Featuring an unrivalled line-up of top management speakers representing the entire ecosystem and an exhibition with world-leading vendors, the NGMN Industry Conference is the key event for you to gain an update on the mobile broadband industry status and roadmap in the launch year 2010.

You will see world premier demonstrations of next generation mobile network solutions in the NGMN IC Exhibition:

• Live FDD-LTE & TD-LTE end-to-end systems featuring the latest devices and services
• Leading edge FDD-LTE and TD-LTE test and measurement solutions
• Backhaul solutions with spectrum and energy efficient architectures
• Innovative antenna and radio solutions

Agenda highlights of the two conference days with keynotes, panels, presentations from decision makers and industry thought-leaders include:

• Initial rollout and trial results – feedback on performance, technology readiness
• Intellectual property rights – stakeholders’ strategies, emerging licensing practices
• Operational efficiency – self-organising networks, energy efficiency
• Future devices, services and applications
• Technology outlook and innovations

In addition to the exhibition and the conference, you will enjoy an excellent networking platform with an evening event, networking breaks and you will have the opportunity for a visit of the Shanghai World Expo.

We have a block of rooms reserved at reduced rates for IC attendees at Grand Hyatt Shanghai – close by the conference location Financial Center Shanghai.

To secure the “Early Bird” advantages (see table below)

Further information on the venue, press & media of this global next generation mobile networks summit in 2010 is available at NGMN Industry Conference 2010.

4G/LTE Summit Overview -

At the upcoming China 4G/LTE Summit, you can learn how to plan and prepare your own network migration and mobile business around LTE, and be ready for a promising new era of 4G mobile communications.

Why Attend

• Discover the latest 4G/LTE developments, specifications, production, standardization and devices.
• Learn about the current developments of FDD and TDD, the efforts to unite them and which one is right for you.
• Should you migrate? What are the factors driving operators to evolve to 4G systems.
• Gain insight into spectrum bands for LTE, role of SDR and cognitive radio, and operational perspective of LTE network roll-out and management.
• Discover the state of readiness of LTE modules for terminals, handsets, mobile devices, notebooks, consumer electronics and industrial devices.
• Understand the options for enabling voice and revenue generating services in the new world of high speed mobile broadband.
• Explore backhaul solutions for handling large volumes of data traffic and reducing your costs.
• Find out the best strategies for LTE operations and maintenance. Understand how "Self Organizing Networks" can help.
• Hear experts discuss the role of subscriber, service and policy control in enriching the user experience.
• And much more!

For more information, please contact:

Infoex-World Services Ltd.

Tel: +852-2865 1118

Email: peter.lee(at)infoexws.com

www.china4gworld.com

17-20 May 2010, London, Radisson Blu Portman Hotel -

• Meet with and hear how one of the world’s largest operators – Orange – are adapting their transport infrastructure to meet changing business requirements
• Reinforce your understanding of key developments in transport technologies, standards and architecture options to support the launch and growth of LTE, HSPA, HSPA+ and WiMAX broadband
• Hear from industry leading vendors and compare the different evolution options offered by full solution and specialist vendors in microwave, synchronisation, optical and Ethernet
• Understand and assess the key technologies and new architectures that operators are deploying to radically reduce Opex and Capex
• Discover recent developments in the marketplace for point to multipoint solutions
• Take advantage of extensive opportunities to put forward your own thoughts and questions in the interactive roundtable sessions and panel discussions

On Monday 17th May, Andy Sutton and Arnaud Cauvin (both FT / Orange) will present the “NGMN Alliance Mobile Backhaul workshop” with support from the NGMN vendor partners.

The “NGMN Alliance Mobile Backhaul workshop” is a half day technical workshop that explains the development of mobile backhaul from GSM/EDGE through UMTS/HSPA and onwards towards LTE.

www.iir-events.com/IIR-Conf/page.aspx?id=25310

Held at the Amara Sanctuary in Singapore from the 22nd to the 24th of March 2010, the summit will see key figures in the telecom industry gathering to discuss topics ranging from investing and financing for 4G to deciding the best technologies telecom operators should adopt for their network.

Panel discussions such as the boxing ring debate will have top executives from Hong Kong CSL, Starhub, Tata Communications, and CSM pit the technologies of long term evolution (LTE) and WiMAX against each other in an outcome to determine which satisfies operators needs best.

Heru Sutadi, the Commissioner for the Indonesian Telecom Regulatory Authority will be on the panel to evaluate the future of network evolution and why regulators and financiers need to be involved in the evolutionary process. Joining Mr. Sutadi on the panel will be telecom regulatory and finance experts from DBS Bank, the WiMAX Forum and Grameenphone.

Past attendee P.S. Sandhu, the Senior Vice president and Chief Technology Officer for Bharti Airtel, believes that the conference is an excellent occasion to share and learn from others in the industry. “It gave me an excellent opportunity to share and learn from experts in the field and gain from the experience of other operators in the launch and post launch optimization of 3G networks,” he said.

For more information on the 5th Annual Mobile Network Evolution organized by IQPC, please contact enquiry(at)iqpc.com.sg or visit the event website www.mobilenetworksasia.com.

For media enquiries, interview requests or further information contact:

Bryan Camoens

IQPC Singapore

Ph: +65 6722 9406

Email: bryan.camoens(at)iqpc.com.sg

An NGMN project team of leading operators and vendors has worked towards the successful development of the open interface implementation recommendations. This ensures a smooth transition towards the ETSI ISG and a successful future maintenance within this group.

A scope document for the ISG is being developed by the NGMN project team with the objective to develop an interface specification. This specification will cover those layers of the OSI stack required to enable interoperability, and may refer to appropriate public available specifications.

Already seven international mobile network operators and nine leading telecom vendors have indicated to support the ISG as initial founding members.
“The Board of the NGMN Alliance highly appreciates the broad vendor commitment and support for the activities to drive the open interface specifications,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. “We do expect from the open interface implementation significant improvements in terms of efficiency and cost savings that will benefit the whole industry. The agreement to establish the ETSI ISG is a major step towards the successful interface specification, and demonstrates the alignment of key industry players.”

“ETSI welcomes the decision by the NGMN Alliance to use the ISG-model and is excited by the opportunity to work together on a subject of very high future importance for the mobile industry. The ETSI Industry Specification Group is an innovative and flexible type of standards group, and the NGMN Alliance decision clearly demonstrates that it is adapted to meet evolving industry needs.”, said Dr. Walter Weigel, ETSI Director General.

____________________________

^(1*) Also known as BaseBandUnits (BBUs)

^(2*) Also known as RemoteRadioHeads (RRHs)

About NGMN Alliance (www.ngmn.org)

The NGMN Alliance (www.ngmn.org) is an open group of the world-leading operators, technology vendors and research institutes. The primary objective is to create a virtuous cycle of innovation, investment, and adoption of true mobile broadband services with attractive cost-performance ratios. About 60 partners have committed to this objective and are developing requirements to shape the evolution of the mobile ecosystem. In 2010, the focus will be on operational efficiency, co-ordination of trials and tests, device availability, roaming, and assessment of IMT-Advanced technologies. Achievements and future roadmap will be presented at MWC 2010 and NGMN’s Industry Conference in Shanghai, June 2010.

Media Relations Contact NGMN

Natacha Schubert

NGMN Ltd. · Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 58

60325 Frankfurt am Main · Germany

Phone: +49 69/9074998-20

E-mail: press(at)ngmn.org

NGMN Press Release Open Radio Equipment Interface

As part of the MWC main conference programme, GSMA and NGMN are presenting a specific stream on Thursday, February 18th, 2010, with top speakers from Partners of the NGMN Alliance as well as other leading companies of the mobile industry.

With the initial launch of next generation mobile networks based on LTE/SAE standard announced by many operators for 2010, the mobile industry demonstrates its successful efforts to move true mobile broadband from promise to reality. Major technology challenges have been overcome, and with launch imminent, the focus of the industry is shifting to the key milestones in deployment and operations, and to the availability of new services and devices. They will take advantage of the bandwidth expansion and advanced functionalities which the new standard provides.

The in-depth session on "Technology Evolution – True Mobile Broadband Ahead", developed jointly by GSMA and NGMN, will cover key deployment and operations issues like roaming and operational efficiency; major industry players in the device area will discuss the evolution in mobile broadband devices; and industry thought-leaders will examine the remaining challenges on the way to successful next generation mobile broadband with a focus on standardisation, network transition, backhaul, and certification.

At the NGMN Hospitality Suite, the NGMN Office representatives welcome company representatives interested in the NGMN Alliance. To arrange meetings, please contact the NGMN Office at office(at)ngmn.org.

The NGMN Hospitality Suite 125 is located in hall 3.1 (Gallery Level), entrance via Hall 2, Level1. For directions click here.

Information on Mobile World Congress 2010 and overview of MWC2010 conference
Mobile World Congress 2010

Download of joint GSMA/NGMN conference stream programme:
Programme "Technology Evolution - True Mobile Broadband Ahead"

The agreement was reached based on an outcome of the NGMN Task-Force on Voice over LTE.

