Standardisation is becoming increasingly complicated, with a proliferation of SDOs and fora, and de facto standards. In wireless systems, standardised products are starting to dominate the world market, while those lacking standardisation have real difficulties competing. With the standardisation giving emphasis to B3G systems, it seems likely that the domination of standards will continue into foreseeable future. The need for standardised open interfaces, protocols and interworking support for future generation wireless networks and services falls naturally in the scope of MAGNET Beyond.

Results on the internetworking activities, the interfaces between the PNs and the networks represent key activities feeding the standardisation processes. Aspects also related to middleware supporting PN services within the PANs and the networks should generate contributions to standards on open interfaces and APIs, and this includes the gateway and edge technologies targeted by MAGNET Beyond.

The MAGNET Beyond partnership will develop a pro-active strategy for promoting and standardising its results. By doing so it provides valuable starting conditions for the market place to maximally benefit from the findings and results of the project. Participation in targeted standards bodies and fora is essential to accomplish the goals of the project and to establish timely, market-oriented standards.

MAGNET Beyond has a separate activity dealing with standardisation, where the partners involved (mainly from industry), will monitor the project results and implement a standardisation strategy. The industrial partners of MAGNET Beyond participate actively in standardisation bodies and these existing relationships are utilised for achieving a strong impact.

The MAGNET work packages are expected to contribute to standards through their activities on open interfaces, interworking and protocols (discovery protocols, middleware support and execution environments with open interfaces, interfaces between PANs and fixed networks at the network edges and security protocols and mechanisms). In addition, a number of partners will focus on liaisons and contributions to standardisation bodies as stated explicitly in the partners’ role in the project. All partners will participate in the creation and preparation of the inputs and contributions to standards through the appropriate activities.