Tell us about your organisation
ETSI brings together interested parties to develop and promote standards for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems and services used globally. It provides an open and inclusive environment that supports the timely development, ratification, and testing of globally applicable standards. These standards benefit all sectors of industry and society, ensuring a sustainable and securely connected world.
Our organisation is a not-for-profit entity comprising more than 900 member organisations from over 60 countries and five continents. Our members include a diverse mix of large and small private companies, research entities, academia, and government and public organizations.
ETSI is officially recognised by the European Union as one of the three European Standards Organisations (ESO), a testament to our pivotal role in the European and global standardisation landscape.
What is your organisation’s role in the project? What unique contribution does it bring to the team?
In the InDiCo-Global project, ETSI plays several key roles that are crucial to its success. We manage and coordinate the entire project, ensuring the timely completion of each task. This includes chairing the Steering Committee and Stakeholders Group, coordinating with the European Commission, and liaising with all project stakeholders.
As part of the inception phase, we set the project on the right track by creating the Stakeholders Group, inviting relevant EU stakeholders, and establishing key contacts with EU representation in the targeted geographies. We also coordinate a state-of-play analysis to create and consolidate strategic objectives, with a view to prepare the initial consolidated version of the project’s work plan.
In the final studies and engagement phase, we update the scope for InDiCo studies, review gap analyses of digital standardisation in target countries, and assess policy, regulation, and awareness of the European Standardisation System. We also undertake organization of various events for capacity building and technical exchanges.
Our unique contribution lies in our extensive ICT standardisation expertise, strong stakeholder relationships, and effective project coordination, ensuring the project’s smooth execution and strategic objective achievement. Our unique European roots with global influence is a key asset in the project.
What impact do you hope Indico Global will have in the broader context of digital innovation and standardisation?
At ETSI, we foresee the InDiCo-Global project to be a catalyst of digital innovation and standardisation worldwide. By creating opportunities for the European Union and partners in key regions such as Africa, China, India, and Southeast Asia to create mutual awareness about the European Standardisation System (ESS), European standards and counterparts in partner regions, InDiCo-Global aims to build the foundation for robust international collaborations. These efforts will not only elevate global ICT standards but also foster interoperability, security, and innovation across various sectors.
Through targeted initiatives like capacity building, technical exchanges, and open calls, we anticipate advancements in ICT standardisation, driving global digital transformation. This project will help develop common approaches to Digital and use of common standards in support of these approaches. This will ensure a more inclusive, sustainable, and securely connected digital future, in line with European values.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see in international collaboration for digital innovation and standardisation
International collaboration for digital innovation and standardisation presents both challenges and opportunities. One major challenge is to stimulate exchanges allowing common positions to be found on policy and regulatory topics relating to Digital. This is the basis needed for standards applicable across different regions, which can speed up progress and foster interoperability. An additional challenge may be the varying levels of technological maturity and resource availability that can hinder collaboration efforts and technology rollouts.
However, these challenges also present significant opportunities. By working together, we can create harmonised standards that facilitate global interoperability, bringing products to more at a cheaper price, enhancing the efficiency and security of digital systems worldwide. These are key elements in enabling a global digital village, as ICT knows no borders.
