| 15th September - Leading mobile operators including China
Mobile, KPN, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and
Vodafone have joined forces to develop a common vision for mobile
networks and technology that will take the industry beyond the
HSPA & EVDO roadmaps.
The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) initiative, which
has this week become a limited UK company, has created a set
of requirements for a future wide area mobile broadband network
that is designed to offer enhanced customer benefits by delivering
competitive broadband performance alongside high levels of
interoperability.
The initiative, which will work alongside existing standards
bodies, will seek to shape the development and standardisation
of the next generation of mobile technologies. With a strong
emphasis on practicality, the group has specified that the
evolutionary path should focus on existing infrastructure
and spectrum allocation, in order to develop a platform for
creating new and innovative services.
Under its recommendations, the NGMN initiative has outlined
a series of features that will help to guide mobile networks
beyond current HSPA & EVDO technologies while delivering
competitive services in line with customer demand. The guiding
principles include but are not limited to:
High levels of data throughput alongside low levels of latency
Low operation and maintenance costs
Compatibility with legacy networks
Support of high levels of authentication and security, and
differentiated quality of service
Improved terminal certification schemes
Echoing the welcome statement made by all seven founding
members on the NGMN website, Thomas Geitner, the current Chairman
of NGMN Ltd, said the move would help to create a high-performance
and efficient mobile network for the future: “As major
players within the industry and heavy consumers of mobile
broadband infrastructure, we believe that the future of mobile
networks should be determined by a mix of technical and performance
standards.
“We are convinced that by drawing on our combined experience
and commercial insight as operators, we will be able to bring
a whole new perspective to the debate and continue to ensure
that we give our customers exactly what they want.”
In order to further the objectives of NGMN within a recognised
and accepted legal framework, the mobile operators have created
a limited UK company called “NGMN Limited”.
The founding members of NGMN Limited are keen for other mobile
network operators and key industry partners, such as infrastructure
and handset manufacturers and other relevant technology providers,
to join the initiative and help NGMN achieve its objectives.
At the same time, research institutes, universities and similar
organisations are also encouraged to join as advisors.
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