NGMN stated that the Alliance and its members are firmly committed to IMS Voice as the target solution for Voice over LTE. Furthermore, NGMN recognises the benefits of recommending a migratory non IMS voice solution that guarantees voice roaming with LTE handsets whilst allowing use of LTE data roaming in the same device. Thus NGMN recommends that:

• In all LTE devices that support GSM or UMTS and that provide the voice service, Circuit Switched Fall Back (CSFB) shall be implemented as a minimum requirement for supporting voice ^(1*). The CSFB implementation shall be compliant to the 3GPP specifications.
• If a Mobile Network Operator operates a network comprising LTE plus GSM or UMTS and if this MNO aims to provide a non-IMS voice service as well as an LTE data service to visiting subscribers utilising an LTE device, then it shall, as a minimum, support CSFB for voice. The implementation shall be compliant to 3GPP specifications.

The agreement on voice roaming is already the second major achievement of the NGMN Alliance in the area of voice and SMS roaming for LTE. NGMN announced in its 3rd Executive Workshop on Devices in Geneva, October 2009, the recommendation to implement "SMS only over SGs" as a minimal requirement to enable roaming from day one.

"Roaming for voice from day one of the next generation mobile networks operations was a key requirement stated by the NGMN Alliance from the beginning. It is one of the major challenges to be addressed on the way to successful next generation services launch." said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. "The proposal agreed is an excellent achievement and avoids fragmentation of solutions on our way towards the ultimate IMS-based Voice over LTE solution."

"Roaming is an essential part of the customer experience and needs to be maintained with every new generation of technology," said Alex Sinclair, CTO of the GSMA. "The agreement on migratory solutions achieved by the NGMN Alliance will ensure a smooth transition for those operators deploying LTE in a non-IMS environment, and complements the work of the GSMA VoLTE initiative on the IMS-based voice implementation."

____________________________

^(1*) This does not prevent the implementation of additional ways to provide the voice service.

About NGMN Alliance (www.ngmn.org)

The NGMN Alliance (www.ngmn.org) is an open group of the world-leading operators, technology vendors and research institutes. The primary objective is to create a virtuous cycle of innovation, investment, and adoption of true mobile broadband services with attractive cost-performance ratios. About 60 partners have committed to this objective and are developing requirements to shape the evolution of the mobile ecosystem. In 2010, the focus will be on operational efficiency, co-ordination of trials and tests, device availability, roaming, and assessment of IMT-Advanced technologies. Achievements and future roadmap will be presented at MWC 2010 and NGMN's Industry Conference in Shanghai, June 2010.

Media Relations Contact NGMN

Natacha Schubert

NGMN Ltd. · Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 58

60325 Frankfurt am Main · Germany

Phone: +49 69/9074998-20

E-mail: press(at)ngmn.org

NGMN Press Release NGMN Agreement on Voice over LTE roaming

Designed to give operators confidence in the interoperability of LTE devices across different networks, GCF's Certification scheme will embrace both FDD and TDD versions of LTE.

Bringing the sophisticated new technology of LTE within the scope of GCF Certification is a complex undertaking involving the selection, prioritisation and validation of more than 280 conformance tests in the first instance.

Once selected by GCF, test cases are developed and verified by a relevant standards body to ensure that they correctly contribute to the objective assessment of the operation of a device. Validation is the final stage in assuring the robustness of a GCF test case. This entails the test case implementation on a specific commercial test platform being validated by an independent test house against the core specifications. This process gives the assurance that GCF test cases running on GCF- recognised test platforms will correctly test a device for GCF certification.

Ten test cases relating to the air interface between an LTE device and the network base station, and running on the R&S®CMW500 wideband radio communication tester from Rohde & Schwarz were approved at the meeting of the GCF Conformance and Interoperability Agreement Group (GCF CAG) in Sophia Antipolis on January 26-27, 2010. The validation was undertaken by 7 layers AG. Immediately following the meeting, the same ten tests have also made available from Anite on its "Conformance Toolset" test solution which was validated by CETECOM.

"The validation of the first ten LTE test cases is an important step towards our target of delivering an LTE Certification scheme in time for the wave of network launches anticipated towards the end of 2010," said Adriana Nugter, GCF Operations Manager. "The fact that two test systems have now validated test cases is evidence of the significant commitment and investment from the test industry towards the successful introduction of LTE."

Established in 1999, GCF has a total membership of more than 200, including many of the world's most influential telecommunications companies from the operator, device manufacturer and test industry communities. (Rohde & Schwarz, 7layers, Anite and CETECOM are all members of GCF.) With its "test once, use anywhere" ethos, GCF certification accelerates time to market for new devices based on 3GPP standards while reducing costs for manufacturers, operators and, ultimately, end-users. For both GSM and 3G, GCF certification has underpinned international roaming.

GCF will provide an update on the progress of LTE device certification to "Final Building Blocks for Successful Mobile Broadband Deployment" – at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Thursday 18 February 2010 at 15:20.

For more info see: Press Release

Dallas, Texas, February 10, 2010 -

AT&T Inc.* today announced the selection of Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as equipment suppliers for the planned deployment of its higher-speed LTE mobile broadband network.

The selection of the two suppliers paves the way for AT&T’s planned field trials of LTE technology later this year, with commercial deployment scheduled to begin in 2011. AT&T’s LTE rollout schedule aligns with industry expectations for development of LTE technology and widespread availability of equipment and compatible LTE mobile devices. The supplier agreements also complement AT&T’s plans to make the nation’s fastest 3G network even faster in advance of LTE networks and devices scaling, allowing the company to continue delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience in the nation.

After testing equipment from multiple suppliers in the field and in a lab environment, AT&T chose to extend existing relationships with Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson, which provide equipment for the AT&T 3G network today. Continued work with these two suppliers will enable AT&T not only to incorporate high-performance LTE equipment, but also to take full advantage of compatibility between the suppliers’ existing 3G equipment and forthcoming LTE upgrades. As part of the supplier agreements, 3G equipment delivered to AT&T by the suppliers starting this year will be easily convertible to LTE, enabling AT&T to upgrade existing equipment and software rather than install entirely new equipment in many cases as it deploys the next-generation technology.

LTE, or Long-Term Evolution, is the next generation of the existing GSM/UMTS mobile broadband technology platform that powers the AT&T 3G network today. LTE technology could eventually deliver higher mobile broadband throughput and lower latency than today’s 3G networks, helping to drive continued growth of powerful mobile applications and advanced devices. AT&T customers will also benefit from compatibility, with devices expected to interoperate between 3G and LTE networks.

“The selection of Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson is an important step forward in our ongoing mobile broadband strategy, which is focused on delivering the best possible combination of speed, performance and available devices for customers at every level of technology deployment,” said John Stankey, president and CEO, AT&T Operations. “AT&T has a key advantage in that LTE is an evolution of the existing GSM family of technologies that powers our network and the vast majority of the world’s global wireless infrastructure today. As some competitors move away from their existing investment in niche 3G platforms, we are able to efficiently and quickly move toward LTE while enhancing our existing 3G performance and providing access to a strong ecosystem of customer devices.”

“With this important step, AT&T is sending a clear and strong signal about its commitment to the evolution of the broadband wireless networks and to supporting the next generation of mobile applications. We look forward to joining AT&T on this journey and see this as a starting point for further collaboration with AT&T to deliver an end-to-end IP solution for mobile broadband,” said Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen. “This announcement expands on our long-standing relationship with AT&T – one that covers everything from 3G HSPA infrastructure to network monitoring and management – and speaks volumes about the confidence and trust they have in our leadership in LTE technology and our ability to deliver a smooth end-to-end migration path to LTE.”

“Our ability to work together to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market has been a crucial element in gaining AT&T’s continued confidence,” said Hans Vestberg, president and CEO, Ericsson. “We will work just as hard to secure a smooth rollout of LTE and support AT&T in introducing new consumer and business services moving forward."

As part of the agreements, AT&T has designated Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as the domain suppliers for its Radio Access Network Domain. The multi-year agreement covers radio access network equipment needed to deliver LTE service. This equipment will be deployed at cell sites across AT&T’s network to enable LTE speeds and functionality. Financial terms of the supplier agreements were not disclosed.

AT&T’s Domain Supplier program, launched last September, facilitates a more collaborative relationship with its equipment and software suppliers, enabling AT&T to have best technologies in place to serve its customers. The program is also designed to ensure that the company’s network technology investment accelerates AT&T’s move toward a network that is well-equipped for the future.

The evolution to LTE is part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to innovate and invest in mobile broadband. AT&T today serves twice the number of smartphone customers as its nearest competitor, and this smartphone leadership has resulted in mobile broadband traffic that has grown more than 5,000 percent over the past three years. Smartphones are just one example of innovation made possible by investment in mobile broadband.

AT&T in January announced total 2010 capital expenditures are expected to be between $18 billion and $19 billion. These plans include an increase of approximately $2 billion in wireless network and backhaul investment, which will help ensure continued strong results in 3G network performance as well as preparation for planned deployment of LTE.

