Embracing Open Source Methods for the Standardization of NGN Services and Enablers

There is no doubt that the traditional value chain of the telecommunications industry is facing significant pressure due to the convergence of Internet and Telecom worlds, in particular at the service layer. The telecommunications industry has failed so far to deliver on the promise of rapid application development whereby untrusted third parties have the ability to create innovative services that are delivered over NGN platforms. The relevance of standardisation bodies such as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) is also being challenged by so-called "Web 2.0" technologies and de-facto standardisation efforts on the Internet. In the face of a rapidly changing technology landscape and increasing pressure to accept "Internet" models, the telecommunications industry must embrace open source methodologies in the standardisation process. This paper covers a potential governance structure for utilising OSS techniques using the OMA as an example.