Approaches from other SDOs to Conformity and Interoperability, conformance databases

1. Approaches from other SDOs to Conformity and Interoperability, conformance databases Regional ITU Consultation on Conformance Assessment and Interoperability (Sydney, Australia, 16-17 September 2010) Paolo Rosa Head, Workshops and Promotion Division Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

2. Pros from Members to ITU DB • Interoperability as Mission for ITU (Res. 71 – Strategic Plan) • Res. 76 intended to assist DCs and manufacturers should contribute to its implementation • Examples of problems associated with interoperability and conformance of equipments and systems. Documentation submitted to TSB so far • The conformance database would be exceedingly useful for operators and end users for whom equipment are manufactured. Good experience in this field is proven by existing DBs from other SDOs • Confidence of users in the kind of equipment they buy is more important than how quickly they appear on the market • ITU-T Recommendations must be studied in view of conformance assessment and interoperability testing as relevant • Some of them already ensure interoperability of products provided by different manufacturers. For these Recommendations conformance and interoperability testing are complementary considering that conformance is the first step to enable interoperability.

3. Cons from Members to ITU DB • The database presents both legal and associated financial liability risks for the ITU and the ICT industry • A step-by-step approach should be taken in order to take into account the concerns of the membership as ITU moves forward in implementing the action lines adopted by Council 2009 • The use of accredited test labs is time consuming and expensive, delaying users’ access to technology and slowing global trade • TSB should first prepare a business plan to establish the real costs, potential liabilities and measurable benefits to society before launching the ITU-T Conformity Database • Test centres in developing countries, according to one contributor, would lead to confusion in the market place

4. Databases by SDOs and Forums able to: - reduce time-to-market- reduce testing costs thanks to Mutual Recognition Agreements and/or Arrangement (tested once tested everywhere)- increase competition - increase confidence of end users to products,- be a window available to vendors to show conform productsDatabases from other SDOs are populated by the same industries claiming for exactly opposite reasons …

5. ITU-T Recs & test suites Route 2 accredited lab (ISO/IEC 17025) Test lab (Certification Body / Rec.A.5 SDO/Forum lab) Route 1 Conformity Assessment / Certification Supplier’s conformity route decision Test results (ITU-T X.290) Test results (ITU-T X.290) Implementation of the ITU ConformityProgramme: procedure Route 2 A Accredited (ISO/IEC Guide 65) Certification Body Evaluation 1st party Evaluation Route 2 B Product successfully tested in a lab recognized by any Rec. ITU-T A.5 SDO / Forum Conformity Certificate issued by Certification Body Supplier’s Conformity Declaration (ISO/IEC 17050) ITU C&I services Supplier’s Request to ITU ITU Conformity Database

6. Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity – SDoC 1/2

7. Tests performed in a lab recognized by: (A.5 – SDO/Forum)

9. The ITU Pilot Conformity Database:Example Single-multisearch facilities for any fields

10. A possible References data basefor conform products Single-multisearch facilities for any fields

11. Transitive property for C&I TRUE Conformity : necessary but not sufficient condition to increase the probability of interoperability and improve quality of service Customers: looking for conformity as the main requirement to increase interoperability and confidence in vendors, to optimize investments and to benefit of improved quality of service TRUE TRUE Vendors : claiming for conformity to standards and interoperability as key elements able to create better business opportunities and to demonstrate the excellence of products with respect to the competitors in the marketplace THEREFORE • ITU Conformity Database showing products claimed as successfully tested for conformity is a “key tool” to: • to help customers find best solutions for their needs • to offer vendors a for-free additional opportunity to make business giving visibility to their conforming products

