The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the IPv6 Forum have joined forces to promote each other’s essential technologies in deploying IPv6 and Smart Home-based applications and architecture concepts across Europe. Forum members will jointly benefit from this awareness and dissemination initiative in sharing essential knowledge in their key events and seeking and designing joint research projects.
“CENELEC within the ICT Standards Board (ICTSB) and in collaboration with the European Commission has been working for quite a long time on the Smart House initiative. Now that the concept is maturing and interest from the Consumer and Industry is rising, the challenge is more to help the convergence of the different initiatives in a structured and coherent way for the benefit of the European citizen. The role of Standardization is very important here, and IPv6 will facilitate the broad development of Home Networking ” states Mrs. Elena Santiago, Director General of CENELEC.

“CENELEC is very pleased to join the IPv6 Forum call for action. This decision speaks for CENELEC’s prompt vision of the future home. CENELEC’s embracing of new Internet technologies will unleash largest-scale deployment of new smart home models, arming its members with a hotbed of innovation and invention for next generation applications still to uncover”, emphasizes Latif LADID, Chair IPv6TF, Internet Society Trustee and President of the IPv6 Forum.

CENELEC LAUNCHES SMARTHOUSE PROJECT

CENELEC announces the launch of a project supported by the EU Commission to develop a SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice. The SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice will be aimed at delivering in one document, recommendations for the best practice in equipping, communicating with, and providing services to the Smart House of the future. It will not in itself be a new standard but will be designed so that it makes recommendations and reference to the Standards, Specifications, Networks, Protocols and Methodologies that should be used in order to build, equip and inform the Smart House. IT will aim to ensure that there is interaction and interoperability of all the elements in the house and in the delivery of applications and services to the House. It is intended the SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice shall be the definitive document for Europe and potentially world-wide.

It is intended that the work of editing the Code of Practice will involve all the relevant organizations that are stakeholders in the Smart House environment. These include:

· All the relevant standards and specifications organizations such as ETSI, CEN, CENELEC, and their Technical Committees (such as CLC TC205, TC215...)

· Industry Groups and Associations (such as AIE, CECED, DHWG, EICTA, EURESCOM, EHTEL, OSGi, IHA, IPv6 Forum, KONNEX, TAHI...)

· Equipment Sector Groups (such as Alarms, Cabling, Powerline, RF, RFID, Sensors...)

· Links to emerging standards in EU Framework Programme Projects (such as TEAHA, @HOM, Future Home... through COPRAS)

· Specific work in areas such as IPv6 and other W3 activities and work on Smart Houses and Future Homes in EU states.

The SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice will be of use to every one involved in the Home:

· The Citizen who will have reliable equipment, services and systems

· The Manufacturer, Installer, Service Provider, Network Operator, Builder, Architect and tradesman who will all have a recommended and pragmatic set of standards for Europe with which to apply new technology in the Smart House of the future.

CENELEC is now calling all interested parties to declare their willingness to participate in this definitive work. The target is to deliver the first SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice by the end of 2005 as part of the e-Europe 2005 initiatives. Thereafter, it is expected there will be an annual revision and update of the Code to ensure it remains at the forefront of technological advance.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About CENELEC

The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) is the recognized European Standards Organization in the electrotechnical field and has recently reinforced its ICT standardization unit. Its members have been working together in the interests of European harmonization since the 1950s, creating voluntary Standards (some of them Harmonized), which have helped to shape the European Internal Market. CENELEC works with 35,000 technical experts from 27 European countries. Its work directly increases market potential, encourages technological development and guarantees the safety and health of consumers.
CENELEC website: www.cenelec.org/

About the IPv6 Forum

The IPv6 Forum is a world-wide consortium of over 160 leading Internet service vendors, National Research & Education Networks (NRENs) and international ISPs, with a clear mission to promote IPv6 by improving market and user awareness, creating a quality and secure Next Generation Internet and allowing world-wide equitable access to knowledge and technology. The key focus of the IPv6 Forum today is to provide technical guidance for the deployment of IPv6. IPv6 Summits are organized by the IPv6 Forum and staged in various locations around the world to provide industry and market with the best available information on this rapidly advancing technology.
IPv6 Forum website:  http://www.ipv6forum.com

For further information about this press release, please contact:

Paco Cabeza-Lopez
CENELEC Communications Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 519 6867
E-mail: info@cenelec.org