Terms of Reference for the ETSI Special Committee User Group Identity

Approved by Board#51 B51(05)22

User Group represents Users of ICT products and services who fall into different categories, for example:

 Type A users: consumers

• Sedentary consumer
•  Mobile consumer

 Type B users: Business Users

• end user (office, remote teleworking)
• in SMEs
• in large companies

• IT&T managers
• Managers
• of SMEs
• of Large companies

Type C users: Users with special needs

Type D users: Service Providers

Type E users: Telco Operators acting as users.

Type F users: Government Depts.

Goals From time to time produce reports on users' requirements pertaining to topics previously defined by either the User Group, or other relevant ETSI body for recommendation to Board and GA.  Such reports will analyse the users' requirements under a functional approach in order to improve the standardization work. Interface with the policy and priority setting bodies in ETSI  to transmit users' concerns and viewpoints on subjects of relevance to the European Telecommunications Standardisation. Be available for consultation by Technical Body Chairmen on users' needs.  For this, the User Group will be in charge of orienting and distributing consultative questions to pertinent users within the user population at large. Address user concerns to relevant ETSI Technical Bodies. Ensure that user concerns are taken into account by ETSI Technical Bodies. Organize meetings in the European countries in co-operation with the national organizations. These meetings will be open to the general public for ETSI Standards promotion amongst the users community and for exchanges of viewpoints on current issues.  At the same time, this process should provide the users involved with up-to-date information on these topics and on the standardization progress as well. The User Group will endeavour to gather meaningful opinion on as broad as spectrum of Users as possible. In order to achieve this, the User Group will devise and propose to ETSI and for the EC, ways for financing this venture. Organization

Users who are not ETSI members and other stakeholders may be invited by the chairman.  The ETSI Director-General shall appoint one member from the ETSI Secretariat Staff to support the User Group work.

The User Group shall report to the ETSI Board.

New work items can be open if supported by at least four members or by decision of the user group during a plenary meeting. Work items can only be stopped if completed or by decision of the User group. Concerning work programme issues, if voting is needed only simple majority is required. In case of equality, the chairman position prevails.

It is expected that each Technical Body working group identified to deal with user requirements send, at the end of its meetings, to the User Group a few lines identifying on which issues users' inputs could be worthwhile, why and when and describing the necessary background information. It is expected that the User Group contact person in each Technical Body will inform the UG on issues concerning the user community.

The ETSI Secretariat will actively support the User Group work, channelling information from Technical Bodies to the User Group and vice versa, supporting User Group tasks and providing information on the status of the standardization on topics of interest to the User Group.