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Several affiliated fora—the Location InteroperabilityForum, SyncML Forum,Wireless Village, MMS IOT, the MobileGaming Interoperability Forum (MGIF),and the Mobile Wireless Internet Forum(MWIF)—have contributed enabling technologyor specifications that fit into agreaterconcept of a service layer. These contributionscombine to create an offering for endusersthat is more interesting and easier tooperate and manage than previous solutions.These affiliate fora constitute the kernelof new working groups—which sometimesalso include technology from the WAPForum or from another of the affiliates—began their work in earnest at the OMAmeeting in Hawaii in November 2002.The OMA is also actively developing relationshipswith the 3GPP and 3GPP2. The3GPP, for example, has already adopted theOMA Digital Rights Management (DRM)standards. This relationship will deepenthrough time. The OMA will also establish relationswith numerous other industry bodies.OMA and ParlayThe OMA and the open service architecture(OSA) might seem to overlap, but forEricsson, a leader in Parlay and OMA, thisrelationship is par for the course.Parlay/OSA was designed to solve a specificset of problems. Some of the Parlay servicecapability servers (SCS) do, in fact, overlapthe OMA enablers, but the scope of theOMA enablers is much broader. At the sametime, Parlay has a strong position in thefixed-line environment, an area that is outsidethe scope of the OMA. The Parlay/OSAwork will continue in the Parlay Group and,with strong liaisons with the OMA, in thejoint ETSI, 3GPP, and Parlay workinggroup.The OMA will take on the work of theParlay Web services and Parlay/X, enhancingits development of Web services andmoving OMA and Parlay closer to a commonindustry standard. This is the strategythat Ericsson is driving in the OMA Frameworkand Mobile Web Services groups.Not reinventing the wheelOne unusual item in the charter of the OMAstates that the organization does not wantto create technology if that technology alreadyexists. Simply put, there are alreadytoo many standards where mobile service enablersare concerned.Since the OMA is an attempt to concentrateindustry efforts, each working group istasked with• analyzing the requirements and use-casesfor the enabler it proposes; and• ensuring that there is not a technology onthe market or in standardization which alreadyfulfills the requirements.An active liaison is required with other standardscommunities, since if the work hasbeen started, clear requirements can ofteninfluence it.Moreover, the OMA inherited from theWAP Forum a tradition of formulating mobileprofiles from existing technologies. ForFigure 5The OMA interoperates across technologiesand value chains.Ericsson Review No. 1, 2003 15