The TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum), together with the International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunications section (ITU-T), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), 3^rd Generation Partnership Programme (3GPP), Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and other industry groups have agreed to collaborate in order to progress a common path for Next Generation Network (NGN) Management Architecture and related specifications. At a meeting hosted by the TM Forum in Montreal, Canada, the industry experts identified tangible actions which will launch the process of producing future synchronised specifications targeted at defining one common industry direction. This is a major development for NGN Management as it includes key industry players joining forces to define a work area that will be critical to the success of the global NGN initiative. As opening steps in the harmonization effort, each of the industry groups presently developing specifications directly related to NGN Management Architecture (TM Forum, ITU-T, ETSI and 3GPP) have agreed to act on necessary changes to reflect common architectural concepts in their respective documentation. A table for comparing these architectural concepts was developed during the Montreal meeting. For the TeleManagement Forum, this focuses on the impact of harmonization mainly on its NGOSS Technology Neutral Architecture (TNA) documentation (TMF 053). Several other groups, including the Japan's Telecom Technology Committee, took part in the Montreal meeting - with focus on various aspects of NGN Management. An ITU-T sponsored group known as the NGN Management Focus Group is serving as the umbrella organization for this activity. The consortium is actively encouraging other industry groups that can add significant value to this undertaking to join this initiative.
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