Earlier this year, AT&T upgraded 3G cell sites to HSPA 7.2 technology. Over the course of 2010 and 2011, AT&T plans to combine this upgrade with enhanced fiber-optic backhaul connectivity, which will support a considerable boost in 3G speeds as well as future LTE service. AT&T offers a total of 10 HSPA 7.2-compatible devices today, enabling millions of customers to immediately take advantage of faster 3G speeds as backhaul is deployed. In contrast, LTE devices are still in development today and are not expected to be widely available until 2011.

This upgrade strategy will enable customers to experience a significant boost in 3G speed well ahead of the time when an LTE ecosystem with handsets is available. As LTE is deployed, HSPA 7.2 and supporting backhaul will provide a much more robust 3G network experience when users move outside of locations covered by next-generation networks. In contrast, competitors who are not upgrading their 3G networks will be unable to provide faster mobile broadband speeds for smartphones until next-generation devices are available.

AT&T wireless network investment plans for 2010 also include construction of about 2,000 new cell sites and adding new radio controllers and carriers at a pace that doubles deployment in 2009.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

AT&T Press Release

London & Tokyo, 2 February 2010 - Actix, a leader in radio network status management and optimization, has announced that it has signed a major contract to provide centralized Self-Organizing Network (SON) technology for next generation LTE mobile networks to NEC Corporation (NEC), a world leading vendor of LTE systems. The agreement covers the delivery of an operational centralized SON solution for global operators deploying NEC LTE networks.

Centralized SON (C-SON) functionality is part of the 3GPP standard for 4th Generation mobile networks and enables the planning, rollout and operation of networks at greatly reduced operational cost whilst also improving customer network experience. The joint Actix / NEC solution will provide a full suite of SON use cases to support LTE self-planning, self-optimization, and self-healing of the LTE radio access network.

Actix' contract to provide C-SON systems to NEC is a multi-year commitment, and is the largest contract placed to date in the LTE SON space.

"Actix SON fits perfectly into our vision of an efficient LTE system and this agreement will help us drive the deployment of many new LTE networks," said Kazuya Hashimoto, General Manager, Mobile Radio Access Division for NEC Corporation. "With a remarkable history as leaders in RAN engineering and optimization, advanced expertise in LTE technologies and considerable investment in building SON systems to date, Actix is uniquely positioned to provide C-SON capabilities very rapidly."

NEC has selected Actix to help plan, deploy and manage 4G networks using centralized SON systems in accordance with the recently defined 3GPP and NGMN SON recommendations. The combined NEC / Actix solution will address challenges such as wide area performance optimization, reactions to network disruption and energy saving.

"Self-optimizing networks are central to Actix' long term vision of allowing operators to maximize customer experience at reduced operational cost, and many of the capabilities we have built and acquired have been targeted at creating an exceptional SON system," said Bill McHale, Actix CEO. "SON is essential to efficiently manage LTE networks and it's exciting to see our long term investment in the right capabilities come to fruition through this partnership with NEC. Actix is leading the SON market and by partnering with companies such as NEC we are enabling operators globally to benefit from centralized SON systems for LTE."

"NEC is one of the largest technology and systems integration companies worldwide, always at the forefront of innovative technologies and advancements in the RAN and it is great to see such a long term, high value commitment to centralized SON solutions as part of its LTE offering. NEC is seeking to drive the deployment of LTE-based next generation mobile networks and everyone at Actix is delighted to be a key part of that movement," McHale continued.

Based on the widely deployed ActixOne RAN status management platform, and leveraging Actix' twenty years of experience in radio network optimization, the solution will be deployed in Tier 1 LTE networks from early 2010.

By selecting Actix' C-SON solution, NEC is able to deliver a full end-to-end self-optimizing solution for LTE and accelerate the rollout of new, low operating cost mobile broadband networks, systems and services for mobile operators.

For more information on Actix SON, please email: son(at)actix.com.

- - -

About Actix

Actix helps numerous wireless carriers around the globe enhance revenue growth and improve operating margins by delivering intelligent, automated Network Performance Engineering (NPE) and Network Status Management (NSM) systems. Actix solutions, which include a full suite of Self Optimizing Network (SON) capabilities, feature embedded wireless expertise, automating key processes and enabling very significant efficiencies in the deployment and operation of carriers' networks, delivering measurably higher performance at lower cost. Over 10,000 engineers from 227 operators - including all ten of the world's largest mobile networks - in 106 countries globally depend upon Actix software every day to help improve coverage for more than 1,100,000,000 subscribers. For more information, please see www.actix.com.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 140,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: www.nec.com.

Tokyo, February 1, 2010 - NEC Corporation (NEC) today announced the demonstration of its LTE (*1) concept terminal at Mobile World Congress 2010 (MWC), 15 - 18 February in Barcelona, Spain.

The concept terminal demonstrates the transmission of high resolution video through its "LTE-PF" equipped communications platform (*2) and showcases the advantage of high-speed LTE communications.

The exhibition features dynamic live-action demonstrations at NTT DOCOMO, INC.'s (NTT DOCOMO) booth(#8B117, Hall 8), while its mock-up is displayed at the NEC booth (#8A125, Hall 8). The dynamic exhibit features high-speed streaming of high-definition video and a mobile thin client.

LTE is a next generation high-speed wireless communications standard that evolved from HSDPA (*3)/HSUPA (*4) expansion technologies for W-CDMA. LTE, which achieves data transmission speeds of 100Mbps or more in downlink and 50Mbps or more in uplink access, is designed to reduce delays in data transmission and improve frequency usage efficiency. NTT DOCOMO selected NEC as its LTE terminal vendor in 2006.

In October 2009, NEC, NTT DOCOMO, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. and Fujitsu Limited announced the completion of joint development of an LTE-PF chipset engineering sample. Performance assessment results and development updates on these technologies will be on display at MWC.

Looking forward, NEC will continue contributing to the development and expansion of LTE terminals and next generation high-speed wireless communications.

- - -

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 140,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: www.nec.com.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. (C)2010 NEC Corporation.

- - -

(*1)

Long Term Evolution (LTE)

(*2) Communications Platform

A mobile phone communications system that consists of baseband processing software that carries out necessary mobile phone transmission functions.

(*3) High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

A high speed communications technology that may achieve downlink speeds of up to 14Mbps.

(*4) High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)

A high speed communications technology that may achieve high uplink speeds of up to 5.7Mbps.

- - -

NEC Press Contact (Japan):

Chris Shimizu

NEC Corporation

+81-3-3798-6511

E-Mail: yc-shimizu(at)cb.jp.nec.com

The mobile industry is currently undergoing a rapid evolution with major changes at every level of the value chain. With a number of key decisions from the European and National Regulators on the horizon and spectrum tenders in the pipeline, 2010 could prove to be a crucial year for shaping the future of mobile communications in Europe.

C5's conference on Regulations and Competition Law in Mobile Telecommunications will offer up-to-date information on market trends and the role of the regulator in shaping tomorrow's market. Attendees will learn about the implementation of EU law in key jurisdictions and hear from the Commission, National Policy Makers, Regulators, Mobile Network Operators, together with the leading consultants and legal advisors about best practice in dealing with the challenges created by EU law and the transformation of the industry into the 'multimedia' mobile industry.

NGMN members will be offered a 10% discount on the price of attending if they quote the discount code 'NGMN-TEN' when they register at
www.C5-Online.com/MobileRegulations

This event will take place the day before the 5th ETSI Security Workshop - we want to take full advantage of the number of mobile phone security experts in the area at the time, so the theme of the barcamp will be 'Mobile Security'. To register for the barcamp, please scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the link which will take you to ETSI's registration page for this event. Registration is necessary so we have an idea of numbers and so you can get into the buildings and use wireless etc.

When:

Tuesday 19th January 2010

10:00-16:00

(registration starts at 09:30)

Where:

ETSI

650, route des Lucioles

06921 Sophia-Antipolis Cedex

FRANCE

www.etsi.org/WebSite/AboutETSI/VisitingETSI/VisitingETSI.aspx

“The use of mobile broadband in the Nordic countries is exploding and customers need higher speeds and capacity. Both Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks have been able to provide high quality technology and competitive offers,” says Lars Klasson, Senior Vice President and CTO, Mobility Services, TeliaSonera.

As the first operator in the world, TeliaSonera launched 4G services to customers in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway at the end of 2009. TeliaSonera was also the first operator to make a live 4G connection in Finland. 4G is the fastest mobile technology available on the market, with speeds up to ten times higher than today’s turbo 3G.

TeliaSonera’s current 4G networks cover the central city areas of Stockholm and Oslo. The 4G network roll-out will continue to Sweden’s 25 largest municipalities and recreation areas and to Norway’s four largest municipalities to offer communication services for the future.

Facts:

TeliaSonera has three nation wide 4G/LTE licenses in the 2.6 GHz frequency band; in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The agreement with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks cover network roll out during 2010 and 2011.

