re: GSMA on OMA
>> GSM Association Welcomes Formation Of Open Mobile Alliance
GSMA PR
London
14 June 2002
he GSM Association, the leading representative body for the world's wireless network operators, has welcomed the formation of the new Open Mobile Alliance, formed to foster worldwide growth in the mobile services market.
“The GSMA welcomes the consolidation of many standards groups into one unified entity, structure and process that we believe will streamline industry efforts and avoid fragmentation of the development of wireless data requirements and standards,” said Jim Pratt, Chairman of the GSM Association.
”We believe that this is an extremely positive development for the industry - global interoperability of services and applications via the unification of standards is key to the creation of seamless, wireless services for consumers everywhere.”
The GSM Association has been working in close coordination with its members - many of whom have been highly active in the creation of the new OMA - to ensure that the voice of the operator community is an integral part of the new Alliance. This is a focus that will continue.
The formation of the Open Mobile Alliance is also entirely complementary to the goals of the GSMA's M-Services Initiative.
M-Services was developed to avoid fragmentation of wireless data services by defining clear operator requirements for terminals, clarifying the technology enablers based on open standards. The new OMA focuses on standards for the whole value chain, providing end-to-end interoperability from enabling technologies.
As a Standards Development Organisation, OMA now provides a focal point for the GSMA's M-Services Interest Group to input Operator Requirements. “We are particularly pleased to note that OMA has a Requirements Group for input of these requirements, and this is we believe is a major step in the right direction,” says Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association.
“Both OMA and M-Services therefore have consistent objectives i.e. to achieve a seamless end user experience and to enhance the mobile services market growth,” he adds.
The GSM Association and OMA have been and will continue to be in active and open dialogue.
About The GSM Association
The GSM Association is the world's leading wireless industry representative body, consisting of more than 630 second and third generation wireless network operators and key manufacturers and suppliers to the wireless industry. The Association's members provide digital wireless services to more than 694 million customers (end May 2002). The GSM family of wireless communications platforms account for approximately 71 percent of the total digital wireless market today. The GSM Association is a unique organisation, with a truly global reach, offering a full range of business and technical services to its members. Its vision is of a seamless, limitless, world of wireless communications.
About GSM - The Wireless Evolution
The GSM platform is a hugely successful wireless communications platform and an unprecedented story of global achievement. In less than ten years since the first second generation GSM network was commercially launched, it has become the world's leading and fastest growing mobile platform spanning more than 178 countries. The GSM family of wireless communication platforms is living, growing and evolving and already offers an expanded and feature-rich family of voice and data enabling services. The GSM family consists of today's GSM, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) and third generation GSM services (3GSM). Together the GSM family provides a flexible platform and an evolutionary path that enables network operators to offer a potentially limitless range of services, meeting the ever-growing needs of their customers worldwide. GSM is The Wireless Evolution.
About The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) delivers open standards for the mobile industry, helping to create interoperable services which work across countries, operators and mobile terminals and are driven by users' needs. To expand the mobile market, companies supporting the Open Mobile Alliance will work to stimulate the fast and wide adoption of a variety of new, enhanced mobile information, communication and entertainment services. The Open Mobile Alliance includes all key elements of the wireless value chain, and contributes to the timely and efficient introduction of services and applications. For more information, visit:
openmobilealliance.org <<
- Eric - |
