COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 5 June 1992 on the development of the integrated services digital network (ISDN) in the Community as a European-wide telecommunications infrastructure for 1993 and beyond (92/C 158/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,

Whereas Council recommendation 86/659/EEC (1) calls for the coordinated introduction of the integrated services digital network (ISDN) in the European Community;

Whereas Council resolution 89/196/04 (2) calls for the availability of a set of European-wide compatible ISDN offerings to be implemented in the context of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the public telecommunication network operators;

Whereas Council Directive 90/387/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the establishment of the internal market for telecommunications services through the implementation of open network provision (3) calls upon the Council to adopt a specific recommendation on ISDN; whereas Council recommendation 92/. . ./EEC (4) invites Member States to implement on their territory harmonized access arrangements and a minimum set of offerings, which will therefore have a significant impact on the development of ISDN;

Whereas the European Council agreed at Maastricht on the importance of trans-European networks, including in the field of telecommunications, where ISDN may play an important role as an advanced network;

Whereas the Commission's 'Third Annual Progress Report on the coordinated introduction of ISDN in the European Community' establishes the status of the implementation of ISDN in the Member States;

Whereas the same report proposes to focus the efforts for the coordinated introduction of ISDN in the Community on the implementation of the Euro-ISDN (5),

RECOGNIZES:

1. the role which the availability of a coherent set of harmonized ISDN standards plays as an important prerequisite for the implementation of the Euro-ISDN and the significant progress which the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has made in this area;

2. the efforts already undertaken by the public telecommunications network operators within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on ISDN;

3. the importance of developing ISDN in the context of trans-European networks;

CONSIDERS THE FOLLOWING MEASURES AS NECESSARY:

4. to finalize and adopt the Euro-ISDN standards as a highest priority for ETSI, taking into account the subsequent adoption by the Community of appropriate common technical regulations in this area;

5. to continue with the coordination of the introduction of ISDN within the Community and to focus these efforts on the rapid introduction of the Euro-ISDN;

6. to promote Euro-ISDN at a world-wide level;

INVITES THE PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OPERATORS TO:

7. develop, harmonize to the extent suitable and publish migration plans from currently existing ISDN offerings to the Euro-ISDN, taking into account technical and commercial issues;

8. examine further harmonization in respect of the introduction and integration of packet-switched services in the context of ISDN;

9. study the feasibility of an alignment of the national ISDN signalling systems;

10. contribute, in cooperation with the other interested parties, to the identification of cross border-communication requirements arising from the completion of the internal market and the specific role which ISDN can play in that area;

11. collaborate with third countries network operators on interconnection experiments;

INVITES THE COMMISSION AND THE PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OPERATORS TO:

12. proceed, with appropriate consultations with users and manufacturers, to review the progress on implementing Euro-ISDN;

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES TO:

13. encourage the rapid introduction of Euro-ISDN, taking into account the application of the open network provision (ONP) principles in this area;

INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

14. intensify consultations and develop appropriate initiatives concerning the implementation of ISDN, taking into account the general framework of trans-European networks;

15. continue to promote the identification of user requirements in the context of the European ISDN User Forum (EIUF);

16. identify and promote the application of ISDN communication means for small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular for transnational applications, in the context of the internal market;

17. promote a European-wide ISDN terminal market, in particular by the development of appropriate standards ensuring interoperability and interchangeability;

18. analyse the possibilities for a specific support to the introduction of Euro-ISDN in the less-favoured regions.

(1) OJ No L 382, 31. 12. 1989, p. 36.

(2) OJ No C 196, 1. 8. 1989, p. 4.

(3) OJ No L 192, 24. 7. 1990, p. 1.

(4) Not yet published in the Official Journal.(5) The term Euro-ISDN is used to address an ISDN implementation fully based on harmonized European standards and in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on ISDN.