Huawei continues to finalize the 4G city network in Oslo.

The 4G/LTE system is based on 3GPP standards for Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology and System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core technology.

8 January 2010 - GCF, the Global Certification Forum, is on schedule to release an LTE device certification scheme before the end of 2010 – in time for a wave of commercial LTE network launches expected towards the end of the year.

Designed to give operators confidence in the interoperability of LTE devices across different networks, GCF’s unified scheme will embrace both FDD and TDD versions of LTE.

Established in 1999, GCF has a total membership of more than 200, including many of the world’s most influential telecommunications companies from the operator, device manufacturer and test industry communities. With its “test once, use anywhere” ethos, GCF certification accelerates time to market for new devices based on 3GPP standards while reducing costs for manufacturers, operators and, ultimately, end-users. For both GSM and 3G, GCF certification has underpinned international roaming.

Bringing sophisticated new technologies such as LTE within the scope of GCF Certification is a massive undertaking involving the selection, prioritisation and validation of more than 280 conformance tests in the first instance. In addition a comprehensive field trial regime is being developed. The test industry plays a vital role through the timely investment in the required new test platforms and test facilities.

To meet the needs of the US, Japanese and European markets, LTE Certification will initially encompass the FDD frequency bands at 700 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2500 MHz respectively. For TDD, certification is currently being developed for the 2300-2400 MHz and 2570-2620 MHz bands that have been allocated for LTE in China. GCF is structuring LTE certification so that, as the need arises, it can be extended quickly and efficiently to other frequency bands.

The development of conformance testing has been divided into three distinct areas: RF; the E-UTRA protocol; and the Evolved Packet Core protocol. A total of six teams have been established to develop the conformance criteria for each of the three areas across the FDD and TDD variants.

The prioritisation and definition of conformance testing are now virtually complete for both FDD and TDD and the validation of agreed conformance tests is beginning to gather momentum†. GCF is working very closely with RAN5, the 3GPP group responsible for developing mobile device conformance test standards, to ensure that the scheme remains aligned with the very latest developments in 3GPP.

The development of LTE certification enjoys the active support of GCF members from around the world. Operators from Japan and China are providing overall leadership for the conformance testing efforts for FDD and TDD respectively while six leading manufacturers have stepped forward to lead the work items that make up each of the FDD and TDD strands of the project.

Requirements for field trials – a unique feature of GCF Certification – are being prioritised into two phases by GCF’s Field Trial Agreement Group (FTAG). With a target completion date of June 2010, phase 1 requirements will include between 80 and 90 new field test scenarios consistent with the functionality anticipated in the first commercial LTE devices. Around 40% of the test cases have already been written.

Several major operators, manufacturers, test companies and the GSMA Devices Group are working together on the development of LTE field trial procedures. “Certification will play a critical role in the long-term commercial success of LTE,” said Adriana Nugter, GCF Operations Manager. ”GCF has been formally working on LTE Certification since March 2008 and by focusing the efforts of experts from across the operator, manufacturer and test communities, we are confident that certification will be in place in time for a wave of operator launches anticipated towards the end of the year.”

GCF will provide an update on the progress of LTE device certification to “Readying for the Launch of Next Gen Networks” – at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Thursday 18 February 2010.

Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, January 7, 2010 -

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and LG Electronics (LGE) today announced that the two companies have completed a successful handoff of an end-to-end data call between Long Term Evolution (LTE) and CDMA mobile networks, compliant with the standards established by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which defines requirements for mobile broadband networks. The live, over-the-air handover involved an uninterrupted streaming video session conducted during test drives in the New York metropolitan area over Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end commercial LTE and CDMA/EV-DO infrastructure using an LG Electronics CDMA/LTE dual mode device.

Alcatel-Lucent is an early leader in the commercial introduction of LTE technology and is the world’s top supplier of CDMA/EV-DO mobile network infrastructure. LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, unveiled the world’s first modem chipset for 4G LTE devices in December 2008. The technology behind LG’s M13 CDMA/LTE terminal employed in the test with Alcatel-Lucent is key to enabling LTE networksto operate transparently with existing CDMA networks.

“This is a key milestone that demonstrates Alcatel-Lucent’s readiness to deliver LTE to CDMA operators,” said Ken Wirth, president, 4G/LTE Networks, Alcatel-Lucent. “Existing networks were designed primarily with voice in mind and the current explosion in data traffic is creating a challenge for service providers. With LTE, operators have opportunity to deploy a system designed specifically to support data. Alcatel-Lucent is helping operators introduce LTE capabilities into the CDMA environment in a way that is transparent to subscribers.”

These successful tests are part of Alcatel-Lucent's ongoing effort to ensure that the LTE networks of service providers such as Verizon Wireless interact smoothly and seamlessly with existing 2G and 3G CDMA networks in order for the user to experience uninterrupted service. Seamless active handover is critical function of a wireless network as it allows online activities such as video downloads, web surfing and VoIP calls to be maintained as a mobile data user moves between LTE and CDMA coverage zones. Alcatel-Lucent is one of the key vendors of CDMA and LTE infrastructure for Verizon Wireless, which was the first to announce LTE deployment in the United States and plans to launch its 4G LTE network in 25 to 30 markets in 2010.

For the tests, Alcatel-Lucent employed its end-to-end LTE solution, which is comprised of base stations (eNodeBs), Evolved Packet Core (EPC), IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), IP backhaul solutions and associated management systems. The tests also demonstrated a feature on CDMA/EV-DO networks called Evolved High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD), which serves as an interface to manage the seamless handover of data services between the two network types. In 2009, Alcatel-Lucent’s eHRPD offering received the CDMA Development Group (CDG) Network Technology Innovation award for its leadership role in the development of the eHRPD standard and its successful introduction into service provider networks.

This test initiative also leveraged professional services expertise including project management and planning, as well as installation, commissioning, integration and test plan execution services.

LG’s M13 CDMA/LTE device incorporated for testing was created with commercial grade components and will form the basis for a consumer device which is expected to be available in 2010. The M13 also achieved recognition from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and fully supports both CDMA EV-DO and LTE.

“LG is committed to advancing the commercialization of 4G and was excited to be involved in the successful interoperability test between CDMA and LTE,” said In-kyung Kim, vice president of 4G development at LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company R&D Center. “LG’s M13 terminal will be a key device to enable CDMA network operators to deploy a LTE network incrementally over a national CDMA network.”

About Alcatel-Lucent’s End-to-End LTE Solution

Alcatel-Lucent is an emerging leader in LTE and is actively engaged in the majority of LTE projects being pursued by tier 1 operators worldwide, including ongoing trials with 19 customers to date. To help operators realize their potential, Alcatel-Lucent is offering a unique end-to-end LTE pre-integrated network solution and a full set of associated professional services.
The company also is the founder of The ng Connect Program, a global organization focused on the development of an open LTE ecosystem of device manufacturers, content providers and application partners. For more information about Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end LTE solution, please visit: www.alcatel-lucent.com/lte.

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 16.98 billion in 2008 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: www.alcatel-lucent.com.

Contact the Alcatel-Lucent Press Office: press(at)alcatel-lucent.com

3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today announced that it has published an educational report titled, The Benefits of SON in LTE, to increase understanding of the improvements in network management that have been developed through 3GPP standards – Release 8, Release 9 and beyond.

Self-Optimizing and Self-Organizing Networks, called SON, can significantly improve network management performance, helping operators and their customers. The 3GPP standards organization is standardizing self-optimizing and self-organizing capabilities for LTE. LTE SON will leverage network intelligence, automation and network management features in order to automate the configuration and optimization of wireless networks, thereby increasing efficiency as well as improving network performance and flexibility.

"The time is right for SON as wireless carriers' networks have increasing mobile broadband demand and a high level of complexity," said Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "The good news is that smartphones, netbooks and emerging classes of mobile devices are driving significant growth of wireless data usage. However, operators will need to continue to significantly improve network management capabilities to efficiently meet the demands of this new mobile broadband world."

The Benefits of SON in LTE describes the motivation behind SON and provides an overview of key SON features contained in Releases 8 and 9 that will serve as a solution for network operators. Motivations for operators to deploy SON include:

• Wireless service providers must now support a growing number of higher-bandwidth data applications and services on their networks
• Operators must drive down the delivery cost per bit
• Radio access network complexity will increase through additions of small cells such as femtocells, picocells as well as WiFi access points to increase and improve coverage and capacity

These and other trends portend ever-increasing demands upon service providers in the areas of network performance and operations.

Initial solutions are offered in the 3GPP Release 8 specifications, which were completed in March 2009, and include SON features such as automatic inventory, software download, neighbor relations and PCI assignment that would be built over 3GPP network management architecture. LTE SON features begin with 3GPP Release 8 and evolve with the expected LTE network evolution stages. In 3GPP Release 9, other SON features are addressed, such as the optimization of coverage and capacity, mobility, RACH, load balancing and support of SON features in multi-vendor network environments.

Other organizations such as the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) have contributed significantly to the development and standardization of SON at 3GPP.

