September 23, 2009, Washington, DC – The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) recently unveiled a significant committee restructuring to better address the evolving communications ecosystem’s needs and requirements. 

In order to continually provide the timely solutions necessary for the industry’s ongoing evolution, ATIS periodically assesses its committee structure vis-à-vis developments in the larger industry.  ATIS last undertook a major restructuring effort in 2004. 

The current set of changes – to be implemented on January 1, 2010 – will improve committees’ productivity and efficiency, while simultaneously reaffirming ATIS’ place as a leader in the rapidly changing ICT industry.  The committee realignments strategically position ATIS to best service the diverse companies that will increasingly rely on tomorrow’s converged next generation networks.  The changes include the following:

• The Ordering and Billing Forum (OBF) will restructure to include two subgroups: an Ordering Committee and a Billing Committee. These committees will address ordering and billing issues/requirements for future networks.

• The OBF’s SMS/800 Number Administration Subcommittee (SNAC) will become a separate, stand-alone committee.

• The Network Interface, Power and Protection Committee (NIPP) and the Optical Transport and Synchronization Committee (OPTXS) will be realigned to form two new committees, the Copper/Optical Access, Synchronization, and Transport (COAST) Committee, and the Sustainability in Telecom: Energy and Protection (STEP) Committee.

• The Network Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NIIF) will be renamed the Next Generation Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NGIIF) and address interconnection between evolving and next generation networks.

• All ATIS committees will regularly identify issues of interest to the Telecom Management and Operations Committee (TMOC), and assist in locating the relevant resources.  This model – leveraging subject matter experts’ insights between committees – will be extended to assist other non-service related committees in identifying work and resources.

“These changes ensure ATIS’ strong future,” said Susan Miller, ATIS President and CEO. “Driven by our committee leadership, this restructuring reflects the realities of tomorrow’s communications space.  Such proactive measures secure ATIS’ position as a leader in the global standards development space, and will help enable those solutions necessary to realize the future’s fundamentally new ICT ecosystem.”  

About ATIS
ATIS is the leading technical planning and standards development organization committed to the rapid development of global, market-driven standards for the information, entertainment and communications industry. More than 250 companies actively formulate standards in ATIS’ 20 Committees, covering issues including: IPTV, Service Oriented Networks, Home Networking, Energy Efficiency, IP-Based and Wireless Technologies, Quality of Service, Billing and Operational Support. In addition, numerous Incubators, Focus and Exploratory Groups address emerging industry priorities including “Green”, IP Downloadable Security, Next Generation Carrier Interconnect, IPv6 and Convergence.

ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a member and major U.S. contributor to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio and Telecommunications’ Sectors, and a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, please visit www.atis.org.