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</style><table class="infobox ib-company vcard"><caption class="infobox-title fn org" style="font-size: 125%;">MultiService Forum</caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image ib-company-logo logo"></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Company type</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="Industry_association" class="mw-redirect" title="Industry association">Industry association</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Industry</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="Telecommunication" class="mw-redirect" title="Telecommunication">Telecommunications</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Founded</th><td class="infobox-data">1998<span style="display: none;"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated itvstart">1998</span>)</span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Website</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130319031627/http://www.msforum.org/">msforum.org</a> at the <a href="Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> (archived 2013-03-19)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The <b>MultiService Forum</b> (<b>MSF</b>), originally <b>Multiservice Switching Forum</b>, was a <a href="Telecommunication" class="mw-redirect" title="Telecommunication">telecommunications</a> <a href="Industry_association" class="mw-redirect" title="Industry association">industry association</a> which promoted <a href="Interoperability#Telecommunications" title="Interoperability">interoperability</a> in the field of <a href="Next_generation_networking" class="mw-redirect" title="Next generation networking">next generation networking</a> products and services from 1998 to 2013. <sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>The open-member organization included equipment vendors such as <a href="AT%26T" title="AT&T">AT&T</a>, <a href="Alcatel-Lucent" title="Alcatel-Lucent">Alcatel-Lucent</a>, and <a href="Cisco_Systems" class="mw-redirect" title="Cisco Systems">Cisco Systems</a>, fixed and mobile network operators such as <a href="Verizon" title="Verizon">Verizon</a>, <a href="Nippon_Telegraph_and_Telephone" title="Nippon Telegraph and Telephone">NTT</a>, <a href="BT_Group" title="BT Group">BT</a> and <a href="Vodafone" title="Vodafone">Vodafone</a>, and others. MSF produced <i>Implementation Agreements</i>, which specify the implementation of communication technologies, or their configuration for achieving interoperation.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Working_groups">Working groups</h2></div>
<p>The Services Working Group (SWG) was formed to support communication service providers.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Interoperability Working Group was formed to provide demonstrations of equipment and services working together.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite id="CITEREFStaff2013" class="citation web cs1">Staff (2013-03-21). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://convergedigest.com/msf-interoperability-forum-folds-leaves/">"MSF: Interoperability Forum Folds, Leaves Impact on Industry"</a>. <i>Converge Digest</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2025-05-08</span></span>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFWard2005" class="citation journal cs1">Ward, R. C. (2005-01-01). <span class="id-lock-subscription" title="Paid subscription required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10550-005-0117-z">"Setting industry direction—the role of the MultiService Forum"</a></span>. <i>BT Technology Journal</i>. <b>23</b> (1): <span class="nowrap">160–</span>172. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10550-005-0117-z">10.1007/s10550-005-0117-z</a>. <a href="ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1358-3948">1358-3948</a>.</cite></span>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130319031627/http://www.msforum.org/">Official website</a> at the <a href="Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> (archived 2013-03-19)</li></ul>
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