Welcome to the inaugural issue [Guest Editorial]

I am honored to have been given the opportunity to initiate this supplement on Communications Standards. It is clear to me that standards enable the global market place to offer interoperable products and services at affordable cost. Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) bring together stake holders to develop consensus standards for use by a global industry. The importance of standards to the work and careers of communications practitioners motivated the creation of this publication on standards. This new quarterly publication will be incubated as a Communication Standards Supplement to IEEE Communications Magazine, which if successful, may transition into a new magazine. It is a platform for presenting and discussing standards-related topics in the areas of communications, networking, and related disciplines.