"Self-optimizing networks are a key part in the future-proofing of network reliability and operational efficiency," said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. "NGMN established a set of initial requirements and since then has worked with its partners to define the remaining requirements and to drive forward the early adoption in the standardization."

Previous 3G Americas white papers and technical studies have shown that LTE - with its wideband, highly spectrally efficient, low latency and cost-effective technology - is ideally suited to serving new higher-bandwidth applications. LTE is the next-generation wireless technology adopted by leading GSM and CDMA operators worldwide.

"SON is supported by a host of global organizations as well as leading vendors and operators, and will be an essential and well-developed solution for the successful management of wireless networks in our future," Pearson said.

The white paper,The Benefits of SON in LTE, was written collaboratively by members of 3G Americas and is available for free download on the 3G Americas website at www.3gamericas.org. The recommendations on SON, in the document, "NGMN Recommendation on SON and O&M Requirements," are available for free download on the NGMN website at www.ngmn.org

About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology

3G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's mission is to promote, facilitate and advocate for the deployment of the GSM family of technologies including LTE throughout the Americas. 3G Americas has contributed to the successful commercial rollout of GSM across the Americas and its place as the number one technology in the region, as well as the global adoption of EDGE. The organization aims to develop the expansive wireless ecosystem of networks, devices, and applications enabled by GSM and its evolution to LTE. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Dallas, Texas. More information is available at www.3gamericas.org.

3G Americas' Board of Governors members include Alcatel-Lucent, América Móvil, AT&T, Andrew Solutions, Cable & Wireless, Ericsson, Gemalto, Huawei, HP, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, Openwave, Research In Motion (RIM), Rogers, T-Mobile USA and Telefónica.

About the NGMN Alliance

The NGMN Alliance (www.ngmn.org) is an open group of the world-leading operators, technology vendors and research institutes. The primary objective is to create a virtuous cycle of innovation, investment, and adoption of true mobile broadband services with attractive cost-performance ratios. About 60 partners have signed up to this objective and developed requirements to shape the evolution of the mobile ecosystem. Focus in 2010 will be on operational efficiency, co-ordination of trials and tests, device availability, roaming, and assessment of IMT-Advanced technologies. Achievements and future roadmap will be presented at MWC and NGMN's Industry Conference in Shanghai, June 2010.

Contacts:

3G Americas

Vicki Livingston

Vicki.livingston(at)3gamericas.org

+1 262 242 3458

NGMN

Natacha Schubert

Natacha.Schubert(at)ngmn.org

+4969907499823

The companies took another step towards a wide deployment of LTE by successfully demonstrating a mobile broadband data call in an LTE network and its handover to an HSPA network. This functionality enables a smooth service between existing networks and newly deployed LTE networks.

“With multimode devices consumers can enjoy new high-speed mobile broadband services and global coverage right from the launch of LTE services,” said Jörgen Lantto, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ST-Ericsson. “Seamless roaming between LTE and today’s networks is a key device capability to enable faster introduction of LTE.”

“Ericsson is in the lead of the LTE development and together with the rest of the industry we will provide a true ecosystem for mobile broadband,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson. Roaming between the two technologies, providing seamless services, are a prerequisite for our customers enabling mobile broadband around the world”.

The device and networks used in interoperability testing in Stockholm were in compliance with the industry standard for commercial deployment, 3GPP Release 8 March baseline.

Multimode support allows device manufacturers to provide consumers with flexible and versatile devices. The chipset for ST-Ericsson’s M710 platform is commercially available.

Ericsson and its mobile platforms division, now part of ST-Ericsson, were also first to achieve interoperability to support multimode devices between GSM and 3G networks in 2002.

Notes to editors:

ST-Ericsson drives innovation in mobile broadband and new advanced services through the development and deployment of LTE:

• 2004-2005 ST-Ericsson started research and standardization activities related to LTE
• 2007 First handheld LTE prototype available and first handheld public demonstration at Mobile World Congress in 2008
• 2008 Platform interoperability tests activities initiated with network vendors
• 2009 Fully working LTE chipset available and interoperability testing of the platform with operators

Read more about ST-Ericsson’s multimode platform, M710 at
www.stericsson.com/platforms/LTE_M710.jsp

About ST-Ericsson

ST-Ericsson is a world leader in developing and delivering a complete portfolio of innovative mobile platforms and cutting-edge wireless semiconductor solutions across the broad spectrum of mobile technologies. The company is a leading supplier to the top handset manufacturers and ST-Ericsson’s products and technologies enable more than half of all phones in use today. The company generated pro-forma sales of about USD 3.6 billion in 2008. ST-Ericsson was established as a 50/50 joint venture by STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) and Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) in February 2009, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Media Relations

Phone : +41 22 9302733

Email: media.relations(at)stericsson.com

Investor Relations

Phone: +41 22 9296973

Email: investor.relations(at)stericsson.com

"We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services. The use of mobile broadband in the Nordic countries is exploding and customers need higher speeds and capacity. This is why we launch 4G services in both Stockholm and Oslo," says Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services.

4G/LTE will open up new possibilities for customers to use and enjoy services on their laptops, requiring high transmission speed and capacity, such as advanced web TV broadcasting, extensive online gaming and web conferences.

"Being first out with new technology gives us unique experience that we can use on all our markets. We will continue the roll-out to offer our customers new communication services for the future," continues Kenneth Karlberg.

The two pioneering 4G city networks cover the central city areas of Stockholm and Oslo and will be used for mobile data. 4G is the fastest mobile technology available on the market, with speeds up to ten times higher than today's turbo 3G.

TeliaSonera has three nation wide 4G/LTE licenses; in Sweden, Norway and also recently in Finland. The network roll out is in progress to offer 4G to Sweden's and Norway's largest cities.

Facts
The Stockholm 4G city network is supplied by Ericsson. The Oslo 4G city network is supplied by Huawei. The modems at launch come from Samsung. Evaluation of suppliers for TeliaSonera's common 4G core network and radio networks in the Nordic and Baltic countries is in progress and vendors will be selected in the beginning of 2010.

Please also visit TeliaSonea's 4G website, www.teliasonera.com/4g

The press conference will be held in English and will be webcasted at
www.teliasonera.com/press

Participants
Åsa Torstensson, Minister for Communications

Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services, TeliaSonera
Cecilia Edström, Senior Vice President and Head of Group Communications, TeliaSonera
Erik Hallberg, Senior Vice President and Head of Mobility Services, TeliaSonera in Sweden

Possibility to listen to the press conference via telephone
You can also listen to the press conference live over the phone and also ask questions.

Dial-in numbers: +46 (0)8 506 269 30
+44 (0)207 108 6205
Participants should quote: TeliaSonera

Bernabè: the journey towards fixed and mobile ultra-broadband takes another step forwards

The world’s first pre-commercial trial of “4G” LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology is now underway in Turin. This new mobile broadband network offers data transmission speeds of up to 140Mbit/s, making it possible to provide new services such as high-definition video conferencing, remote office access and mobile video chat.

Telecom Italia has begun the world’s first pre-commercial LTE (Long Term Evolution) new technology trial as part of its ongoing development of a fourth-generation mobile ultra-broadband network.

The trial, which is being conducted in Turin with technology partner Huawei, uses 14 new LTE radio stations around the centre of town which are perfectly integrated into the existing mobile infrastructure. These stations provide bandwidth in excess of 140Mit/s for each cell, and can handle three high bandwidth voice/data connections simultaneously.

This trial underscores Telecom Italia’s status as a technology innovation leader, and confirms the company’s commitment to a rolling upgrade of its networks in support of next-generation services over landlines and mobile.

Franco Bernabè, CEO of Telecom Italia, said: “The journey towards fixed and mobile ultra-broadband takes another step forwards. With leading-edge HSDPA technology deployed right now and LTE in the future, high speed services will become increasingly common on mobile phones and usb modems, offering access to professional services such as video conferencing and remote office access, and personal services such as video gaming and video chat.”

This is rapidly becoming one of the most important events in the industry calendar, and NGMN are happy to endorse it once again. It provides a critical forum for senior industry figures to explore how to build and monetize an open mobile economy.

Speakers include:

• John Donovan CTO AT&T
• Vint Cerf Chief Internet Evangelist Google
• Cole Brodman CTO T-Mobile
• Dadi Perlmutter EVP and GM Mobility Intel
• Jan Uddenfeldt SVP Ericsson
• Kevin Lynch CTO Adobe
• Michael Abbot SVP Palm

Plus BT's Hossein Moin, Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg, Verizon, Sprint, Clear, Virgin Mobile and many more.

Panels include: Who pays for mobile broadband? Platforms for innovation: Degrees of Open-ness. Regulation, Anti-trust and Open Access, Future of the operator portal, App Stores Fad or Future? Future of the OS, PC vs Phone, Operator models for open access and more.

Friends of NGMN will be offered £100 discount on the price of attending if they quote 'NGMN' when they register at www.openmobilesummit.com. If you are planning to attend don't leave it too late, according to organisers the event is on track to sell out early this year.

