TIA and OPC Commit to Work Together on Global M2M Standards for Industrial Automation

Arlington, Va. – The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the OPC Foundation announced that they have recently signed an agreement to further promote the telecommunications industries in the United States and around the globe for machine-to-machine (M2M) and Industrial Automation. TIA's recent release of the M2M standard, TIA-4940, "Smart Device Communications (M2M) Reference Architecture," particularly highlighted the value that this standard and the work of TIA's TR-50 Smart Device Communications Engineering Committee, brings to the industrial automation community.

Under the friendship agreement, TIA and the OPC Foundation will cooperatively work to promote and produce harmonious technology standards. The two organizations will also consider regulatory issues of common importance to further the development of high-tech communications industries worldwide.

The two standards developing organizations (SDOs) plan to work collaboratively to produce M2M standards. While attending a recent meeting of TIA's TR-50 Smart Device Communications Engineering Committee, representatives and suppliers from the OPC Foundation explicitly said they want to work with the TIA committee to develop a straightforward, uncomplicated standard to meet the needs of M2M vendors.

"The OPC Foundation's history of working on standards for industrial automation and enterprise systems will provide insight to help TIA as we work on new specifications for vertical industries so they can take advantage of the benefits of innovative interoperable M2M technology," said TIA President Grant Seiffert. "As we approach an era of 50 billion devices connected via the Internet in just a few short years, the synergy in standards development between TIA and OPC lies at the heart of our mutual push to seamlessly connect communications devices and enable industries to grow and thrive."

"The OPC Foundation and its 500+ members are very interested in contributing to the development of standards within TR-50," said Thomas Burke, President and Executive Director of the OPC Foundation. "The OPC Foundation is dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation and enterprise computing and this is one of the significant reasons we believe working cooperatively and closely with TIA-TR-50 in the development of standards is a perfect fit for the OPC Foundation and our members.

"The OPC Foundation's submitted TR-50 contribution is an outstanding step toward making M2M simple for the masses," said Cheryl Blum, TIA Vice President, Technology and Standards. "Given the fact that M2M device communication standards will be implemented by most device makers and infrastructure OEMs, it is critical to have a contribution from the people that make the 'Things' for the 'Internet of Things.' The starting point for convergence must be simplicity. An extensible specification that is simple to implement – with input from the community of vendors who will be responsible for execution of the TR-50 standard - is critical. Most importantly, as we discuss 50 billion connected devices, we can tap OPC's rich history of innovation and standards adoption."

TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Read ANSI's report, "Standards Boost Business" at standardsboostbusiness.org.

About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the manufacturers and suppliers of global information and communications technology (ICT) networks through standards development, policy and advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence, and events and networking. Since 1924, TIA has been enhancing the business environment for broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite and unified communications. Members' products and services empower communications in every industry and market, including healthcare, education, security, public safety, transportation, government, the military, the environment, and entertainment. Visit tiaonline.org.

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TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Read ANSI's report, "Standards Boost Business" at standardsboostbusiness.org/.

TIA's Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ACS Solutions, ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical Company, Ericsson, Inc., FAL Associates, GENBAND, Inc., Henkels & McCoy, Juniper Networks, ILS Technology, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola Mobility, Motorola Solutions, Nokia Siemens Networks, Numerex Corp., OneChip Photonics, Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Qualcomm, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tarana Wireless, Inc., Tellabs, TE Connectivity, Walker and Associates and WirefreeCom, Inc.