ICT Standardization

ICTSB

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 2003)

The world economy in the new millennium is becoming ever more information-based. Increasingly, astute decision making is crucial to competitiveness and success in business. For these reasons, the systems used to access and distribute information, and the technologies that drive them, are at the focus of both commercial and regulatory concerns. In addition, new ICT applications, such as mobile communications, pay-as-you-view video, personal computers, car navigation systems and so on, are also radically changing the way individuals work and enjoy their leisure time. Most people in Europe already use at least one of these technologies on a daily basis. These applications, however, will not reach their full potential unless both they and their supporting infrastructures are fully interoperable. This is the role of standards. Standards are technical specifications that support the development of open and competitive markets for the benefit of both consumers and industry.