The challenge for TNO did not come from nowhere. TNO has been a TM Forum partner for many years. TM Forum is a worldwide organisation that defines standards and best practices for the telecommunications sector. It has now spread its wings into the worlds of energy and defence, since much of the knowledge developed in the telecom sector is highly applicable in other fields.

Blueprint for new missions

TNO expert Tim Daeleman: ‘In May, at a major TM Forum conference in Dublin, we showed in the Catalyst project Secure, Federated Service Management how communications systems can be rapidly set up between a large number of parties. Soon after a disaster, all sorts of organisations and aid arrive, but there isn’t yet a proper plan in place for organising communications systems quickly.

The resources arrive quickly at the scene, but how do you link all the network components? How do you set up systems so that parties can call and e-mail each other straightaway? And how do you ensure that only authorised persons can exchange information?

Strangely, solutions hadn’t been developed, but TNO has now done so, together with suppliers of networks, software companies and other parties that have taken the lead in this field. NATO now has a blueprint endorsed by TM Forum for setting up fast, effective communications systems in future missions.’

Global challenges for the energy sector

The telecom sector has already made the transition from state ownership to the private sector. Energy companies are now making the same transition. TM Forum therefore asked TNO to take up this challenge too. It has done so in the Catalyst Energy Smart Grids.

TNO expert Henk Ensing: ‘TM Forum has designated TNO as a ‘Champion’ for this project, in other words, the leading party to identify the global challenges facing the energy sector. TNO is a linchpin in the north of the Netherlands for parties such as Gasunie and Energy Valley that are developing new initiatives for making energy more sustainable and organising energy provision more intelligently. Availability and reliability are even more important in the energy sector than in the telecom world. It isn’t so bad if your mobile phone doesn’t have cover for half an hour, but a disruption to the electricity supply can have serious consequences. We developed a solid vision for TM Forum that sets out how the energy sector in Europe and the US should respond to new developments. Examples include energy trading between districts or cities, the phenomenon of smart meters, new settlement methods, consumers selling electricity back to the grid, and many other issues facing energy companies all over the world.’

Daeleman and Ensing believe that the two Catalyst projects will have a considerable impact, because TM Forum sets important international standards that are adopted industry-wide in the telecom, energy and defence sectors.

NB:
TM Forum praised Tim for his efforts in developing an accepted architecture for Federated Service Management.