6 August 2003 Geneva-- The International Telecommunication Union has agreed on a partnership deal with the TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum), which will allow TM Forum standards to be published by ITU as ITU-T Recommendations. ITU-T is ITU's standards-setting body.
This partnership aims to leverage both organisations' resources and expertise in order to enhance international standards in Telemanagement and Operational Support Systems (OSS). The partners say the move further cements ITU's position as the leading Information and Communications Technology standardisation body, and signifies a strong vote of confidence in the work of the TeleManagement Forum.
Houlin Zhao, Director of the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (secretariat for ITU-T), said, "We believe strongly that a policy of cooperation with other standards development bodies contributes significantly to the process and will ultimately help to create a fairer market for businesses and consumers.
"The TM Forum's work has long been complementary to that of ITU-T's Study Group 4. This partnership means that we can avoid duplication of work and get standards to market in a far more efficient manner.
"This partnership with the ITU-T provides us with an efficient way to take our standards to the international community for formal adoption, quickly and without duplication of efforts," said Jim Warner, President and CEO of the TM Forum.
"We are delighted with the decision to allow the TM Forum to contribute directly to the ITU-T, as it demonstrates a strong level of confidence in the timeliness and quality of the TM Forum's technical work and it's importance to the telecommunications industry".
For further information contact Greg Jones, ITU-T Communications Coordinator. Tel: +41 22 730 5515; Email: [email protected]