Nokia Siemens Networks drives LTE towards commercialization with successful test of key feature to enable continuous connectivity

Nokia Siemens Networks recently conducted the world’s first LTE handover test using a commercially available base station and fully standards compliant software. The test verifies that the LTE handover procedure is handled correctly by both Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio base station and an LTE test terminal.

Handover is a key feature of mobile radio technology. The LTE handover test is the first to be fully compliant with 3GPP’s (the relevant LTE standards body) March 2009 baseline LTE standard. In this initial test, the handover was made between LTE cells of Nokia Siemens Networks’ award winning Flexi Multiradio base station. Handover support is needed to enable seamless connectivity when the handling of a user’s mobile call is switched from one mobile cell to another, such as occurs when a user is moving.

“Our focus at Nokia Siemens Networks is on commercial hardware and software, not pre-commercial intermediate solutions,” said Marc Rouanne, head of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Radio Access business unit. “We’ve already shipped LTE-capable Flexi Base Station hardware to over 100 customers and this LTE handover on our standards compliant software is another step on the road to the commercial deployment of LTE.“

The test builds on the earlier verification of handover support in the company’s Evolved Packet Core solution for LTE core networks including the Flexi NG and Flexi NS products. Standard compliant LTE network products and terminals are a precondition for commercial network rollouts and for users to benefit from a choice of LTE devices from different vendors.

Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to driving the commercial uptake of LTE, starting in 2010, with an end-to-end solution that provides a future-proof, easy and cost efficient path to LTE via a software upgrade only.

TeliaSonera has secured delivery of data modems for the 4G commercial launch in Sweden and Norway in 2010. The contract with Samsung for 4G modems brings TeliaSonera one major step towards 4G, the next generation’s mobile broadband, offering customers up to ten times higher speed than today.

The world’s first contract for deliveries of 4G modems to be used by end customers has been signed between TeliaSonera and Samsung. TeliaSonera’s goal is to be the first operator in the world to launch 4G on a commercial basis.

“The 4G modems from Samsung will play a very important role in our 4G launch in Sweden and Norway,” says Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services, TeliaSonera. “We look forward to sharing Samsung’s world leading mobile experience when offering our customers a whole new way of enjoying mobility services.”

Samsung will deliver mobile broadband modems for TeliaSonera’s commercial launch of 4G in Stockholm and Oslo in 2010. TeliaSonera and Samsung have teamed up to meet customers’ continuously increasing demands for high speed mobile broadband services and together they will acquire early market understanding from end users’ ways of using 4G.

- We are very pleased to work together with TeliaSonera. This is an historic step forward for today’s telecommunication industry. With TeliaSonera’s initiation of a 4G service we expect more consumers to enjoy advanced mobile broadband services much earlier than expected,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

Facts: The 4G modems will be USB dongles for laptops offering high speed mobile broadband. The 4G/LTE system is based on 3GPP standards.

© 2009 Next Generation Mobile Networks Ltd.

The auditorium appreciated the first-hand insight given by top management representatives of NGMN partner companies and the wider mobile ecosystem on the status, the challenges and the customer impact of mobile broadband networks in the coming years. The ITU/NGMN event took place on 7th October at the ITU Telecom World 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland and attracted a substantial portion of the 1.500 ITU Forum participants.

“Mobile Broadband 2010+” proved to be one of the most successful sessions of the conference – attendance already exceeded expectations in the morning at the Open Expert Forum session reaching capacity limits with more than 200 participants. Also the keynotes of NGMN Board members and the afternoon sessions on “Operational Efficiency” and “Customer Impact” saw extremely high attendance of ITU Forum participants and lively discussion.

© 2009 Next Generation Mobile Networks Ltd.

The opening session of NGMN’s “Mobile Broadband 2010+” day brought insights from top speakers of the NGMN Sponsor community on “Infrastructure Innovations” to more than 200 participants. The participants stayed on to listen to the following panel discussion on one of the currently hottest topics in the mobile industry: “Future Mobile Applications”. This topic was moderated by the NGMN co-operation partner WIP with representatives of the wider mobile ecosystem on the panel. Focus of the two morning sessions laid on backhaul, antenna embedded radio, network migration and mobile application developer challenges.

At the keynote session, NGMN Board members from NTT DOCOMO, Telefonica, AT&T and SK Telecom provided an overview on next generation mobile network deployment scenarios and migration plans. The speakers also highlighted the major challenges that still have to be addressed in the next months in the areas of spectrum harmonisation and availability of devices and chipsets.

As efficiency improvements will be a key challenge for the network deployment and operations, the following NGMN session on “Operational Excellence” drew a lot of attention from many of the ITU Forum participants. Executives from Operators gave insights into their requirements and the audience took the chance to discuss the open issues with representatives from the leading vendors present in a panel. All speakers clearly emphasised NGMN’s role in driving the development to enhance “Operational Excellence” through projects like OBRI or Operational Efficiency, but also stressed the importance of further joint industry efforts to lead these efforts towards implementation.

The ITU/NGMN day closed with the session “Customer Impact” on the current status and plans of major device and chipset manufacturers in the area of wireless broadband devices. Besides giving first information on the data devices and chipsets available for 2010, the speakers also provided an outlook on services (e.g. in the area of M2M), on wireless broadband for CEs and on the requirements for wide adoption. Here, a common voice evolution path, common application platforms, enhanced device management and security were named as the most important success factors.

Please find the full programme and all available presentations for download:

ITU_NGMN_Mobile_Broadband_2010+_07-Oct-2009

The conference stream is part of the ITU Telecom World on the 5-9th October - an unrivaled event for the ICT sector that brings together experts and innovators of the highest level on a global networking platform.

Don't miss the unique opportunity to learn more about how key players of the industry are planning for the deployment of next generation mobile networks.

Key themes of the joint ITU / NGMN conference stream on the 7th October include:

• Deployment scenarios and plans - vision and reality of next generation mobile broadband
  
• Operational excellence - strategies and technologies to optimize efficiency and performance
  
• Customer impact - devices, consumer electronics, services
  

The detailed outline of the joint ITU/NGMN conference stream on “Mobile Broadband 2010+” is now available: ITU/NGMN stream Mobile Broadband 2010+

Please contact the NGMN Office at office(at)ngmn.org to receive further details or to arrange meetings at the ITU Telecom World.

Partners of the NGMN Alliance will be offered a 55% discount on the price of the ITU Global Forum Pass. To register for this stream or to obtain further details please contact office(at)ngmn.org.

The ITU-R and regional bodies are currently developing channelling arrangements for the bands identified at the ITU World Radio Conference (WRC-07) so that they can subsequently be used on a harmonised basis around the world. NGMN partners are actively participating in this ongoing work to ensure that the new arrangements will suit their needs. The current status and NGMN views and requirements with regards to these bands are now outlined in the White Paper Update on “Next Generation Mobile Networks Spectrum Requirements” developed by the NGMN Spectrum Working Group. NGMN is continuing to study these bands and may develop additional views in the future.

NGMN Spectrum Requirements Update.pdf

• Take advantage of this rare opportunity to hear from several CXO level speakers
  
• Learn from a variety of unique operator case studies from around the world
  
• Meet all of the leading suppliers face-to-face, hear product briefings and develop a clear picture of where mobile broadband is going and which products and services are on offer to you
  
• Benchmark your own strategy with those of your peers from around the world
  

The IIR Mobile Broadband World is endorsed by the NGMN Alliance. NGMN Partners obtain a discount of 10% off the conference price; please contact office(at)ngmn.org to receive the VIP code. Detailed information about the conference is available at IIR Mobile Broadband World

www.mobilebroadbandworld.com/NGMN

"Nokia is committed to supporting industry activities aimed at maturing LTE technology to enable the first commercial networks to launch in 2010," says Jani Mäenpää, Project Manager, LTE/SAE Interoperability and Trials, Nokia. "Nokia is a founding member in the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) and carries out interoperability testing with a number of network vendors, collaborates with measurement equipment manufacturers and is ready to support operators with their LTE deployment activities. The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 is used in all these activities."

The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 supports interoperability with GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA to make the most out of the global GSM and WCDMA reach right from the start. The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 also supports multiple LTE frequency bands so is able to meet operators' deployment plans across many different countries and regions.

LTE, Long Term Evolution of UTRA/UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network), is the name for 3GPP-defined radio access for future wide area broadband wireless access networks.  It defines the evolution of WCDMA/HSPA radio networks. LTE will be a major step towards providing rich wireless IP-based real-time multimedia services for the consumer. LTE sets the benchmark for high data rates and low response times, improving the user experience significantly compared to today's mobile broadband technologies. Also, it can offer a true internet experience when the availability of fixed line access is limited.

For the complete Nokia article please click the following Link

pressbulletinboard.nokia.com

For nearly a decade, the annual Broadband World Forum Europe conference and exhibition has grown significantly, hosting more than 6,000 of the industry's elite and offering a wide range of information and communication technologies topics under the large umbrella of broadband. Themed "Delivering the Promise," this year's Broadband World Forum Europe will feature more than 250 speakers in more than 50 breakout sessions, keynote addresses, plenary panels, and workshops.

