored and managed in the UICC will form part of Release 9. The work on reduced-capability terminals (e.g., no screen or keypad) was completed, enabling proper type approval of those devices including all the features of the Card Application Toolkit (CAT). This work had been requested by GCF (the Global Certification Forum). These tests are important with regards to creating standards-based machine-to-machine (M2M) devices. ‘Standard’ SIMs have been used for specific M2M applications such as metering for quite some time. Other applications may, however, require special functionality and different hardware properties such as an extended temperature range or a new form factor. While the requirements and use cases for M2M smart cards were agreed in late 2008, the technical realisation of these requirements is expected to be completed as part of Release 9 in 2009. In addition to M2M, SRM and the completion of a few outstanding technical realisations for Release 8, the main focus of TC SCP’s work for 2009 will be Release 9, which is expected to be closed by the end of 2009. Topics to be covered are the definition of use cases where Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) applications may require the use of a UICC, the technical solution for confidential applications and the requirements for CAT access on modem interfaces. Mobile modems are becoming a significant sector of the mobile communications market and the support for CAT in these devices is currently limited by the lack of standards defining how CAT should be extended to clients interfacing with the modem. The completion of the test specifications for the Contactless Interface will allow the smooth introduction of services on the UICC using Near Field Communication. A complete list of all active and completed work items and detailed information pertaining to them can be found in the ’Work Item Monitoring’ window at: portal.etsi.org/scp. TC SCP responds to requests from both inside and outside ETSI, and therefore continues to liaise with major external contributors such as the GlobalPlatform, the GSM Association, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™), 3GPP2, the NFC Forum and the OMA.


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TC SES Satellite Earth Stations and Systems

Chairman: Jean-Jacques Bloch Hughes Network Systems Ltd

Responsible for all aspects relating to satellite communications Work in ETSI’s Satellite Earth Stations and Systems Technical Committee (TC SES) is undertaken in a number of specialised Working Groups. During 2008, the Working Group on Broadband Satellite Multimedia (BSM) started a new ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) working on ‘Management and Control interworking and interoperability’. This two-year activity is being funded by the European Commission (EC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The work includes a new set of Management specifications, in particular Performance Management, and also includes further development of the control plane functions for Protocol Independent Multicast – Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) multicast and a study of Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs). To support this activity, the Working Group organised two specialised workshops: a Management Workshop at the University of Surrey in the UK and a PEP Workshop at the European Space Agency’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. During 2009 a second EC/EFTA funded STF is expected to start work on ‘Multi-service interoperability with harmonised QoS (Quality of Service)’. The BSM Working Group also completed an ETSI Technical Specification (TS) for a Connection Control Protocol (C2P) for Digital Video Broadcasting – Return Channel by Satellite (DVB-RCS). The TS and an associated ETSI Technical Report were published in January 2009. The TC’s Working Group on Satellite Digital Radio (SDR) progressed well with the technical specifications to enable the provision over Europe of digital radio broadcast systems by satellites, which will deliver hundreds of high-quality audio channels via satellite and complementary terrestrial transmitters in the L- and S-bands. SDR Technical Specifications define the physical layer of the radio interface. In 2008, the specifications and the implementation guidelines were revised. Work started on an extension for Ku-band satellite transponders. TC SES’s Working Group on Mobile Satellite Systems (MSS) completed the Geo Mobile Packet Radio Service (GMPRS) -1 Release 2 technical specifications and carried out a review of Geo Mobile Radio (GMR) -1 3G specifications which have been updated in Releases 2.2 and 3. Drafting of the Technical Specifications for a new ‘family SL’ is proceeding. Harmonised Standards concerning the IMT-2000 frequency bands allocated to Mobile Satellite Services have been restructured to differentiate between wideband and narrowband systems. The analysis of advanced mobile satellite system architecture in the context of Beyond 3G and 4G systems has been initiated. During 2009, the Working Group expects to complete the set of GMR-1 (3G) technical specifications, the set of SL family technical specifications, a multi-part Harmonised Standard (a European Standard, EN) on user equipment and complementary ground component (CGC) intermediate module repeaters operating in the IMT-2000 frequency bands allocated to Mobile Satellite Services. In addition, an ETSI Technical Report on advanced mobile satellite system architecture in the context of Beyond 3G and 4G systems should be completed.


