Smart

Standardisation
for Digital SMEs
THE EU ICT SECTOR IN NUMBERS

* Study on Innovative ICT SMEs in Europe, IDC, 2007

50% 20%

1.2 million 560 billion 6.2 million productivity world

entreprises annual turnover people growth ICT supply

99.8% 93% 7% 6% 41%

share SMEs in SMEs in ICT share of ICT share of

of SMEs ICT services Manufacturing among innovative
newly created companies
companies among ICT
SMEs *

ICT STANDARDS
ICT Standards make available new technologies, disclose and share
innovation. Standards allow different companies to implement and
contribute to a complex technological ecosystem. As opposed to closed
and vertical technologies built on proprietary systems, standards
create an open and collaborative environment. ICT standards make
available proprietary technologies to all users at a fair price. This offers
SMEs an opportunity to innovate and access new markets.
SMES: from STANDARDS USERS
to STANDARDS MAKERS
Standardisation, i.e. the process of making
standards, is a voluntary exercise led by
industry and open to all interested parties.
Standards are developed in organisations that
put together the technical input of experts
coming from different companies that are
interested in contributing. Besides its 3
official Standardisation Organisations, CEN,
CENELEC and ETSI, Europe also recognises ICT
specifications devoloped by private fora such as
OASIS, W3C, IETF etc.
While the majority of SMEs are just users of
standards, some of them have realised the
potential of becoming makers of standards.
By contributing to the elaboration of a new
standard, companies have the chance to
influence the content of a technical specification
that might be used all over the world and, thus,
benefit from a big advantage on the market.
SMEs and start-ups that develop innovative
technologies and become standards makers
have an open door to global markets and have
access to millions of standards users in the
EU internal market as well as internationally.
Other potential advantages for SME standards
makers are to generate revenues from licencing
patented technologies included in standards
and to have direct access to global industrial
players who collaborate in the standards
making.

BENEFITS OF ICT
STANDARDS FOR SMES
Standards Users Standards Makers
Interoperability of products and components R R
Products safety, reliability and environmental care R R
Access proprietary technologies at fair price R R
Access to market R R
Market leadership R
Revenues from licensing patents R
Contact with industrial partners R

INVOLVING SMES IN THE

STANDARDS MAKING
Standards are never neutral. Instead, they reflect the strengths and innovations
of those who develop them. Thus, non-participation in standardisation hands
decision-making over to the competition.
Many SMEs are not aware about standardisation, thus they are excluded from
it. Moreover access to the process is made difficult due to linguistic, technical
and financial barriers.
In its report The future of European Standardisation, the European
Parliament stressed that SMEs, although they represent an essential part of
the EU market, are not adequately involved in the standardisation system and
cannot, therefore, exploit entirely the benefits derived from standardisation.

Small Business Standards (SBS) is a response to the desire of the EU to make

the standardisation system as inclusive, transparent and open as possible,
enhancing the participation of weaker actors such as SMEs. SBS aims at
defending the position of SMEs in the European standards making process.
SBS SECTORAL
APPROACH ON ICT
STANDARDS
In 2015, SBS appointed 42 paid experts at European
and international levels, working in standards technical
committees, and supported 9 experts working on a voluntary
basis. Among them, 11 SBS experts work on issues related
to standards in the ICT sector, covering a variety of technical
committees at ETSI, CEN, CENELEC, IEC and ISO/IEC.

CEN PC 428 Professions for ICT

ETSI TC ATTM Access, Terminals,

Transmission and Multiplexing

ETSI TC CYBER Cybersecurity

ETSI TC ESI Electronic Signatures and

Infrastructures

CEN TC 278 Intelligent Transport Systems

CLC TC 5 / WG1 Space - Navigation and positioning

receivers for road applications

CEN TC 287 Geographic information

ETSI TC TCCE TETRA & Critical Communications

Evolution Bodies that oversee the development of ICT
IEC TC 79 Alarm and electronic security systems
ETSI oneM2M Machine-to-Machine communications
ISO/IEC JTC IT Security techniques
1/SC 27
In 2015 SBS intensified its presence in the
standards. The objective of SBS is to make
sure that, in a system primarily led by private
interests, SMEs are not marginalised, their
interests are taken into account and their
needs are respected. In parallel, SBS wants
to provide SMEs with valuable information
on ICT standards that may be relevant for
their business. For this, SBS is present at:

EUROPEAN MULTI STAKEHOLDER PLATFORM

ON ICT STANDARDISATION:
EC advisory body on the implementation of ICT standardisation policies.

ETSI GENERAL ASSEMBLY:

The highest ETSI decision-making body. SBS appointed the elected
GA Vice-Chairman.

ETSI BOARD:
ETSIs operational and strategic body. SBS appointed an elected
Member of the Board.

ETSI INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

SPECIAL COMMITTEE:
ETSIs official advisory body on IPR matters.
 ICT STANDARDS
FOR SMES
News web-page dedicated to information and updates
on ICT standards that are relevant for SMEs
digital-sme.eu/sbs

New from 2016 - FORUM ON ICT STANDARDS

FOR DIGITIZATION OF SMES
SBS hosts this public platform for discussion and sharing of information on ICT standards. The main focus is on
digitisation of SMEs addressing not only SMEs that provide ICT services but also SME users.
The participants are SMEs and their associations, as well as selected members of industry, standardisation bodies
and the European Institutions.
The forum is functional to discussing policy and technical issues related to ICT standards and develop SBS positions
SBS on relevant subjects.

SBS COORDINATES
www.sbs-sme.eu | info@sbs-sme.eu | @sbs-sme | +32 2 285 07 15

In partnership with PIN SME - The Voice of ICT SMEs in Europe

www.digital-sme.eu I office@digital-sme.eu | +32 2 285 07 26

The work presented in this document is co-financed

by the European Commission and EFTA