The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of standards for emerging connectivity services.
Under the MoU, the two bodies will work to develop agile connectivity technologies in addition to the standard Carrier Ethernet 2.0.
The ITU's standardization sector and the MEF will establish a joint steering committee to supervise the collaboration. The partners will also hold joint leadership workshops and study groups and conduct certification and conformance testing for emerging technologies.
Specific areas of development will include protocols and test specifications, as well as next-generation networks, technologies, and infrastructures for transport, access, and home.
“MEF’s concept of ‘The Third Network’ – with agile, assured and orchestrated services enabled by LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) – describes a vision for the development and deployment of connectivity services necessary to build infrastructure which can be leveraged for economic opportunities that a hyper-connected world provides,” MEF president Nan Chen said.
“Alongside ITU-T, the MEF is defining the technologies that effectively makes for a level playing field, bridges the standardization gaps, and fosters opportunities for everyone to participate in the digital economy.”