Stan­dard­i­s­a­tion

Information and communication technologies (ICT) provide a fundamental basis for Germany as a business location, their development being a key driver for innovation and ensuring competitiveness. Standardisation at international, European and national level is a major factor in ICT development, which is why active and intensive participation in the standardisation process is particularly important.

Participation in standardisation activities is shaped by the legal framework and objectives as set in particular in the Telecommunications Act (TKG), the Electromagnetic Compatibility of Equipment Act (EMVG) and the Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Act (FTEG). Priorities are also set in the German federal government's ICT strategy "Digital Germany 2015" and its standardisation policy concept, as well as the innovation concept developed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).

Germany's interests are effectively represented within the telecommunications standardisation bodies by the BMWi and the Bundesnetzagentur. The Bundesnetzagentur actively supports open standards and interoperability in the interests of the consumers and industry, in particular small and medium-sized businesses. The aim is to define open interfaces between networks, terminal equipment and services to promote competition and thus pre-empt solutions resulting in lock-ins before standardised solutions are implemented in the market. Other objectives include:

• efficient and effective use of limited resources (radio spectrum, numbers),
• ensuring compatibility between equipment and services,
• protecting persons and networks,
• maintaining public safety,
• communications structures in disaster and crisis situations,
• data protection.

The interests of other authorities and federal government departments are represented in the ICT standardisation process in agreement with the BMWi. Another primary consideration is technology neutrality.
The Bundesnetzagentur focuses its activities on the work within the following standardisation organisations and bodies in order to achieve these objectives:

• German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE (DIN/DKE),
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN),
• European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC),
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI),
• European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT),
• European Group on Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB),
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC),
• International Standards Organisation (ISO),
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
• Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),
• oneM2M (international cooperation between standardisation bodies on M2M).

More detailed information is available on the following key areas:

• radio applications,
• broadcasting networks,
• innovative communication services,
• network architectures/network access technologies,
• international liaison and coordination office,
• emergency calls,
• quality,
• numbering,
• security.