For Immediate Release
1200 G Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20005 202/628-6380 202/393-5453 (fax)	Contact: John Bernhards Director of Public Relations Phone: 202/434-8850 E-mail: jbernhards@atis.org

Telecom Standards Activities Supporting Emergency Telecommunications Services (ETS) in "Next Generation" Networks Now Underway within Committee T1

November 19, 2001, Washington, D.C. - Standards Committee T1 Technical Subcommittee T1M1 - sponsored by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) -announced today a project plan to develop telecom standards supporting Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning (OAM&P) for Emergency Telecommunications Services (ETS) in "Next Generation" Networks (NGNs).

Now underway, T1M1's standards work will provide support to national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications that enable the U.S. government to make an immediate and coordinated response to all emergencies, to include natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and cyber-attacks. NS/EP communications also allow the President of the United States and other administration officials to be continually accessible, even under emergency conditions.

The project plan was introduced within T1M1 by the National Communications System (NCS), the U.S. government agency that coordinates the planning and provision of NS/EP communications.

ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller noted the importance of T1M1's project plan at a time when the diligent protection and safety of the nation's critical infrastructure is paramount. "We anticipate that the on-going protection of the nation's emergency communications services and other network systems will rely heavily on the standards activities of Committee T1, as well as other standards bodies," said Miller. "T1M1 and other ATIS standards development committees and forums are underway on these and similar efforts to support the nation's critical infrastructure needs in communications."

"In light of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. and the world, this project takes on even greater meaning and importance, one of service to the nation and protecting America's security interests," said T1M1 Chairman Mike Fargano of Qwest.

In addition to network centric OAM&P ETS standards formulation, T1M1 will develop Operations Support System (OSS) interconnection standards that provide for the interchange of critical service management information between different service providers, and between service providers and customers. Service providers have established the Telecommunications Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) that facilitates the interchange of information on service and network disruptions. With OSS requirements and guidance from the NCS and the ISAC, T1M1 expects to produce the necessary standards that support the exchange of service and network disruption information between service providers and the ISAC. These OSS interconnection standards will likely become part of the T1M1 tML (telecommunication Markup Language) family of schemas - based on XML (Extensible Markup Language).

More information on participation within T1M1's OAM&P ETS standards development activities is available on the Standards Committee T1 web site at www.t1.org.

About Standards Committee T1

Standards Committee T1 develops American National Standards, technical reports and technical requirements for telecommunications services, network interconnection, interoperability, and performance. Committee T1 provides technical input to the United States Department of State supporting U.S. participation in international standards bodies. More than 1,200 telecommunications engineers and technologists bring their expertise to Committee T1's six technical subcommittees. Committee T1 is a founding member of the Global Standards Collaboration (GSC) group of regional standards development organizations and works closely with the FCC on network reliability issues. Committee T1 is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). More information is available by visiting the Committee T1 Web site at www.t1.org. Committee T1 documents are available at the ATIS Document Center, located at www.atis.org.

About ATIS

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) is a member company organization that is the leader for standards and operating procedures for the telecommunications industry. More than 1,500 experts from over 400 telecommunications companies participate in ATIS' 19 committees, forums, and Incubator Solutions programs, where work focus includes network interconnection standards, number portability, improved data transmission, wireless communications, Internet telephony, toll-free access, and order and billing issues. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) frequently refers operations issues to ATIS committees for recommended solutions. Members of ATIS and committee participants include, but are not limited to, telecommunications service providers, manufacturers, software developers, resellers, enhanced service providers, and providers of operations support. For more information, visit the ATIS web site www.atis.org.

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