Senators Call On The President>
March 05, 1999 08:57
Senators Call on President to 'Redouble' Efforts to Ensure Open
Competition for Multiple Third Generation Standards at ITU March
Meeting
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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 1999--A bipartisan group of 14 Senators sent a letter to
President Clinton late Thursday expressing support for multiple Third Generation (3G) wireless
technologies and urging the Administration to "increases its efforts to ensure an open, competitive
wireless market place" for all U.S. developed 3G standards.
The Senate letter, which also praised the Administration for its prior actions in support of open
competition, comes five days before the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will meet in
Fortaleza, Brazil to make a critical decision on technology standards for cellular and wireless air-interface
components.
"We welcome this bipartisan and unequivocal support for open competition and multiple 3G standards by
this distinguished group of Senators," said Gregory G. Williams, chairman of the Universal Wireless
Communications Consortium (UWCC) and vice-president of wireless systems for SBC Communications.
"This letter adds to the undeniable consensus emerging in Washington and the private sector that a
competitive, market-driven approach for determining technology standards is best for consumers and the
global wireless industry."
Specifically, the letter urges the Administration to "redouble" its efforts to promote competition and a
multiple standards 3G policy at the March ITU meeting, as well as throughout 1999 when critical
decisions on 3G communications will be made. The Senators also expressed support for the
Administration's position "to resist delay" in the ITU's schedule for consideration and approval of multiple
3G standards. "The ITU process should instead continue in tandem with ongoing private sector efforts to
resolve outstanding intellectual property rights issues," the letter states.
The prospects for making 3G communications a reality received a dramatic boost three weeks ago when
an influential group of U.S. and European wireless operators endorsed multiple 3G standards.
The group, a committee of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD), endorsed the Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA) 3G standard, as well as an umbrella Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
standard with three modes of operation. The CDMA umbrella standard will allow operators "to choose
which of the modes of operation to deploy in their networks that will best serve their needs," according to
the TABD's final communique.
The TABD agreed on other principles essential to the deployment of 3G services, including:
-- A smooth evolutionary path from second to third generation
systems, so-called "backward compatibility";
-- Achieving global roaming;
-- Maintaining the ITU timeline for the deployment of 3G
systems; and
-- Resolution of outstanding intellectual property rights
disputes by private parties.
"The key players in this debate are now all rallying around the principle that consumers and competition,
not government bodies, are the best arbiters of market preference," said Frank Urbany, BellSouth's vice
president international. "In its upcoming meeting, we believe the ITU will give careful consideration to the
depth of support that has been expressed for multiple 3G standards by all corners of the private sector
and will adopt a family of standards."
Senators who signed the letter include: Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), Sen. John Breaux (D-LA), Sen. James
Jeffords (R-VT), Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen.
Don Nickles (R-OK), Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK), Sen. Michael DeWine (R-OH),
Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA), Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), and Sen. Max
Cleland (D-GA).
The UWCC is a Seattle-based consortium of more than 100 U.S. and foreign telecommunications wireless
carriers and vendors. The UWCC supports the TDMA and WIN technology standards. Its Board Members
include: Alcatel USA, Argentina TDMA Association, AT&T Wireless Services (USA), BellSouth Cellular
Corp. (USA), Cellcom (Israel), Celumovil (Colombia), Compaq Computer Corporation, Ericsson Radio
Systems, Cable and Wireless, Hughes Network Systems, Industar Digital PCS (USA), Lucent
Technologies, Mobikom SDN BHD (Malaysia), Motorola Consumer Products, Movilnet (Venezuela),
Nokia, Nortel, Philips Consumer Communications, Rogers Cantel (Canada), SBC Wireless, Telecom New
Zealand (New Zealand), and VimpelCom (Russia).
CONTACT: Universal Wireless Communications
Chris Pearson, 425/372-8925
by
Strategic Communications Group
Tom Pines, 301/656-9661
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