Ten case studies of SSOs for the purpose of better understanding synergies between different types – formal and informal – standard setting organizations and consortia.
This is work in progress! Comments welcome…
Non-formal standard setting organisations such as consortia and fora are having a growing impact on the market. The European Commission’s ICT standardisation policy report notes that know-how and technical expertise required for standard setting in innovative domains, especially in the ICT domain, is often more available in non-formal bodies than in formal standard developing organisations.
In a recent discussion paper (European ICT standardisation policy at a crossroads: A new direction for global success – The Way Forward, Discussion document for the Open meeting on 12 February 2008) the European Commission states as an objective to
“Better leverage of technical expertise developed by fora and consortia without destroying the benefits of the current system, taking into account the evolving landscape of standardisation while ensuring adherence to WTO principles.”
For the purpose of better understanding of the roles of different types of SSOs in ICT standardization, ten separate case studies of standard setting organizations (formal and informal, American and European) have been undertaken. The case studies are:
Wireless communications standardization
General ICT Standardization
ECMA International: case-study-ecma-20090505