International standardisation
In the scope of international standardisation, ICP-ANACOM directly follows the standardisation activities of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in the scope of the Telecommunications Standardisation Sector (ITU-T), and particularly in the Telecommunications Standardisation Advisory Group (TSAG).
ICP-ANACOM has accompanied TSAG?s activities and organised the Workshop on the Divulgation of ITU-T International Standardisation, held in Portugal in June 2002. The Authority also accompanied ITU-T?s standardisation activities in the area of 3rd generation mobile communications.
ITU-T prepares comprehensive telecommunications standards (called Recommendations) by studying technical, operational and pricing issues. Although not binding, these recommendations are for the most part used, as they guarantee network interoperability and interconnection and allow the provision of telecommunications services anywhere in the world. Many of them are referenced in European standards of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Regarding the ITU-T Recommendations, ICP-ANACOM gathers internal and external comments to be eventually considered in the reply it sends to the ITU.
ICP-ANACOM?s participation in ETSI, which also contributes to standardisation at international level, is in turn discussed in the corresponding chapter.
Sector standardisation
By means of the co-operation protocol with the national standardisation body, the Portuguese Quality Institute (IPQ), ICP-ANACOM is the body with sectorial standardisation duties (organismo com funções de normalização sectorial ? ONS/ANACOM) for the communications domain (telecommunications and postal service) and electromagnetic compatibility.
ONS/ANACOM co-ordinates and supports national participation in the relevant standardisation activities of the European standardisation bodies ? ETSI, European Standardisation Committee (CEN), European Electrotechnical Standardisation Committee (CENELEC) ? and the global standardisation bodies ? namely the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO). In this context, it prepares sector?s replies to IPQ consultations concerning opinions, public enquiries and national votes on the normative documents of those bodies.
In the context of co-operation with the ONS, and in accordance with the relevant directives of the National Quality Council, the IPQ set up the Portuguese technical commissions. Participants in these commissions include associations, public administration bodies and companies, when deemed convenient. Their activity consists of following international and European standardisation work, as well as the elaboration and revision of Portuguese standards. This work is carried out by the technical commission members, in close liaison with the IEC in the international context and with the CEN and CENELEC at European level.
As an ONS, ICP-ANACOM supports the work of the Electrotechnical Commission on Communications Cables. Also, experts from ICP-ANACOM took part in CENELEC activities during the course of 2002.
CEN working meetings in the postal domain were also attended.
As an ONS, ICP-ANACOM participates actively in the process launched by the IPQ to assure better standardisation productivity. To this end, the Portuguese Association of Sectorial Standardisation Bodies (APONS ? Associação Portuguesa dos Organismos de Normalização Sectorial), which it has also joined, was set up in late 2001.