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The TC’s Maritime and Railways Satellite Earth Stations on Board Vessels and Trains (MAR ESV) Working Group developed a new EN for Vehicle Mounted Earth Stations (VMES) during 2008. It is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2009. The Satellite Emergency Communications (SatEC) Working Group has begun work on two topics: the first covers flexible encapsulation of alert messages over satellite links, while the second addresses the use of satellite communications for linking an emergency communication cell to a remote permanent infrastructure. 2009 will be dedicated to the continuation of this work. Finally, during 2008, TC SES responded to the Space Mandate (M415) issued by the EC in co-operation with the Committee for European Standardisation (CEN) (specifically its BT WG 202 Working Group). TC SES has taken the lead role in the preparation of Dossier 4 on the ‘Interoperability and Integration of Mobile Satellite Systems and Fixed Satellite Systems with Terrestrial Systems in particular Next Generation Networks’. TC SES’s Technical Officer liaises with CEN BT WG 202 on behalf of the TC and the main technical contribution is being provided by the TC SES’s MSS and the BSM Working Groups.


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TC STQ Speech and multimedia Transmission Quality

Chairman: Jean-Yves Monfort JYM.C.I.S., France Telecom Representative

Responsible for standardisation relating to speech and media quality, end-to-end speech transmission performance, Quality of Service (QoS) parameters for networks and services, including Next Generation Network (NGN) QoS, distributed speech recognition and terminal quality In recognition of its widening remit in response to evolving technology, in 2008 ETSI’s TC STQ was renamed the Speech and multimedia Transmission Quality Technical Committee. With the transfer of activities formerly undertaken in ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN) into TC STQ, TC STQ is now dealing not only with wideband speech quality, but also with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and other audio-visual transmissions. A workshop on multimedia QoS was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and, based on feedback received, TC STQ is drawing up a roadmap for future activities on IP performance governing multimedia quality. The TC is also producing guidelines on the best way to implement test models for monitoring the quality of speech, speech plus audio and speech plus video. TC STQ is now working on Release 2 of its specifications for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) terminals, including new parameters for high quality terminals and taking into account background noise rejection and double talk behaviour. At the end of 2008, the TC embarked on a new multi-part ETSI Technical Specification (TS) on the QoS of speech and multimedia transmission, which is expected to be published in 2009. This aims to optimise the end-to-end quality perceived by the user, whatever the radio link, ensure compatibility across access networks with VoIP or Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT™) terminals, and optimise the listening and talking quality. It will also improve conversational performance and use in noisy environments, while taking into account the limitations in audio performance due to different form factors. TC STQ completed a new ETSI Standard (ES) on the requirements and test methods for terminal equipment incorporating a handset when connected to the analogue interface of the PSTN. One major application is DECT, whose bases may be connected with analogue access. This standard replaces the old Technical Basis for Regulation (TBR) and will allow the implementation of testing based on the use of HATS (Head And Torso Simulator) with analogue and VoIP access. The work was completed in December 2008, thanks to the efforts of ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) 358, and the standard is expected to be published in 2009. TC STQ works closely with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) and in 2008 provided input to 3GPP to assist the updating of standards for wideband speech. The next Release of 3GPP specifications will be aligned with ETSI’s VoIP standards. New work has begun on wireless speech terminals, which is expected to result in a TS in 2009. TC STQ is already planning its future work on terminals using ‘super wideband’ – bandwidth up to 15 KHz. The TC has revised the existing ETSI Guide (EG) drafted by STF 294 for speech quality for wideband transmission in noisy environments, adding a quality model for narrowband speech transmission. This work is essential for applications such as eHealth and eLearning, which often


