Telematics Cooperative

Keeping pace with a rapidly changing communications market, postal services are increasingly relying on new communication and information technologies to develop new products and services in order to meet higher customer expectations and to become more competitive.

The Universal Postal Union – the primary forum for cooperation between the world’s postal services – recognised and accepted this new challenge several years ago.

The groundwork for the establishment of a Telematics Cooperative to assist Posts in using new technologies to improve and expand their services was laid at the 1994 Seoul Congress of the UPU. The Postal Operations Council (POC) formally approved the establishment of the Telematics Cooperative at its 1996 session.

Access the Postal Technology Centre page

Rules of procedures of the Telematics Cooperative are available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

The Telematics Cooperative operates within the existing UPU structures

Postal Technology Centre
Its operational arm – the Postal Technology Centre located at UPU Headquarters in Bern, Switzerland - is responsible for the implementation of strategies and projects under the supervision of the Cooperative Management Board.

Members
Any public, semi-public, or Private Postal Operator whose country is a member of the UPU and whose national legislation enables it to execute the Acts of the UPU can join the Telematics Cooperative. Membership to the Telematics Cooperative is voluntary, with members required to pay an annual membership fee corresponding to the chosen membership class.

The activities of the Telematics Cooperative support the UPU’s overall objective to improve the quality of the international mail service and to make postal services accessible, affordable, reliable and secure to all.

The objectives of the Telematics Cooperative are to:

• Promote cooperation between members to develop and implement common or compatible information systems and electronic communications
• Establish a common electronic infrastructure, which matches the physical postal infrastructure
• Implement systems, which ensure secure electronic information exchange, secure electronic payments and secure E-commerce services between Posts and with their customers
• Implement operational and management systems that will ensure rapid mail pick-up and delivery
• Establish systems that will help Posts become more competitive through the development of value-added services related to basic postal products and services
• Secure a stable and sufficient funding of telematics projects entrusted to the International Bureau, and specifically its Postal Technology Centre, in order to ensure the continuation of the deployment, maintenance, and support activities carried out in this field

The main aims of the Telematics Cooperative are to:

• Establish strategies and instruments through which it intends to achieve its objectives
• Ensure fair access to the UPU’s products and services to all Posts in general and to the Cooperative members in particular
• Promote cooperation between member Posts to allow them to provide their customers with a coherent set of integrated information services on a global basis
• Involve member Posts in the provision and support of telematics products and services under the umbrella of the UPU
• Provide the highest quality service to its members at all times
• Help enhance the global image of the Post

The membership of the Telematics Cooperative varies according to the admission of new members and the withdrawal of current members. The members of the Telematics Cooperative form the General Assembly.

The work of the Telematics Cooperative is directed by the Cooperative Management Board (CMB).

This body is the formal management structure designated to supervise the activities of the Telematics Cooperative. The CMB is composed of five voting members selected from Posts who have adhered to the Telematics Cooperative. The International Bureau is a non-voting member of the CMB and is represented by the Head of the Postal Technology Centre.

The voting members of the CMB are elected or designated according to the following principles:

• The Chairman and the Vice-Chairmen of the CMB responsible respectively for Strategy, Finance and Legal Affairs shall be elected by the General Assembly for a four-year term.
• The elected Chairmen of the three User Groups are designated as Vice-Chairmen of the CMB in their respective area of responsibility.

The role and responsibilities of the CMB are to:

• Define strategies related to the UPU’s Telematics activities based on its understanding of the members’ needs and requirements and on its appreciation of the impact of telematics on the postal business
• Establish business plans and priorities for implementing these strategies in accordance with the interest of the members of the Cooperative
• Formulate funding plans necessary for the development and support of the Cooperative activities and projects
• Act as the steering committee for the activities of the Telematics Cooperative entrusted upon the Postal Technology Centre
• Supervise the overall development, deployment, maintenance, support, and usage of the applications, products, and services provided under the umbrella of the Cooperative
• Ensure that the applications, products, and services provided meet the requirements and expectations of the Cooperative members
• Receive regular updates on the status of the activities carried out within the User Groups and within the International Bureau

The role of the three User Groups is to manage and coordinate the requirements of users in a specific sphere and to establish strategies and plans to satisfy the requirements of the users and their business needs. An important aim of the User Groups is to initiate common projects that will ensure common applications, products and services at the lowest possible cost. Each User Group strives towards building a common postal culture within its specific area of responsibility.

There are three specialised User Groups within the Cooperative. They are:

• The International Mail Services (IMS) User Group

The IMS User Group focuses its activities on the provision of a quality software solution for integrated international mail management that combines mail processing, operational management and EDI messaging. The Group is responsible for defining the product strategy and business requirements for the PTC’s International Postal Services (IPS).

• The International Financial Services (IFS) User Group

The IFS User Group focuses its activities on the provision of a quality software solution for integrated international electronic money transfer that combines money order processing, operational management and EDI messaging. The Group is responsible for defining the product strategy and business requirements for the PTC’s International Financial Services (IFS).

• The Advanced Electronic Services (AES) User Group    

The AES User Group focuses on the development of global postal electronic services. The strategy of the Group is to provide a collaborative environment where Posts and Technology Providers can work together to develop new services and international standards.

The Postal Technology Centre is the operational arm of the Telematics Cooperative and carries out the projects and activities approved by the General Assembly and the CMB.

Membership of the Telematics Cooperative is voluntary. Any public, semi-public or Private Postal Operator whose country is a member of the UPU and whose national legislation enables it to execute the Acts of the UPU, can become a member.