WIRELESS STANDARDS—WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines or definitions of characteristics. Standards ensure that materials, products, processes and services fit for their defined and agreed purpose. A standard begins as a technical contribution, which is supported by a number of interested parties to the extent that they indicate their willingness to participate in the standard's development. Standards are available for experts to challenge, examine and validate. No industry in today's world can truly claim to be completely independent of components. products, rules of application that have been developed in other sectors. Without standards, interoperability of goods and services will not be possible.

When the proposed standard or technical document is near completion, the formu­lating Engineering Committee circulates the draft of the document for a ballot. The purpose of this ballot is to identify any unresolved issues and to establish consensus within the formulating group. Every effort is made to address and resolve comments received.

The opposite of standard is proprietary. Proprietary systems for similar technologies are seen as technical barriers to trade and competition. Today's free-market economies increasingly encourage diverse sources of supply and provide opportunities for expanding markets. On the technology front, fair competition needs to be based on identifiable, clearly defined common references that are recognized front one country to the other, and from one region to the next. An industry-wide standard, internationally recognized, developed by consensus among trading partners, serves as the language of trade.

There are some fundamental differences between how USA and Europe adapt tech­nology. In USA, market force and time to market drive the technology. Interoperability always has been the primary issue in Europe. Therefore, in Europe, standards drive adaptation of technology. This is one of the reasons why USA has more proprietary sys­tems compared to Europe.