North American GSM Alliance Response Statement; RE: Brazilian Telecommunications Agency's Adoption of 1.8 Ghz Spectrum Band For National Wireless System - Bringing Brazil Into the Global GSM Wireless Community
CHICAGO, Jun 27, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The North American GSM Alliance LLC, a group of U.S. and Canadian wireless carriers, who provide Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, the world's fastest-growing wireless digital technology, today praised Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) on taking the visionary decision to release spectrum in the 1800 frequency range for its national wireless communications system.
"This decision enables Brazilians to become an essential part of the GSM Global Network throughout the Americas and the world," said Bob Brown, Executive Director of the North American GSM Alliance. "ANATEL's choice delivers exciting opportunities in terms of technological innovation, high- quality wireless telecommunications service, and economic advantages to Brazil and its citizens."
Jim Murrell, Chairman of GSM North America (the North American interest group of the GSM Association) also welcomed ANATEL's decision, saying: "This is incredibly good news for North America, as well as for Brazil. In addition to expanding the reach of the GSM Global Network in South America and around the world, it opens the door for our more than 7 million GSM customers in the U.S. and Canada and more than 300 million worldwide to roam with their phones in Brazil."
Importantly, the choice of 1.8 GHz for the "C" band in Brazil preserves the 1.9 GHz frequency for Third Generation (3G) technology, allowing for full- scale evolution of the wireless Internet. ANATEL has said that this decision would allow Brazil to adopt 3GSM technology within two to three years via a smooth evolutionary path from Second Generation GSM today, into wireless multi-media networks of the future.
Today, GSM accounts for more than half of all mobile phones in the world. Globally, one in eighteen people already have GSM, which is now being used by more than 320 million customers in more than 150 countries.
About the North American GSM Alliance LLC:
North American GSM Alliance member companies provide wireless telecommunications service to more than an estimated 7 million customers in more than 5,500 cities and towns in 47 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces in a coverage area populated by more than 180 million people. The members include: Airadigm Communications, Inc.; Blue Sky Communications, BellSouth Mobility DCS; Conestoga Wireless Company; Cook Inlet VoiceStream PCS; DIGIPH PCS; Iowa Wireless Services, LP; Microcell Telecommunications Inc.; NPI Wireless; Pacific Bell Wireless; Powertel, Inc.; SOL Communications; Telemetrix Technologies; VoiceStream Wireless Corp.; and Wireless 2000 PCS. The GSM Alliance works in cooperation with North American GSM equipment manufacturers: Siemens, Motorola, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, Nokia and Ericsson.GSM Alliance Web site: gsm-pcs.org Source: North American GSM Alliance LLC |