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involve hands-free operation where background noise is unavoidable. The EGs have already been integrated in standards for vehicle communication. Good speech quality is essential to bring VoIP products to the market and to ensure customer satisfaction –and it serves as a distinct advantage in today’s highly competitive markets. A new ETSI Technical Report (TR) was virtually completed by the end of 2008, defining quality parameters that should be considered at the interconnection of VoIP services and providing provisional objectives for these parameters. The document will be updated in response to feedback from industry. This report forms part of TC STQ’s roadmap on the quality aspects of NGN. The fifth ETSI Speech Quality Test Event for VoIP equipment was held in Germany throughout 2008. This event enabled manufacturers of VoIP equipment (gateways, IP phones, Integrated Access Devices (IADs) etc.) and their customers (administrations, network providers etc.) to test whether their products and services comply with ETSI’s specifications and to perform in-depth analysis of their speech quality. Building on the 2007 Plugtests™ event held in Lannion, France, which provided an opportunity to test the speech transmission quality of Triple Play over broadband technologies, plans are well underway for a VoIP gateways Plugtests event in 2009 to continue the process of developing and testing associated with multi-play. The results of these events are published anonymously as Technical Reports as a means of detailing the test methods. The user-related QoS Guides which help regulators and operators specify and measure speech transmission quality against various quality models were updated in 2008, and all services, including mobile, are now covered and aligned with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Recommendations. Associated with this, a second set of documents is now being created for operators and regulators covering QoS and network performance metrics and measurement methods. The first document in the set, an ETSI Guide describing voice quality criteria, was completed in 2008 and is due for publication in 2009. In response to progress achieved in the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the ITU (ITU-T) on quality modelling, TC STQ has updated its Guides on the practical implementations of these models for quality testing. Work continues on NGN-related QoS. In 2008, an STF was created to examine the QoS implications of the NGN architecture. A questionnaire has been circulated to operators and manufacturers about plans for achieving end-to-end QoS. The responses will be analysed in 2009 and a TR produced which will provide a gap analysis leading to recommendations for new standards needed and changes required to existing standards to ensure satisfactory QoS across multiple NGNs. A workshop is planned for 1-2 July 2009 to share and discuss the preliminary results. The TC finished an ES on audio-visual QoS for communications over IP networks, which is due for publication in 2009. Producing this ES highlighted the need for new work on multimedia terminals and conference systems for use in business and education; TC STQ has now begun to address this. Activities related to multimedia and video quality continued, aimed at establishing a framework for assessing the end-to-end quality of multimedia services. Work on voice quality has already been completed; the TC has now begun to define the indicators for the supervision of multi-play services. If both operators and regulators have an agreed set of common indicators, they will be much better placed to accurately define the quality of the service provided. The first release of the EG is expected by the end of 2009. TC STQ plans to complete an ETSI Guide to serve as a framework document and provide guidance on the application and interrelation of existing standards relating to Quality of Service, produced mainly by ETSI and the ITU-T.


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TC STQ’s Mobile Working Group (WG STQ Mobile) is continuously updating its multi-part TS on the QoS aspects of popular services in Global System for Mobile communication (GSM™) and 3G networks to take account of new services. In particular, new parts are being added to address test methodology for Store and Forward parameter and measurement methodology for different services (e.g., e-mail, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Short Message Service (SMS)) and the definition of Direct Service e-mail parameters and reference e-mail measurements. Part 7 of the TS, which covers network-based Quality of Service measurements, was almost finalised by the end of 2008. It has also been decided to update the TR which provides guidelines for the use of video quality algorithms for mobile applications, in particular to incorporate full reference models as recommended by the ITU-T. Collaboration has been initiated with ETSI’s Terrestrial Trunked Radio Technical Committee (TC TETRA) and TC STQ is to provide QoS Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for TETRA-based voice and data communication services. Collaboration is also on-going with the GSM Association (GSMA). Two new TRs are being prepared on guidelines for packet switched data measurement and SMS testing guidelines respectively. WG STQ Mobile also undertook a review of key performance indicators for test methodologies and related statistical issues. This involved identifying expected ‘typical end-user behaviour’, checking currently used alternatives in test flow against this typical behaviour and clarifying statistical requirements. Guidelines have been produced, which are being published in a TR. New work has begun to provide QoS parameter definition for Multimedia Telephony via the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for real-time and non real-time services. Finally, an EG on the acoustic output of terminal equipment and appropriate safety limits was finalised in September 2008. New work on acoustic safety levels will begin in 2009 in collaboration with ETSI’s Safety Technical Committee (TC Safety). Throughout the year, TC STQ reinforced its co-operation with other ETSI bodies (the Human Factors Technical Committee (TC HF), the User Group and TCs DECT, Safety and TETRA) and particularly with the ITU-T and 3GPP’s Service and System Aspects Technical Specification Group (TSG-SA).


