ICT standardization: changing the world for a better tomorrow

Undeniably ICT (information and communications technology) standardization is at a critical crossroads. The needs of the marketplace, in terms of timeliness, functionality and interoperability, once so well served by traditional standardization processes, are not being met. Something must be done or the industry´s progress of the past four decades will be lost. The risk is a return to market dominance by the very few wealthiest and most powerful providers. The single best hope is that the industry of ICT standardization becomes so healthy and responsive that standards-based products become preferred over proprietary products. The question is not whether to fix the situation. It has to be fixed. The question is how to fix it. And for that there are wide differences of opinion. One company, Sun Microsystems, together with numerous partners, has begun identifying the specific problems, collecting and analyzing relevant data, and taking constructive action. We discuss what they are doing.