SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS, France -- On the 5th December, over 200 representatives from the world’s leading telecommunications companies are expected to converge upon ETSI's HQ in Sophia Antipolis, France, to participate in the official launch of TISPAN's NGN Release 1.

Since it’s initial kick-off meeting in September 2003, the ETSI Technical Committee TISPAN has been developing a set of standards that can be used by industry as the foundation for the Next Generation of Networks (NGN). The ninth TISPAN plenary meeting will see the approval of its Release 1 NGN definition document and the publication of over 20 ETSI specifications.

Next Generation Networks will offer the platform for convergence between the traditional public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) and the new IP based data networks. The operators, vendors and government representatives driving this standardization work believe harmonized NGNs are the way forward to improve the delivery of current network services and enable the rapid deployment of innovative new IP based services to the market place.

The high level of participation in TISPAN meetings, which generally attract representatives from over 45 telecommunications companies, illustrates Industry’s commitment to making the open standards that benefit the entire sector. It is proof also that it is only with a clearly defined set of detailed technical standards that complex, multi-vendor networks will be able to coexist and interoperate successfully.

Mr Alain le Roux, Chairman of the ETSI TISPAN said;

"ETSI TISPAN was set-up with the objective of developing a first package of implementable NGN specifications within 2 years. Here we are after 26 months of intense activity, [at the TISPAN#9 meeting] we will complete and deliver the TISPAN_ NGN Release 1 specifications that our Industry is eagerly waiting for, to turn NGN into reality.”

With over 20 Technical specifications submitted for approval by TISPAN at its 5th - 9th December meeting in Sophia Antipolis, and the same number of specs to be finalized and ready to enter the approval process shortly after, this will be a memorable meeting for both the actors and observers of the TISPAN_NGN story.

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)