The point with Qualcomm was that they could not sign the papers to become a member for many years,
because the text to sign included stuff like "supporting" the decisions, the standards decided on as well
as the "nondiscriminatory, etc" stuff on royalties as well as "no submarine patents".
I don't remeber (now) if that was one or two years ago, but not until kind of in the "last minute", long
after the whole process had started and was almost done. (I used to joke with the Q-gang
on their "signing up at the ports" on how Q had signed up on the ITU port, but never got a
responce showing some basic understanding)
Btw, one can also be an "observer" of the standardization process, without the right to speak
nor vote, justs it and listen. The "real thing" is to be one of those who actually work on the standard,
setting up, agreeing on the goals, how it might be implemented, testing it, verifying it, modifying the
text, and all along getting all to agree on "it" (the "building" of a standard).
The historical compromise to achieve "one" 3G standard was obviously to include "many flavors",
an old, traditional solution. After that it is left to the "market" to decide on which "flavor" will
either become the one and only, or if two-three will live side-by-side, in which case it is a
matter of making, keeping them somewhat compatible (like connecting from one flavor to another,
sending messages, and maybe even a real handoff if a wireless standard)
One classic in this was how to do error-correction for modems (as well as other devices,
including handsets, oldies might remeber x-y-z-modem), a struggle between (CCITT) V.42(bis)
and the MNP-N US based(and patented).
The MNP (Micro Net?? Protocol?, MNP10 for handsets??) was included as an
"optional" function, and then disappeared in some years, but consensus was succesfully reached.
(in terms of modems the AT-Hayes protocol, commands are even more interesting, and
here the V.25(?) version kind of disappeard??, while the 56-64kbps thing still kind of
lives on, barely)
And below (or above) it all the fact that "telecommunication" should work over large
distances, the "tele"-thing, not just locally, and must thus follow some "global" standards.
(btw, at one point, when analog voice-networks were digitalized, most faxes stopped working
for international connections, except if one used ATT in USA)
---
Never met Tero, I only "know" him from SI and TheStreet, but I have worked with and for many
major and minor telecom (plus other, usually related) companies, although time and years
obviously sets limits.
Obviously no time for any "buyng/selling securities" stuff, except for regular secure telecom encryption.
Ilmarinen
On the PS, Nokia did some tough stuff to change the "corporative culture" in the late 80s and
continuing in the 90s, many others have not been sucessful, but as many say "it is an ongoing
dynamic process, not a one-time killer-application" (one basic fact seem to be that it must
start from the top management and break through the middlemanagement..) |