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TC TETRA TErrestrial Trunked RAdio

Chairman: Douglas Gray Motorola Ltd

Responsible for the design and standardisation of TErrestrial Trunked RAdio (TETRA) Since TETRA was first deployed in 1997, over 2,250 contracts have been let for TETRA networks worldwide. Compared with figures in 2007, TETRA experienced a 37% growth in the number of contracts let and a 10% increase in the number of countries where TETRA is deployed – now in over 105 countries worldwide, of which the majority (64%) are outside Europe. The fastest developing regions of the world in this respect are Asia Pacific and Africa which have grown 65% and 60% respectively compared with 2007. These market figures clearly indicate the ongoing global achievement of TETRA as an ETSI standard. Recognising TETRA’s growing success, the TETRA Association, endorsed by ETSI, will be organising the 11th TETRA World Congress, which will be held in Munich, Germany, from 26-29 May 2009. Members of ETSI’s Terrestrial Trunked Radio Technical Committee will run a TETRA Future Vision workshop during the congress. The main market for TETRA continues to be national public safety organisations deploying TETRA for shared networks. TETRA has been and continues to be deployed in all other traditional Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) markets, such as transportation, utilities, industrial and Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR), as well as in the military sector for peace-keeping and other non-tactical activities. Whilst still numerically low, the fastest growing market sectors are Oil and Gas followed by Commerce and Industry which have grown 102% and 90% respectively. Significant areas of progress within TC TETRA in 2008 include two Specialist Task Force (STF) projects to improve the TETRA Enhanced Data Service (TEDS) standard by adding Robust Header Compression (ROHC) to increase data throughput and Long Interleaving to increase range performance. The ‘Future Vision’ for the industry is to evolve TETRA towards a fully integrated and seamless ICT solution providing Narrowband/Wideband/Broadband (NB/WB/BB) wireless communications for ‘Mission Critical’ and Traditional PMR/PAMR applications through the enhancement and/or provision of user-driven services and facilities and the utilisation of the latest in technology innovations and standards. Moving towards this goal, work started in 2008 to request from the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) additional spectrum assignments in Europe to support Broadband wide area Public Safety & Security (PSS) Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) wireless applications. In addition, in co-operation with the TETRA Association, TC TETRA is organising a one-day TETRA Future Vision workshop in February 2009. Feedback from user experiences continues to play a significant part in the development of TETRA, particularly with regard to new features and facilities that need to be incorporated into future releases of the TETRA standard. The evolution of the TETRA standard is therefore expected to continue with the rationalisation, prioritisation and creation of new work items for standardisation related to these enhanced features and facilities. Besides these evolutionary activities, there is ongoing work within TC TETRA to maintain the existing TETRA Release 1 and Release 2 standards as further product development takes place.


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3GPP™ Third Generation Partnership Project

Established to develop globally applicable specifications in the third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications area (the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) IMT-2000 family), 3GPP brings ETSI together with five other regional standardisation organisations in Asia and the USA, plus market associations and several hundred individual companies. 3GPP is also responsible for the maintenance and evolution of the specifications for the enormously successful Global System for Mobile communication (GSM™), which was defined by ETSI, and for transitional technologies. Release 8 of the 3GPP Technical Specifications was functionally frozen in December 2008. With 114 new Features and Studies for Features, including the complete set of specifications for LTE™, the radio technology beyond 3G, and well over one thousand Technical Specifications and Reports. The first quarter of 2009 will see the finalisation of these specifications and, in parallel, work on Release 9 will gather momentum, preparing the way for LTE-Advanced, the 4th generation technology which will be an evolution of LTE. Coupled with the LTE radio technology, a wholesale revision of the core network architecture has been undertaken, taking end-to-end packet switching to its logical conclusion with the elimination of any need for circuit switched elements (apart from interworking with legacy systems). Despite having marginally fewer discrete new Features than Release 7, Release 8 represents effectively the most comprehensive overhaul of 3GPP’s technical output to date, and this is reflected in the huge amount of meeting time dedicated to LTE and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). (LTE and EPC together form the Evolved Packet System (EPS). However, for many people, the term ‘LTE’ is synonymous with EPS.) Experience has shown that the majority of Change Requests (CR) to a given Release of 3GPP specifications comes in the two years immediately following the functional freeze of that Release. Thus, although the EPS specifications are ‘frozen’, considerable work can be anticipated over the next couple of years when the practical implementation of systems conforming to the Release 8 standard are designed and tested as EPS enters its commercial phase. To achieve the very challenging Release 8 timescales, some of 3GPP’s working groups held eight or more regular meetings in the year – twice the number originally envisaged when 3GPP was established. The plenary meetings in December marked 3GPP’s tenth anniversary. Although widely heralded as the dawn of a new era in co-operation in telecommunications system standardisation, few could have imagined in 1998 that 3GPP would evolve to have the global momentum it now possesses. During the latter months of 2008, with Secretariat support provided by the Mobile Competence Centre (MCC) in ETSI, each participating Organisational Partner analysed the good, the bad and the ugly points of 3GPP’s working methods. As a result, minor adjustments have been recommended to make 3GPP even more efficient and productive for the next decade. The transfer of the specification work relating to the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) from ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced


