Joint ITU-GISFI-DS-CTIF
Standards Education Workshop
(Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012)
Teaching standardization to Engineers
- CMI experience
Knud Erik Skouby,
Professor, CMI/ Aalborg University
skouby@cmi.aau.dk
Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012
Standardisation
Standards are specifications that
determine the compatibility of
different products
(also minimum quality and
reference standards)
Standardisation is the process where
standards are agreed
What/ why do we teach to
engineers?
Basics of the ‘Information Society’
The rapid technological change has
highlighted the strong
link between technological
standards, innovation, market
performance and economic welfare
The ability to communicate
electronically is the foundation
Standards enable the electronic
communication
WWRF -2020 Vision: 7 trillion
wireless devices
serving 7 billion people
All people will be served with wireless
devices
Affordable to purchase and operate
Calm computing: technology invisible to
users
Machine to machine communications
• Sensors and tags: e.g. in transport and
weather systems, infrastructure, to
provide ambient intelligence and context
sensitivity
All devices are part of the (mobile) internet
7 Trillion Devices in a decade
Smart meters
Sensors
Objects
Knowledge from Data –
O2O
Tags
Personalized medicine
5
Need for standards
Technology:
Interworking/interoperability/overall
architecture is a must
Socio-economics:
Prevention of Market failures
Information asymmetry
Externalities
Development of ‘Natural’ monopoly
IPR: Intellectual Property Right
Patent
Copyright
Design registration
Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012
6
Students need to understand the
elements – and the relations – in
standardization
Institutions
Drivers/ barriers
Processes
Impact
Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012
7
Institutions
Old Regime: ITU
National sovereignty
Joint provision
Interoperability via
negotiated standards
Present regime
Hyper fragmented and volatile“standards market”
Myriad of agents in
the standardization
process (SDOs,
forums, companies)
ICT standards specified
in “islands”
GTSC
GRSC
End to end monolithic
standards are “last millenium”
Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012
8
Drivers/ Barriers in standards
TECHNOLOGY
Digitalization
Computerization
Packet based Switching
Internet Protocol (IP)
Mobile
Next Generation Networks
(NGN)
Convergence &
converged services
Ambient ICT
Applications
Regulation
POLICY
Competitive environment
Enabling of changes
Creation of adequate
infrastructures and
services
User empowerment
Services
MARKET
Tech development
Techno-economic efficiency
Cost / prices
New infrastructures and
services
Standardization Proces(ses)




Impact: Winner factors – ‘acceptable’?
Be first
Luck / coincidence
Co-operation with complementary
producers
Might be the best product, but
Lock-in
 QWERTY as an example
 Path dependence / hysterisis


Market failure or ?
Impact Paradox?
Freedom
Creativity
Dynamics
Stability
Order
Routine
„In fact, fast-changing economies have a
greater need for standards and norms.”
Evergrowing Spectrum Demand
Work starting to calculate demand in
preparation for WRC 2015
Not adequate VHF/ UHF bands
available
Possible solutions
Sharing
Satellite occupies 3600 – 4200 MHz
Lower Broadcasting bands
Or Research new technology techniques
Key success factors
complexity/cost
backhaul requirements
business models and usage scenarios
spectrum and standardisation
Efficient signalling
Realistic deployment scenarios and
performance evaluation
System architecture aspects and backward
compatibility
Cross layer optimisation
Conclusions and Recommendations
Standardization @
universities: an
academic discipline
Theory
Methodology
Data/ facts
Understand the
process
Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012
Complicated
Not ‘in it self’/ by
nature
It is
multidisciplinary
Research needed
15
”Wireless Mobile Communications
from WW1 (Sommes 1918)
The use of pigeons
Was not cancelled
From the Danish
Military Budget until 1995