In the early 1980s, mobile communication in Europe faced a growing problem. Each country had developed its own systems, such as NMT in the Nordic region, meaning that a mobile phone working in one country rarely functioned in another.
The need for a common European standard became clear. And it was from this realisation that ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) was born – marking the beginning of the development of standardisation in ICT (Information and Communication Technology).
Article in summary
- ETSI has been a leading force in the development of ICT standardisation since the 1980s.
- The institute enabled the creation of GSM – a unified mobile standard that transformed Europe’s telecom market and became a global benchmark.
- ETSI introduced a new standardisation model, distinct from CEN and CENELEC, with a strong technical focus, direct stakeholder participation, and faster development cycles.
- From 5G and 6G to IoT and cybersecurity, ETSI continues to drive innovation in emerging technologies through a structured five-phase standardisation process.
Standardisation that shaped a global industry
In 1982, the Groupe Spéciale Mobile (GSM) was created within CEPT (European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) to develop a pan-European mobile standard.
The group outlined requirements for the new standard to:
• be digital, unlike the analogue systems used at the time
• work across national borders
• provide high call quality and support more users than previous systems
• include security features, including encryption.
However, to make such a standard a reality, a new kind of standardisation body was needed – one that could manage the technical and regulatory challenges of radio frequencies while also directly involving industry stakeholders.
That’s why ETSI was established in 1988, introducing a working model that differed significantly from the existing standardisation organisations, CEN and CENELEC.
ETSI vs. CEN-CENELEC – a new model for the development of standardisation
CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) had long been the main standardisation bodies in Europe. However, these organisations mainly focused on standards for physical products and electrical systems, and their working models were not ideal for the fast-moving field of telecommunications.
ETSI introduced a different approach:
Direct membership
All interested parties, including public authorities, companies, and research institutions, were welcome to participate directly in the standardisation work. In CEN-CENELEC, members are represented via national standardisation bodies, which can lead to longer decision-making processes.
Technical focus
The work concentrated on specific technical solutions rather than broad, policy-based standards.
Faster processes
With a more flexible structure, ETSI was able to respond more quickly to emerging technical needs.
This model enabled the efficient development of the GSM standard, which not only created a unified European mobile market but also laid the foundation for a global standard.
In 1991, the first commercial GSM services were launched in Europe, and the following year, Telia introduced the GSM network in Sweden. GSM proved to be an immediate success and soon spread internationally. Today, it is hard to imagine everyday life without the connected world made possible by GSM.
How ETSI’s standardisation process works
Today, ETSI follows a structured five-phase process when developing a new or revised standard. For us at ITS (Swedish Information and Telecommunications Standardisation), the work typically begins in phase two.
1. Initiation phase:Stakeholders from the industry, academia, and public authorities gather in an ETSI working group to define a shared problem and initiate the development of a standard.
2. Drafting phase:A draft of the standard is prepared within the committee, where all ETSI members (including ITS) can contribute with comments and suggestions.
3. Approval phase:The draft is reviewed and voted on by the national standardisation organisations (NSOs), such as ITS, across Europe. In case of technical objections, the document is adjusted until consensus is reached.
4. Publication phase: Once approved, the standard is published as a European Standard (EN), making it valid in Sweden as well, since ITS automatically adopts all ENs from ETSI as national standards.
5. Maintenance phase: The relevance of the standard is monitored over time, and if necessary, a new revision process is initiated.
Read more about how a European standard is developed.
Thomas Haug and the founding of ETSI
The Norwegian-Swedish engineer Thomas Haug played a pivotal role in the work that led to the founding of ETSI in 1988. As one of the driving forces behind the Nordic mobile telephony project NMT, and chair of CEPT’s GSM group, he was a central figure in the evolution of European standardisation.
Several member companies contributed significantly to the development of the GSM standard, including Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens, Alcatel, Deutsche Telekom, and France Télécom.
Worldwide success and influence of GSM
GSM became the world’s most widely used mobile standard and laid the foundation for future generations of mobile networks, including 3G, 4G, and 5G. It also introduced many of the features we take for granted today, such as SMS, international roaming, and encrypted communication.
As the technology gained traction internationally, the acronym GSM evolved from Groupe Spéciale Mobile to Global System for Mobile Communications.
GSM’s success clearly demonstrated the importance of standardisation for technological development and global interoperability. ETSI and ITS continue to play a key role in shaping new communication technologies, from 5G and 6G to IoT and cybersecurity.
The future of standardisation: emerging technologies and global impact
By taking part in the standardisation process, companies and organisations have the opportunity to influence the technologies of tomorrow – just as they did during the development of GSM.
Would you like to be part of the next major technological breakthrough? ETSI and ITS are without doubt the platforms where it all happens!
Read more about our working groups and how to become a member of ITS.