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Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN) into 3GPP was achieved during 2008. The concept of a common IMS is widely accepted – even by the participants in 3GPP2 and the cable TV community (particularly in North America). The list of common IMS specifications will be published in 2009 as both an ETSI and a 3GPP Technical Specification. Considerable effort was expended in 2008 on the Home Node B specification, which will allow relatively inexpensive improvements in network coverage by placing what amounts to a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS™) (or LTE) base station on customer premises to provide radio coverage for a single household. Backhaul to the core network is via the customer’s existing ADSL connection. Although simple in concept, the practicalities of Home Node B realisation are far from trivial, and substantial analysis of architecture, signalling traffic patterns and security is needed. While UMTS and LTE are the driving forces behind 3GPP, a great deal of work is also being invested in improving GSM/EDGE radio access, which is still the dominant cellular technology in the world. In 2008 work concentrated on making GSM/EDGE yet more efficient by improved methods of combining bearers/carriers, sharing of slots, reducing latency etc. Some of the work is common to that being pursued in the UMTS/LTE groups, such as catering for the requirements of the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) and for geo-location using satellite systems other than the Global Positioning System (GPS): ie the development of Additional Navigation Satellite Systems (ANSS). The question of interworking and handover between the various radio access technologies (GSM/EDGE, UMTS, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), LTE, ...) continues to receive attention, in an effort to ensure that 3GPP technologies present a unified face to the cellular world. Similarly, the interworking between circuit-switched and packet-switched domains – including between the Mobile Application Part of Signalling System No. 7 and connections based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) – is currently being addressed. For an overview of all Features contained in Release 8, see www.3gpp.org/ftp/Information/WORK_PLAN/Description_Releases/Rel-08_description_20090124.zip


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TC TISPAN Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking

Chairman: Rainer Muench Alcatel-Lucent

Responsible for the standardisation of fixed Next Generation Networks (NGNs) to support multimedia services and interworking with legacy networks and services ETSI’s Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN) benefits from the strong support of operators, vendors, service providers and research and government representatives, with some 120 delegates regularly attending meetings. TC TISPAN provides the definition of NGNs principally from a European viewpoint, but 20% of participants come from outside Europe. This large and geographically diverse participation is recognition of the importance of TISPAN specifications to the telecommunications community globally, and their growing impact on developments in the industry. The market is looking for standards-based NGN solutions to avoid bespoke clients, proprietary solutions and interworking problems and, especially since the Global Standards Collaboration designated ETSI the primary Standards Development Organisation (SDO) for NGNs, it looks to ETSI for the answers. In 2008, TC TISPAN finalised the remaining issues of NGN Release 2 with specifications for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), corporate networks and home networks, and completed the transfer of work on the Common IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) specifications to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™). Release 2 includes specifications for the integration of IPTV services in the NGN architecture, to answer the needs of network service providers and equipment vendors. TC TISPAN has produced ETSI Technical Specifications (TSs) which define two possible solutions. In the first, a Dedicated IPTV Subsystem focuses on the integration of existing market solutions in an NGN environment. Network service providers benefit from the cost advantages of an NGN network without the need for strong modification of their current IPTV service. The second solution, IMS-Based IPTV, allows the blending of TV services with other telecommunication services (such as voice, presence and data services). Network service providers can thus reap the full benefit of the IMS architecture while providing key end-user services. TC TISPAN achieved a major step forward with the completion of specifications defining the Customer Premises Networks. All key features are now defined to allow NGN to be deployed into the home in an interoperable manner. The specifications allow first the connection of the Customer Premises Network to an NGN and then the enabling of IPTV services in the Customer Premises Network. The specifications define the service requirements, the architecture and the protocols for both the gateway and the end-user device. In 2008 TC TISPAN completed its work on corporate networks with the publication of three TSs which define the interaction scenarios between core and enterprise networks and provide detailed specifications for hosted enterprises and business trunking services. In order to ease


