European Telecommunications Standards Institute, a non-profit association responsible for producing globally-applicable ICT standards, held its latest technical meeting outside Europe for the first time.

The 12^th meeting, held in Philadelphia, Pa., from Sept. 13 to 17, focused on defining the operation of future M2M communications and the efficient integration onto wireless networks. According to the institute’s members, the meeting demonstrated the growing recognition of the global significance of M2M communications.

More than 40 telecommunications experts from leading companies and organizations around the world participated in the event and further explored the scope of innovations in the wireless technology that has changed the way people live, work and play.

The host, InterDigital (News - Alert), found the institute’s platform demonstrated the performance of a working prototype of an end-to-end architecture that interconnects cellular and non-cellular (for example, WPAN and WLAN) networks seamlessly, using the cellular network to remotely manage and control both cellular and non-cellular M2M devices. 

The host further informed that this architecture is being standardized within the institute in order to enable a broad range of M2M applications in vertical markets such as smart energy, healthcare, transportation and security. According to industry watchers, the boom in wireless M2M deployments is imminent and the standardization of service platforms and application programming interfaces creates a much needed and attractive way for cellular operators to capitalize on the boom.

InterDigital, which adopts an advanced R&D efforts in M2M communications, has been actively instrumental in the M2M standardization process. The company visualizes on tomorrow’s “Network of Networks” and encourages efforts at the seamless integration of advanced cellular systems with multiple communications networks, which include other air interfaces that intelligently and constantly connect people and things across a myriad of wide, local and personal area networks.   

France Telecom's (News - Alert) Marylin Arndt, chairman of the institute’s M2M committee, thanked InterDigital for hosting the meeting. She also praised the commitment and hard work of the committee's delegates who come from information and communication technologies companies around the world. She announced that the first step of the standardization process, defining requirements for the system, had been successfully completed and that work continues to develop the detailed standards.