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Senators Call on President to 'Redouble' Efforts to Ensure
Open Competition for Multiple Third Generation Standards at
ITU March Meeting
BUSINESS WIRE
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).
(Copyright 1999)
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