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the implementation of business trunking services, TC TISPAN has specified an implementation guide. The main features to be included in Release 3 are not yet finalised, but are likely to include consolidation of Voice over IP (VoIP) (including Quality of Service, security and interworking), evolution of the IPTV Service (blended services), Ultra Broadband (fixed and wireless) access to the NGN, interconnect (naming, numbering) of both the IMS and non-IMS, and network harmonisation (to improve interoperability with other NGNs and other, non-IMS networks). Release 3 may also offer increased network resilience and robustness. TC TISPAN made good progress on Release 3 in 2008, working on the specifications for new IPTV services, network interconnection and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) security. For example, the TC defined the new services’ requirements for IPTV which include Peer-to-Peer, advertising, IMS enabled IPTV Roaming/Mobility, User Generated Content (UGC), Personalised Channel (PCh)/User oriented content and Content Delivery Network (CDN) architecture. In 2009 the Committee will progress these services by completing the architecture and protocol specifications. Work started on network interconnection in 2008. Members of the TC participated in an ETSI workshop on NGN interconnection in June with the GSM Association (GSMA), 3GPP, the IPI Alliance and the I3 Forum. During this event it was agreed that ETSI should co-ordinate and supervise standardisation work related to NGN interconnection. It was further decided that the GSMA IPX (IP Exchange) model for the inter-operator IP backbone would be taken as a reference model. 3GPP will define everything related to IMS while TC TISPAN is responsible for other NGN aspects. TC TISPAN has now embarked on hierarchical work which will provide an overview and analysis of the topic. The TC will study the technical requirements for an IPX and for an infrastructure ENUM (E.164 telephone number mapping). Following this first step, further collaboration with other fora, especially GSMA, is foreseen in order to meet commercial requirements. Work has begun on the development of enhanced privacy and the security of RFID networks and in 2009 the TC may analyse the impact of RFID solutions on the NGN. In addition to defining new services, TC TISPAN is organising an IPTV Plugtests™ event in 2009 to assess the interoperability of Release 2 IMS-based IPTV equipment.


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Special Committee User Group Chairman: Karine Iffour Normapme

Responsible for formalising users’ views and requirements for other ETSI bodies, in order to improve standards and their relevancy In 2008, the User Group continued with its work to improve the quality of the service delivered to the user. Providers tend to agree that, when Quality of Service (QoS) deteriorates at the network borders, the cause is usually inadequate standardisation of the interfaces. The Group is therefore reviewing the standardisation at these interfaces to identify deficiencies, and an ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) was established in September 2008 to undertake the investigation. The STF will also make proposals to improve the situation. During 2009, the Group expects to produce a Technical Report covering four aspects of this issue: a control plan solution for QoS signalling, a management plan solution for QoS interworking, QoS continuity and QoS informational structure. Two other STFs will be set up in 2009 to pursue other aspects of QoS: one will assess the QoS of the service life cycle to identify missing test protocols; the other will address the audit and approval of metering and billing systems. An ETSI Special Report was published in September 2008 which provides guidance for users choosing between various telecommunication service offers. Collaboration with ETSI’s Human Factors Technical Committee (TC HF) continues on a regular basis; a joint meeting of TC HF and the User Group was held again in 2008. The User Group also collaborated with other ETSI committees including the Speech and Multimedia Transmission Quality Technical Committee (TC STQ), notably in its work on the quality of service of network interfaces, and the Telecommunication and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking Technical Committee (TC TISPAN).

The User Group also liaises with organisations outside ETSI, including the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the Telecommunications Standardisation sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T).

06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

Tel +33 4 92 94 42 00

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