Electronic working methods

ETSI serves some of the world's most dynamic industrial sectors, and it is imperative that the Institute's working practices are as effective and economical as possible.

To this end, ETSI has adopted a wide range of electronic working methods that have been proven to ensure a highly efficient and reliable standards-making process that extends across the entire lifecycle of ETSI's products.

These methods make extensive use of the Internet and are therefore accessible to participants in the Institute's work, wherever they may be in the world.

Here are examples of the various solutions that ETSI has adopted:

Preparation of standards

Experience in ETSI has shown that a consistent approach to the drafting of standards and reports not only helps to ensure a high quality in the finished product, it also contributes greatly to getting documents published on time. To this end, the ETSI Secretariat, through its editHelp! service, provides guidance, skeleton documents and templates, and other electronic tools to assist anyone who is involved in drafting ETSI standards and reports.
For the ETSI technical committees, working groups etc, a uniform, web-based approach to handling and storing working drafts, meeting documents and so on helps delegates and technical committee officials manage the documentation in a simple and efficient manner.

Decision making and voting

Specially-designed web-based tools ensure that the handling and administration of voting (on the approval of draft standards/reports as well as on other matters) is performed efficiently and with clarity. E-mail exploder lists enable delegates to participate easily in the more informal decision-making activities of the Institute.

Meetings

Several years ago, ETSI took the decision to eliminate paper almost totally from its meetings, and as far as possible to work entirely using electronic communications and software tools. As a result, all of the meeting rooms at ETSI's headquarters are equipped with Ethernet and wireless local area networks (WLAN), as well as supporting facilities such as data projectors, audio conference equipment and video webcast services. Where needed, and where possible, similar facilities are provided for meetings that take place outside ETSI's premises.
Web-based applications allow delegates to consult schedules, register for meetings, contribute documents, consult work progress, and various other meetings-related tasks.
However, whilst much of ETSI's standardization activity is achieved in physical meetings, an increasingly large proportion is done through 'virtual meetings' and routine correspondence by e-mail. In addition, 'chat' and messaging software, frequently used in conference mode, is also used extensively and is making a vast improvement to the effectiveness of the standards-making process.

Work programme

ETSI's web-based Work Programme Management application provides up-to-date information on the state of progress for every work item, and is publicly and freely available to anyone who wishes to consult it.

Access to services

ETSI is keen to make as much information as possible publicly available, and this is certainly the case for published standards and reports, meetings calendars, lists of Members, the ETSI Work Programme, and much more. Inevitably, there is other information that should be restricted to ETSI Members.
Thus a flexible system of access accounts has been created, allowing all persons who have the right (such as the staff of ETSI Members) to be able to obtain the restricted content. This is done through a system of 'ETSI On-Line' (EOL) accounts.
In addition, EOL account-holders may register to join e-mail exploder lists serving the various ETSI technical committees, working groups, technology themes etc.

Intellectual Property Rights

ETSI Members invest a great deal of Intellectual Property in ETSI's standards and reports, and the ETSI Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy is there to protect the interests of our Members, as well as of the Institute itself and, indeed, non-Member companies.
This Policy, which can be found in the ETSI Directives, requires Members to declare 'Essential IPRs' and ETSI to publish information based on these declarations. Declaration forms and the ETSI IPR Database, available on the ETSI website, facilitate the operation of this Policy.

Shopping

ETSI's published standards and reports are publicly available for individual download, free of charge. However, we also provide various 'packages' of documents, for which we do make a charge. These packages include the 'ETSI Webstore', the complete set of published standards and reports, which are available on subscription or in single copies.

Help

Recognizing the huge dependency our Members and other make on these various electronic resources, ETSI has put in place several different sources of help. They include:

• A Helpdesk, staffed from 08h30 to 12h00 and from 13h30 to 16h30 Central European Time, Monday to Friday (except public holidays)
  Tel: +33 4 92 94 49 00
  E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Helpdesk web pages, containing answers to many of the questions commonly raised by delegates and other users of the ETSI services
• An Information centre for general inquiries about ETSI activities
  E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.