The Broadband World Forum Europe is supported by Orange as Official Host Sponsor and the NGMN Alliance as Associate Sponsor. Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Vivek Badrinath (EVP Networks Carriers Platforms and Infrastructure, France Telecom) will serve as the World Forum Chair and will host a carrier panel at the Forum.

The NGMN Alliance will present the session "The Future of Mobile Access" on the 7th September, 16:00 - 17:30 CET. Confirmed speakers and panelists are:

• Said Mokbel, Executive Director Technology Strategy, Telus
  
• Giovanni Romano, Coordinator for Radio Standards, Telecom Italia
  
• Jonathan Borril, Director of Marketing EMEA, Anritsu
  
• Dr. Shahram Niri, Strategy Director, Network Solutions, NEC
  

NGMN Partners have the opportunity to receive a VIP pass granting 30% off conference pricing and a complimentary Exhibits PLUS pass
(www.iec.org/events/2009/bbwf/vip_pass/vip_ngmn.html).

Please contact the NGMN Office at office(at)ngmn.org to receive further details or to arrange meetings at the BBWF. BBWF 2009 Paris .

- 55% DISCOUNT FOR PARTNERS OF THE NGMN ALLIANCE

The conference stream is part of the ITU Telecom World on the 5-9th October - an unrivaled event for the ICT sector that brings together experts and innovators of the highest level on a global networking platform.

Don't miss the unique opportunity to learn more about how key players of the industry are planning for the deployment of next generation mobile networks.

Key themes of the joint ITU / NGMN conference stream on the 7th October include:

• Deployment scenarios and plans - vision and reality of next generation mobile broadband
  
• Operational excellence - strategies and technologies to optimize efficiency and performance
  
• Customer impact - devices, consumer electronics, services
  

The detailed outline of the joint ITU/NGMN conference stream on “Mobile Broadband 2010+” is now available: ITU/NGMN stream Mobile Broadband 2010+

Please contact the NGMN Office at office(at)ngmn.org to receive further details or to arrange meetings at the ITU Telecom World.

Partners of the NGMN Alliance will be offered a 55% discount on the price of the ITU Global Forum Pass. To register for this stream or to obtain further details please contact office(at)ngmn.org.

Request for Information on LTE Patent Pool Administration

Guiding Rules on NGMN RFI Process & Sessions in Vienna

All prospective patent pool administrators are invited to participate in the NGMN RFI.

After receipt of responses, each prospective patent pool administrator answering the RFI will also be invited to present its envisaged role in the LTE eco-system to NGMN partner representatives from 14th – 15th October in Vienna, Austria.

Any question may be addressed to rfi(at)ngmn.org

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has scored yet another Long Term Evolution (LTE) deal as T-Mobile Austria today revealed the results of Europe's largest LTE field trial using equipment from the Chinese vendor.

For the complete unstrung article please click the following link www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=180831

The RFI on LTE Patent Pool Administration will be published on the NGMN website (www.ngmn.org) on 3rd September, 2009. Prior to this all prospective patent pool administrators, that have or have not yet issued a call for LTE patents, are invited to participate in the NGMN RFI process and to indicate their interest until 2nd September 2009, to rfi(at)ngmn.org.

After receipt of responses, each prospective patent pool administrator answering the RFI will also be invited to present its envisaged role in the LTE eco-system to NGMN partner representatives from 14th - 15th October in Vienna, Austria.

NGMN Alliance will conduct the RFI to gather information on potential LTE patent pools for NGMN partners.

"This RFI will continue the successful IPR activities conducted by NGMN in the past two years and will bring more transparency in the next generation mobile eco-system about envisaged patent pool activities," explained Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of NGMN.

NGMN Press Contact

Reston, Va., June 16, 2009 - SkyTerra (OTCBB: SKYT) has unveiled plans that will allow its current voice and push-to-talk customers to transition to the company's next generation integrated satellite-terrestrial network and services.

As part of the initial phase of SkyTerra's Customer Transition Incentive Program, SkyTerra customers who own an active MSAT-G2 radio, or customers who purchase MSAT-G2 radios and are active SkyTerra customers prior to the company's transition to its next-generation network, will be eligible to receive a new next-generation device for each active radio at the time when SkyTerra formally announces the transition.

"The new next-generation devices will be available to current SkyTerra customers with active MSAT-G2 satellite radio equipment accounts at the time of transition from the company's MSAT service to SkyTerra's next-generation network," noted Marc Montagner, executive vice president of strategy, development and distribution for SkyTerra. "This offer is part of the company's new Customer Transition Incentive Program and is subject to certain terms and conditions."

Supported by two of the most powerful commercial satellites ever built, SkyTerra's next-generation network is designed to provide seamless, transparent and ubiquitous wireless coverage of the United States and Canada to conventional handsets and commercial devices. The first of two SkyTerra next-generation satellites is planned for launch in first half of 2010.

"SkyTerra's two next-generation satellites are phenomenal communications assets that will enable government and enterprise customers as well as consumers to take advantage of new capabilities and applications using conventional handsets and mobile devices," Montagner said.

The company also plans to work with existing voice and push-to-talk customers with active accounts, regardless of equipment age and type, to facilitate transition to the company's next-generation network.

For more information on SkyTerra's Customer Transition Incentive Program and on the company's integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network please go to the SkyTerra Web site: www.skyterra.com.

SkyTerra Communications, Inc. (OTCBB: SKYT) owns 100% of SkyTerra LP. SkyTerra LP and SkyTerra (Canada), Inc. jointly operate the MSAT satellites and telecommunications network.

#      #      #

About SkyTerra Communications (www.skyterra.com) SkyTerra Communications (OTCBB: SKYT) delivers mobile wireless voice and data services primarily for public safety, security, fleet management and asset tracking in the U.S. and Canada. The company's next-generation integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network is expected to provide seamless, transparent and ubiquitous wireless coverage of the United States and Canada to conventional handsets. When completed, the network will support communications in a variety of market segments, including public safety, homeland security, telematics, transportation and entertainment, by providing a platform for interoperable, user-friendly and feature-rich voice and high-speed data services.

Media Contact:
Tom Surface
SkyTerra
T: 703-390-1579
M: 703-462-3837
tom.surface(at)skyterra.com

Operator delegates from NGMN were invited to China Mobile Research Institute for TD-LTE live demo on May 12th, 2009. The TD-LTE equipments from 15 venders were shown, including most of the important infrastructure, chipset, terminal and test instrument global vendors.

The delegates also experienced TD-LTE field performance in a two-base-station field urban environment built up by China Mobile with Huawei’s equipment. High speed download, streaming, video call and intra-LTE handover were successfully demonstrated. TD-LTE industrialization progress is on target and TD-LTE is promising to be commercially available by end of 2009 or early 2010.

Frankfurt, Germany and Beijing, China - June 4, 2009 – The TD Industry Association (TDIA), the group promoting the rapid and healthy development of the TD-industry, and the NGMN Alliance, the group focussing on the evolution of next generation mobile networks, have established a cooperation agreement to support the globally harmonized development of next generation mobile broadband technologies and services.

The TDIA and NGMN will work together to promote TD-LTE technology worldwide and ensure the development of a convergent standard for Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) based next generation mobile networks. This will lay the foundation to extend market scale and to ensure seamless mobile broadband experience for the customer. The two bodies will widen the scope of work on chipsets and devices, system interworking, trial coordination, spectrum requirements, as well as roaming support.

"Our cooperation with the TDIA will certainly help to ensure that next generation mobile networks will enable an exceptional user experience," stated Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. "The aim of this agreement is to avoid fragmentation of standards, to reduce cost and market risks, and to provide truly global services and devices for the end-user."

Yang Hua, Secretary-General of the TDIA commented, "Collaborating with the NGMN Alliance will support our efforts to promote and to develop TD-LTE technology world-wide. We will work on the synchronization of FDD/TDD development so that next generation systems will benefit from the inherent technological advantages of both TDD and FDD."

Follow-up meetings are planned for October 2009 in Geneva, where both organisations will be present at the ITU Telecom World 2009.

The site will be part of a commercial network scheduled to go live in 2010, bringing data rates far above what is possible in today's mobile broadband networks and allowing Stockholmers to stay connected and enjoy seamless, high-quality, online services even while on the move.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: "The unveiling of this site shows that LTE is no longer the story of the future; it is the story of today. Ericsson, as a leader in LTE development, is proud to work with TeliaSonera to bring a commercial LTE network to life."

Erik Hallberg, Senior Vice President and Head of TeliaSonera Mobility Services in Sweden, says: "Being at the forefront of broadband evolution means our customers will be the first to benefit from this groundbreaking technology. This first LTE site is a key step towards further enhancing Sweden's fastest mobile broadband network."

LTE enables unprecedented performance in terms of peak data rates, spectrum efficiency and delay. Ericsson has already demonstrated peak rates of 160Mbps. LTE can be deployed both in new and existing frequency bands and is designed to minimize the cost of network operation and maintenance.