12. Existing DBs from some other SDOs • IEEE – ICAP Product Conformance Registry www.ieee-isto.org/icap-program/products • Open Mobile Alliance – Products Listingwww.openmobilealliance.org/Application/ProductListing/products • FCC part 68- www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/part68faqs.pdf “The rules also provide for the development and maintenance of a publicly accessible database of approved TE and for labeling TE that have been shown to comply with the technical criteria. All approved TE are required to be listed in the database and to be properly labeled”. The Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments (ACTA), joint sponsorship of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), mandate “for maintaining a publicly accessible database of all approved TE” • WiMAX Forum Spectrum and Regulatory Database: www.wimaxforum.org/resources/wimax-forum-spectrum-and-regulatory-database • http://www.wimaxforum.org/certification/certified-product-showcase • Wi-Fi certified products database: www.wifi.org/certified_products.php • Global Certification Forum (GCF) (mobile phones and wireless devices based on 3GPP standards) GCF's guiding maxim is "test once, use anywhere." http://www.globalcertificationforum.org/WebSite/public/home_public.aspx

13. The FCC Conformity DatabaseFCC – 00 – 171NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING Adopted: May 15, 2000 Released: May 22, 2000 • Item 68 : Declaration of Conformity. (omissis)……DoC is a procedure under which the party responsible for the equipment's compliance with specific technical parameters, the manufacturer, importer, or assembler, causes measurements to be made of equipment performance with regard to those parameters. The party performing such measurements must be accredited for doing so by an authorized accreditation body based on the International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission ("ISO/IEC") Guide 25. (omissis) • Item 76 Database of Approved or Certified Equipment • Currently, the Commission maintains a data base of terminal equipment registered pursuant to Part 68……..a private entity be responsible for sponsoring and maintaining a similar database. • ……….entities using either DoC or verification be required to submit pertinent information regarding their identity and approved equipment to a database administrator. (omissis)

14. The FCC-Administrative Council for Terminal AttachmentACTA (TIA-ATIS) DatabaseRef. FCC 00-400 of 21 December 2000 • (item 108) the database “will permit interested parties such as the Commission, providers of telecommunications, and consumers to track and identify suppliers or importers of non-compliant equipment. As such, the database should ameliorate concerns regarding the potentially adverse impact of non-compliant terminal equipment on the PSTN by ensuring that suppliers are held accountable for any damage their equipment may cause to the PSTN” Registration Numbering and Labeling • (Item 81) As stated previously, when the Commission determines that a piece of terminal equipment meets the technical requirements for that equipment, the Commission assigns a unique registration number to that piece of equipment. We tentatively conclude that although the Commission will no longer be responsible for CPE registration, some form of unique identifying label must be applied to all terminal equipment. This identifying label is necessary to adequately identify CPE as an approved piece of terminal equipment that customers are entitled to connect to the PSTN (omissis)

15. IEEE Interoperability & Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP) • The ICAP website (www.ieee-isto.org/icap) is the externally facing “storefront” for the ICAP program • Providing a home base for industry groups involved with conformity programs associated with IEEE standards • Includes Laboratory Services Listing • Includes Registry of Conforming Products

16. Is ITU C&I DB creating confusion on the marketplace? The GCF – Certific. explained • GCF Certification delivers extra confidence throughout the mobile value chain by demonstrating that a mobile phone or wireless device:is compliant with requirements agreed by GCF, which in turn reference core and test specifications published by recognised standards organisations and other industry forums • will interoperate correctly when used on a variety of digital mobile networks • Manufacturers who certify their mobile devices to GCF rules and procedures are assured that: • their products will benefit from a high degree of interoperability • time-to-market for new products is reduced using this respected 'one-stop' verification process • expensive and time-consuming duplication of testing effort can be avoided • With GCF's 'tested once, use anywhere' maxim, manufacturers can significantly reduce the requirement for operator acceptance testing if presenting GCF certified devices.

17. Just an example from WiMax Forum…

18. Or better two examples…the GCF DB

19. The parallel TSB step-by-step approach

20. Conclusions The open consultations demonstrated a strong support to the ITU-T C&I programme, the contributions received and the demonstration of the databases produced by other SDOs / Forums urged the TSB to: • not delay anymore the implementation of Res. 76 and of the action lines endorsed by the council-09 • Made publicly available the ITU conformity database • Create an interoperability database • Set up a C&I portal for information, links to other SDOs and to Labs institutions • Implement the “parallel” step-by-step approach where the views of the industry are taken into account • Contributions from stakeholders to enrich the contents of the ITU C&I Portal are welcome

21. Thank you