Technology standards, in particular to machine-to machine (M2M) technology, are becoming more critical as M2M is the major backbone of worldwide business. The interest to standardize this technology has been gaining interest from all over the world.
Major Standards Development Organizations (the SDOs) have also identified the need for a cooperative M2M community standards activity, and have agreed to jointly address the challenge of common standardized solutions. The SDOs have taken initial steps to form a global initiative for M2M Standardization. They have currently agreed that the global initiative will be established early in 2012 and will then initiate the technical work to meet the challenges of rapidly evolving industries.
The global initiative has currently gathered representatives from the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) and the Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) of Japan; the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) of the USA; the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA); the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI); and the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) of Korea.
As indicated in a press release, these SDOs have now recognized that M2M services often rely upon communications networks for connectivity between the myriad of devices in the field and the M2M application servers, and have identified the need for a common cost-efficient, easily and widely available M2M Service Layer, which can be readily embedded within various hardware and software.
Reports also indicate that this global initiative will seek to develop globally agreed M2M end to end specifications and reports with initial focus on the Service Layer using common use cases and architecture principles across multiple M2M applications.
The initiative will develop specifications that will help drive multiple industries towards the goals of lowering operating and capital expenses, shortening time-to-market, creating mass-market economies of scale, simplifying the development of applications, leveraging the worldwide network for enhanced potential of services, expanding and accelerating global business opportunities, and avoiding standardization overlap.
Additionally, the initiative will focus on cooperative efforts with other standards organizations and include those representing specific aspects of M2M applications.
According to the SDOs, participation in the global initiative will be open to interested organizations and parties to provide opportunities for various levels of participation and provide flexibility for inputs from all market segments.
The SDOs also said that they will establish a simple and effective operational structure with reference to the needs of the various stakeholders. The initiative will seek to balance regional requirements and differences, and to address their respective timeframes, with the primary goal to support global harmonization and consolidation.
Recently, Numerex Corp., a provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) business services, technology, and products, presented at the international M2M workshop held at IEEE Globecom Global Communications Conference held in December, 2011 in Houston, Texas. Jeffrey O. Smith, chief technology officer at Numerex Corp. offered his insight regarding the scope and future of M2M standardization at the event.
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Meenakshi Shankar is a IoTevolutionworld contributor. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
