New concept and hierarchy for telecommunications standards

The factors leading to the formulation of standards to meet the rapid expansion of telecommunications in China are discussed. The categories chosen for the standards and their use in managing the deployment of telecommunications networks in China are described. The standards development approach used creates standards that involve the adoption of a layered approach to networking and the definition of sets of open standards for each of these layers. The resulting integrated network is divided into three layers: the bearer layer, support layer, and service layer. To provide this layered approach, four types of telecommunications standards, appropriate to the functional needs of organizations using the standards, have been developed. The four functional types are: telecommunications basic technical standards, engineering and construction standards, operations and maintenance standards, and telecommunications general standards.<>