New Standardisation Fora and their Relationships with Traditional Standardisation Organisations

The paper sets off by defining the fundamental concept of standards and proceeds by describing generic forms of standards (de facto and de jure) and various ways for standards to emerge. Then, the generic players (government, users, companies etc.) involved in the standardisation processes of communication networks are presented. Their considerations underlying standardisation are identified and explained. Furthermore, a number of main generic areas of communication standardisation are identified. This serves the purpose of clarifying the reasons and rationales of the various players. Finally, a synthesis of the identified development and standardisation trends of the converging landscape is made, providing a basis for prediction of future standardisation regimes.