scope:

In the current fast evolving telecommunications world, where various technologies are competing, interoperability is more than ever a fundamental feature that users expect from standardization and every effort is required to ensure it across networks and services. Despite significant standardization efforts, the user experience has shown in several occasions that interoperability is not provided end-to-end as anticipated.

It is important to notice that any interoperability failure in a public service area might jeopardize a person's safety and even possibly his life. Therefore it is crucial that interoperability is ensured in this field as widely as possible and that conditions, if any, where the service is not provided, are made clear to everybody.

Nevertheless users, considering the growing complexity of telecommunication technology and the legitimate need of freedom for innovation, understand that it is not possible to make everything conforming to a single standard. Taking into account this limitation, they would like to have, when purchasing devices or services, at least a clear indication on how far interoperability is provided.

The scope of the present document encompasses the main ICT services, such as fixed and mobile telephony basic and supplementary services, directory services, data transmission, Internet access, email, etc. even including requirements for services interoperability needed by certain categories of users and that are not necessarily envisaged by the designers.

The present document endeavours to give principles enabling for interoperability management in the standardization process according to the users' needs. They are based on the result of a survey of users. Such principles are expected to help in identifying areas where users need interoperability and where standardization should allow it to be provided.

The intention was to include the needs of every kind of users but unfortunately and despite many efforts, inputs about the needs of elderly and disable were very difficult to capture and only a few ones were provided belatedly. Therefore an additional work would be needed to fully take into account such needs.