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NGMN announces new sponsors and unprecedented agreement on innovative IPR regime

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) alliance welcomes new sponsors and reaches a landmark agreement to enhance the transparency of terms surrounding Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for next generation mobile technologies.

Frankfurt, 17th, July 2007 - NGMN today announced that industry heavyweights Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Intel, Motorola, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, QUALCOMM, and Texas Instruments have joined the global alliance committed to developing a common vision for next generation mobile broadband services beyond 3G within a framework of fair and healthy competition.

Together with its existing members, sponsors, and advisors NGMN has received wide industry acceptance that is set to shape the future of mobile broadband communications.

The alliance also announced a new IPR agreement that aims to deliver more transparency and predictability towards IPR costs associated with next generation mobile technologies.

“NGMN is very excited about collaborating with more than 30 key players of our industry to drive a common goal of developing and deploying cost-effective mobile technologies beyond 3G, which is beneficial for all participants in the mobile communication ecosystem and in particular for our existing and future customers. We are delighted to represent a major part of the global community of operators and vendors - let’s celebrate this outstanding achievement,” said Hamid Akhavan, Chairman of NGMN and CEO of T-Mobile International.

Innovative IPR regime

IPR licensing has become a subject for debate in the industry as mobile technologies evolve in terms of performance, complexity and customer acceptance. As a consequence, some mobile technology standards setting organisations have started to review their IPR disclosure guidelines to allow for increased transparency of standards essential IPR and associated licensing terms during the standardisation process.

Through extensive consultations with all its existing members, sponsors, and advisors as well as the new sponsors, NGMN has achieved consensus to use innovative IPR notification guidelines.

“NGMN has reached an unprecedented agreement with global technology providers to receive notifications of proposed IPR terms for next generation technologies. This chosen approach will create an environment of increased investment and innovation, thus accelerating adoption of mobile broadband services. We look forward to expanding our relationship into many new areas over years to come,” Hamid Akhavan pointed out.

A common approach has been designed to enable an effective forum for such notifications to take place prior to finalization of a standard. By revealing indicative cumulative IPR cost up front, this NGMN process provides an early opportunity for technology customers to consider in their decisionmaking process the IPR cost of potential next generation technologies. It also enables a bilateral, commercial dialogue between individual technology customers and technology providers.

“This achievement underscores our desire to foster an ecosystem offering greater efficiencies for next generation mobile broadband products and services. Our gratitude and appreciation goes to all in NGMN who have contributed to this tremendous success,” said Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of NGMN.

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• Press_Release_New_Sponsors_and_IPR_regime.pdf