What's the difference between proprietary and open network standards?

Proprietary network standards are owned and controlled by a single organisation, while open standards are publicly accessible and freely usable.

Proprietary network standards are developed and owned by a specific company or organisation. They are typically designed to work best within that company's own products and services, and may not be fully compatible with other systems. This can lead to a 'walled garden' effect, where users are locked into a particular ecosystem. Proprietary standards are often kept secret, or only shared under strict licensing agreements. This can limit innovation and competition, as other companies cannot build upon or improve these standards. However, it can also allow the owning company to ensure a consistent, high-quality user experience, and to monetise their innovation.

On the other hand, open network standards are designed to be publicly accessible and freely usable by anyone. They are typically developed by independent standards organisations, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and are designed to promote interoperability between different systems and devices. Open standards are often created through a collaborative, consensus-driven process, which can lead to more robust and flexible solutions. They can be freely used, modified, and distributed by anyone, which can drive innovation and competition. However, this openness can also lead to fragmentation and inconsistency, as different implementations of the standard may not be fully compatible with each other.

In summary, the key difference between proprietary and open network standards lies in who controls them and how they are used. Proprietary standards are controlled by a single organisation and are often used to create a unique, high-quality user experience, but can limit competition and innovation. Open standards are controlled by the community and are designed to promote interoperability and innovation, but can lead to fragmentation and inconsistency.