MUMBAI: Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) has announced the formation of the IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF) to develop ATIS standards and related technical and operations activities that enable the interoperability, interconnection and implementation of IPTV systems and services, including video on demand and interactive TV services.

Atis is a United States based body that is committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach.

"IPTV will enable consumers to use television as never before," Atis chairman Bill Smith said. "Video on demand and interactive services are among the exciting 'killer apps' that IPTV will make possible. The Atis IIF will provide the neutral ground for carriers, service providers, application developers, content providers and equipment manufacturers to work together and make the wide-scale deployment of standardized IPTV a reality."

The Atis Board of Directors launched the IIF on the recommendation of the ATIS IPTV Exploratory Group (IEG), which was formed in April to examine the technical issues surrounding the successful wide-scale deployment of IPTV.