scope:

This European Telecommunication Standard (ETS) specifies a methodology for developing telecommunications conformance testing specifications with the final objective to standardize them.

This ETS defines the components to be produced when specifying a European conformance Testing Standard (TS) in the domain of telecommunications.

The methodology specified in this ETS is, in principle, applicable to domains other than telecommunications, e.g. Open Systems Interconnection (OSI). However, the limits of such an application of the methodology outside telecommunications testing are not defined, and each group defining test specifications are responsible for deciding if any part of this methodology is applicable.

This methodology applies to conformance TSs for protocols, for profiles, for information objects, for interfaces, and for services.

NOTE 1: The methodology of this ETS is generic, in the sense that it applies to protocols, to profiles, to information objects, etc. Following the example of ISO/IEC 9646 (references [5] to [12]), the terminology employed is also generic, e.g. Implementation Conformance Statement (ICS), Implementation eXtra Information for Testing (IXIT). However, in order to avoid confusing the readers who are familiar with the protocolrelated terminology, the non-generic terms (Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS), Protocol Implementation eXtra Information for Testing (PIXIT), etc.) have been kept in the titles of clauses and subclauses.

The test of physical aspects, such as "layer 1", analogue measurements, Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC), is not covered by this ETS. However, part of the methodology may be still be applied, e.g. the concepts of ICS, IXIT, Test Purposes (TPs), and Test Suite Structure (TSS).

This ETS provides the rules for standardization bodies developing telecommunications conformance TSs.

NOTE 2: One objective of this ETS is the use, when relevant, within standardization bodies. For this purpose, within ETSI, it has the same value as an internal Technical Committee Reference Technical Report (TCR-TR).

This ETS is applicable to organizations such as Conformance Testing Services (CTS) programmes, prestandardization institutions, private institutions, which develop conformance testing specifications with the objective of contributing them for the purposes of European telecommunications standardization.

This ETS contains two types of information, following a twofold objective:

- it clarifies the principles of the ISO/IEC 9646 (references [5] to [12]) testing framework and methodology, as well as the concept of profile;

- it defines additional criteria for European telecommunications TSs, whereby it constitutes a "European telecommunications profile" of the ISO/IEC 9646 (references [5] to [12]) methodology, containing its own recommendations.

This ETS is consistent with the normative references listed in clause 2. This ETS extends the current principles contained in ISO/IEC 9646 (references [5] to [12]), in particular in the field of the combination of TPs, and concerning the choice of a single Abstract Test Suite (ATS).

For conformance testing in the "voluntary domain" (i.e. outside the regulatory domain), for instance by the suppliers to support their commercial claims for conformance, TSs are normally published as I-ETS, or ETS, depending on their role and their maturity.

This ETS addresses telecommunications TS methodology for the voluntary domain.