For a shorter time-to-market and a lower cost, the carrier-grade network equipment and server vendors are adopting open architectures to replace formerly proprietary architecture based systems. International organizations including ITU, PICMG, OSDL and SAF have all committed to the drafting of related module standards and interfaces. This trend will impact the next-generation communication equipment market structurally, and give opportunities for Taiwan's companies to enter the global market of carrier-grade communications modules and systems.