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UMTS to Mobilize the Data World 3G Americas Cites Global Progress and



BELLEVUE, Wash., Mar 3, 2003 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- UMTS to Mobilize the Data World, a report on the progress of UMTS was published today by 3G Americas. The report summarizes the steps in the evolution of UMTS (WCDMA), soon to become the world's leading Third Generation technology, providing documentation of the milestones achieved and the expectations for 2003.

Chris Pearson, Executive Vice President for 3G Americas stated, "3G Americas provides this report to the industry on the tremendous progress of Third Generation UMTS technology in preparation for the anticipated thirty commercial launches to occur in 2003. Our organization is committed to the GSM evolution of GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS (WCDMA) and its seamless deployment throughout the Americas."

"This UMTS report was created with input from operators, vendors, and other wireless organizations who recognize UMTS as the pre-eminent global 3G standard today," commented Vicki Livingston, Director of Marketing for 3G Americas. "UMTS is on target for commercial deployment this year after maturing through the developmental stages needed to build a complex and unique global 3G system."

It might appear that UMTS has been in the development phase for a long while. In fact, the first vision of what UMTS might become emerged in a 1995 workshop report; standardization work did not begin until after the UMTS Task Force published results in mid-1996 and ETSI's subsequent UTRA decision in January 1998. Thus, based on the historical patterns demonstrated by introductions of other new wireless technologies, it should be expected that UMTS would first be realized somewhere between 2002 and 2004. This will be the case in point with the commercial launches of dozens of operators in 2003.

Pearson commented, "As the business case emerges for wireless data services, we are seeing the completion of UMTS trials, deployments of UMTS infrastructure, commercial announcements of dual-mode GSM/UMTS handsets, and a general readiness of the marketplace for the mobilization of data throughout the world with UMTS." He added, "UMTS will continue to provide the tools and applications for business success, social mobility, and personal convenience that we have experienced with GSM and GPRS. We are just now seeing the wireless data ecosystem foundation being built that will support the many new services that subscribers will require."

The full report, UMTS to Mobilize the Data World is available for free download at the 3G Americas website: www.3gamericas.org.

About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology

3G Americas unites wireless operators and vendors in the Americas for the very first time to form a single voice representing GSM, TDMA, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS technologies. Working with regulatory bodies, technical standards bodies, and other global organizations, 3G Americas uniquely focuses on the issues facing the Americas. The mission of 3G Americas is to promote, educate, and advocate for the success of GSM, TDMA, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS and their seamless evolution to future generations, thereby advancing the wireless industry in the Americas for the benefit of consumers. The organization fully supports the third generation technology migration strategy GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS adopted by many operators in the Americas that will globally account for up to 85% of next-generation subscribers. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, WA with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Miami, FL. For more information, visit the website at www.3gamericas.org.

3G Americas' Board of Governor members include AT&T Wireless (USA), Cable & Wireless (West Indies), Cingular Wireless (USA), Ericsson, HP, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Openwave Systems, Research In Motion (RIM), Rogers Wireless (Canada), Siemens, Telcel (Mexico), and Telecom Personal (Argentina).

CONTACT: Vicki Livingston of 3G Americas, [phone], or fax, [phone], or [e-mail] .

SOURCE 3G Americas
CONTACT: Vicki Livingston of 3G Americas, [phone], or fax,
[phone], or [e-mail]

URL: http://www.3gamericas.org
http://www.prnewswire.comCopyright (C) 2003 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.

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