Standardization and information asymmetry: how can organizations equip themselves to make informed decisions?

Whether you are a company, a research laboratory, or a technology transfer office, any initiative in the field of technology standardization requires a structured organization. This structure will depend on the objectives you associate with your involvement in standardization. It is rare to consider only one standardization body: it is the entire ecosystem (stakeholders, partners, authorities) and the associated dynamics that must be taken into account, in a foresight approach, for an effective and consistent approach.

In some cases, such as 3GPP, it is not just a matter of standardizing a single technology, but rather a technology platform that aggregates multiple technologies. This makes the associated ecosystem all the more complex and reinforces the need for a comprehensive and coordinated vision. To illustrate this complexity, Release 20, which focuses on the evolution of 5G-Advanced and the beginnings of 6G, is currently associated with 69 parallel feasibility studies in the various 3GPP working groups. Technical Report TR22.870, currently under development, is the deliverable of one of these studies. It already runs to 470 pages and covers 189 6G use cases, each with specific technical requirements. These figures reflect the scale of the work and the density of information that the players involved need to master—whether it’s understanding the issues, anticipating developments, or actively contributing to the specifications.

This vision differs depending on the organization and its objectives: whether it uses, integrates, or develops standardized technologies, its priorities and strategies for standardization will be distinct. It is precisely for this reason that there is no generic approach: each player must adapt its approach to its role, challenges, and environment.

To address these challenges, a structured and adaptable approach can be implemented according to the specific needs of each organization. Monitoring standardization work is the essential foundation: it determines the effectiveness of all other actions by enabling major developments to be anticipated. However, in contexts such as complex technology platforms (such as 3GPP), this approach goes beyond simple monitoring.

It is more a matter of strategic intelligence, conducted at the ecosystem level and organized according to a methodical approach: analysis and understanding of markets, industrial verticals, geopolitical dimensions, and technological dynamics.

• Monitor the work of standardization bodies to stay informed of developments and anticipate their impact;
• Gain early access to technical specifications in order to prepare in advance for the adoption or integration of standards;
• Actively contribute to the definition of technical specifications to align standards with your own needs or expertise;
• Influence the definition of roadmaps and target requirements by participating in strategic working groups;
• Take the lead in a standardization activity to assert leadership and extend influence within the ecosystem by steering strategic initiatives and bringing key players together around a common vision.

The 3GPP ecosystem is another perfect illustration of this complexity. It is not limited to a single organization, but involves a multitude of players with complementary roles:

• International organizations (ITU, IEEE, ISO/IEC, ETSI, CEN/CENELEC) that also ensure technological interoperability and form the basis of global regulatory frameworks;
• Industry organizations (NGMN, GSMA, Alliance for IoT, etc.) that bring together industrial players around common visions and technological roadmaps;
• Sectoral organizations (5G-AA for the automotive industry, 5G-ACIA for manufacturing, 5G-MAG for media, etc.) that address the specific needs of vertical value chains, often with a forward-looking approach;
• Geotechnological organizations (6G-SNS, B5G, 5G Americas, NextG Alliance, 6G-RIC, etc.) that reflect competitiveness and sovereignty issues, guided by geopolitical visions of technology;
• Adjacent alliances (O-RAN, AI-RAN) that extend the ecosystem to related areas, such as network openness or AI integration;
• Open source initiatives (Open5GS, Open6GCore, OpenSlice, OpenCAPIF, OpenMANO, etc.) that accelerate innovation and promote the adoption of standards through collaborative implementations;
• The landscape of patents and patent pools, which structures access to essential technologies and influences the dynamics of collaboration and competition.

Standardization does not exist in a legal vacuum either. Regulations, particularly in Europe, play an increasingly important role in defining priorities and constraints for players in the ecosystem. Standardization and regulation form a continuum.
For example:

• Cybersecurity: The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), NIS 2, and the eIDAS regulation impose strict requirements on product and infrastructure security, directly influencing standardization work.
• Artificial Intelligence: The European AI Act, currently being rolled out, regulates the development and use of AI, with significant implications for standards related to smart grids, automation, and data analysis. Standardization bodies must now anticipate these constraints to ensure the compliance of the technologies developed.
• Technological sovereignty: Initiatives such as the Chips Act and data localization requirements (e.g., GDPR) are pushing stakeholders to integrate geopolitical and regulatory dimensions into their standardization strategies, particularly to secure supply chains and avoid critical dependencies.

Implementing such a strategic approach, at a relatively holistic level, requires resources, skills, and expertise that are often beyond the reach of small and medium-sized organizations. This complexity creates an information asymmetry that is unfavorable to innovation, where the most structured players capture most of the opportunities associated with standardization.

It is precisely to meet this challenge that Cobelty is developing a strategic intelligence solution that can be configured according to the specific challenges of each organization. This solution is not limited to analyzing the present or the past: it incorporates a strategic foresight dimension in order to anticipate likely developments in the ecosystem. By providing an informed and structured context on critical focus areas, it facilitates informed decision-making on technology standardization initiatives. In this way, it offers the means to bridge some of the information asymmetry and engage in a relevant and proactive manner in a complex environment, while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.

This structured, appropriately -tooled, proactive approach enables each player to transform standardization into a lever for innovation and competitiveness. By combining strategic intelligence, targeted involvement, and an ecosystemic vision, organizations can not only anticipate technological developments, but also become influential drivers of change, while securing their position in the face of growing regulatory requirements.