The evolution of mobile broadband is an integral factor in building sustainable cities that minimize the use of energy and reduce CO2 emissions.

Notes to editors:
Ericsson's multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:
www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion (SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ.

For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi.

Frankfurt, Germany and London, UK May 26th 2009 – The Extraordinary General Meeting of the NGMN Alliance in Beijing, China this month, saw the appointment of new board members:

• Günther Ottendorfer, T-Mobile, Technical Director T-Mobile Germany
   
• Vicente San Miguel Maza, Telefonica, Global Chief Technology Officer
   
• Bruce Rodin, Bell Canada, Vice President Wireless Technology
   
• Sandro Dionisi, Telecom Italia, Head of Telecom Italia Lab
  

These additions replace retiring board members and increase the NGMN Board members from nine to eleven. The growth in the number of board seats reflects the increasing membership base of the NGMN Alliance, which already consists of 57 world leading global network operators, technology vendors and universities.

Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Vivek Badrinath (EVP Networks, Carriers, Platforms and Infrastructure, France Telecom) congratulated the newly appointed board directors: "The NGMN Alliance is established as a key player in the mobile industry with major achievements in the areas of Technology, IPR, Spectrum. Adding new Board Members is clearly increasing the global reach of the Alliance. I'm convinced that we will continue our track record in the years ahead. Our work programme is ensuring the successful launch of next generation mobile networks by focusing on device availability, trial support and co-ordination, as well as maintaining the focus on operational and environmental efficiency".

13 May 2009, Shenzhen, China - ZTE Corporation ("ZTE") (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions today announced that it is the first company to successfully complete and pass the TD-LTE Phase I test together with key industry players including China Mobile, Vodafone and the Ministry of Industry and Information of China on April 15, 2009. The TD-LTE test measures high bandwidth network capacity.

This significant achievement was made known during yesterday's NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Network) Conference held in Beijing, China. As one of the key highlights of the conference, TD-LTE attracting numerous key industry participants including China Mobile, Vodafone and other leading members of NGMN.

In ZTE's TD-LTE Phase I test, the results indicated that the downlink sector reached the theoretical peak rate of 39Mbps with a 10M bandwidth, at the same time, ZTE became the first company in the industry to realize 20M bandwidth support. In the trials, ZTE adopted third party test UE (User Equipment) and the downlink peak rate attained TM500's upper limit of 61.228 Mbps. Upgradable through terminal, the system is designed to support a downlink rate of up to 82.3 Mbps in the future.

Adopting a unified SDR business platform for its system equipment in the test, ZTE is the first vendor to feature pre-business EPC (Evolved Packet Core) to complete the total system tests, highlighting its leading position in commercial applications. As an industry first to use third party UE to complete the tests, ZTE achieved its expected trail results, including zero fault, zero malfunction and 100% connection rate: another technology breakthrough that highlights ZTE's winning customer offerings with its excellent system stability.

This TD-LTE test also makes ZTE the first company to complete a performance test under a 350Km/h high-speed mobile channel model, reaching the best theoretical value. In fact, in May 2009, ZTE was the first industry vendor to pass China Mobile Institute's GSM/TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE joint platform test further underlining its leading edge in the TD-LTE area.

To date, as one of the leading advocates of the TD industry chain, ZTE has a taskforce of over 3,200 TD R&D engineers with more than 900 devoted to TD-LTE. The Company has submitted more than 400 LTE papers to the 3GPP Conference to further propel and inspire industry development. Through continuous and extensive investments in R&D and manpower, ZTE has been at the forefront of LTE fully demonstrating its leadership in both LTE and TD-LTE.

Wednesday, 29 April 2009 -- LG Electronics Inc. will ship Long-Term Evolution (LTE) modem chips to NTT DoCoMo Inc. from March 2010, according to a report in The Korea Times. An LG spokesman confirmed that DoCoMo will use its LTE modem chips, but he did not specify the shipment date and would say only that the products would ship next year. For the complete Unstrung article please go to the link below
Unstrung.

CHICAGO – 24 March 2009 – The International Engineering Consortium’s (IEC) today announced Vivek Badrinath, executive vice president Networks and Carriers, Orange as World Forum Chair of the upcoming Broadband World Forum Europe 2009. He will also chair the plenary panel entitled “Broadband Services Evolution:
Opportunities and Challenges for Services Providers” featuring respected broadband leaders Matt Bross, chief technology officer, BT; Vicente San Miguel, chief technology officer, Telefónica S.A.; and Steve Pusey, chief technology officer, Vodafone.

“We look forward to Mr. Badrinath sharing his vision and headlining more than 250 highly regarded speakers in this year’s program in Paris,” commented IEC President John Janowiak. “Their commitment to the evolution of broadband services and continuing education certainly fall in line with the event’s mission to ‘deliver the promise’ of driving the industry forward.”

“The Broadband World Forum Europe hosts the most significant stakeholders in the global telecommunications industry, and I am honored to serve as the Conference Chair at this year’s event,” stated Mr. Badrinath. “The industry faces unique challenges in these times, and I look forward to exploring creative solutions and opportunities to advance the deployment of today’s evolving services.”

Mr. Badrinath’s panel will serve as one of 50 sessions and will discuss the opportunities emerging from the evolution of mass market services such as home networking, digital home, e-health, IPTV, mobile data, and the resulting challenges for service providers.

The panel takes place at 11:30 on Wednesday 9 September and is included within the IEC’s Exhibits PLUS programming, which also grants access to the exhibition floor, keynote addresses, InfoVision Awards Ceremony, and networking receptions.

Major supporters of the Broadband World Forum Europe 2009 include Official Host Sponsor Orange, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson, Thomson, ZTE Corporation, ADVA Optical Networking, AVM, Motorola, NEC and more.

Exhibits and sponsorship opportunities remain; key industry companies may visit
www.iec.org/events/2009/bbwf/exhibitors/index.asp or contact Christine Paplaczyk at
cpaplaczyk(at)iec.org or +1-312-559-4616.

The IEC is now accepting speaking proposals at: www.iec.org/events/2009/bbwf/speakers/call_proposals.asp.

For additional information, visit www.bbwfeurope.com or contact Katie Post at kpost(at)iec.org or +1-312-559-3325.

###

About the Broadband World Forum Europe

For nearly a decade, the annual Broadband World Forum Europe conference and exhibition has grown significantly, hosting more than 6,000 of the industry’s elite and offering a wide range of information and communication technologies topics under the large umbrella of broadband.

Themed “Delivering the Promise,” this year’s Broadband World Forum Europe will feature more than 250 speakers in more than 50 breakout sessions, keynote
addresses, plenary panels, and workshops. Seventy-seven percent of BBWF Europe attendees are expected to be at a manager-level and above (averaged from the last three years). The event will also draw more than 100 carrier companies.
One hundred top vendors from around the globe will make up the high-caliber exhibition and display the latest broadband technologies, equipment, applications, solutions, and services needed to meet the ever-increasing customer demand for innovative solutions.

When last in Paris in 2006, the Broadband World Forum Europe received the "Best in Congress" KRéA Award with the CNIT La Défense and was honored as the best professional conference in all of France. Last year, the event helped generate the #1 industry news story of 2008 according to Total Telecom.

This year, the World Forum will present six tracks: (1) Mass Market, (2) Enterprise, (3) Software Enablers, (4) Core, (5) Access, and (6) Broadband Ecosystem Evolution. The prestigious InfoVision Awards will also take place again at the event. With the support of Official Host Sponsor Orange, the IEC expects thousands of industry professionals from approximately 100 countries to the CNIT La Défense this 7-9 September. For complete information, visit www.bbwfeurope.com.

About the IEC

A nonprofit organization, the IEC is dedicated to catalyzing technology and business progress worldwide in a range of high-technology industries and their university communities. Since 1944, the IEC has provided high-quality educational opportunities for industry professionals, academics, and students.

In conjunction with industry-leading companies, the IEC has developed an extensive, free, on-line educational program. The IEC conducts industry-university programs that have substantial impact on curricula. It also conducts research and develops publications, conferences, and technological exhibits that address major opportunities and challenges of the information age.

More than 70 leading high-technology universities are IEC affiliates, and the IEC handles the affairs of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association and Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society for electrical and computer engineers. Please visit www.iec.org.

TeleGeography's CommsUpdate

Latest Results from the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative

LSTI Forum

Gene Rittenhouse, Chef der Bell-Labs von Alcatel-Lucent, hat eine Vision. "In zehn Jahren", so beschreibt der Forscher des weltgrößten Telekommunikationslabors, "könnten Menschen mit Brillen durch die Straße laufen, auf denen sie sowohl die reale als auch die virtuelle Welt sehen." Auf dem Brillenglas wären dann z. B. Navigationstipps oder auch kurze Empfehlungen von Freunden für das ein oder andere Restaurant zu sehen.

"Wir müssen beim Mobilfunk ja nicht immer an das Handy von heute denken", so Rittenhouse in Barcelona. Breitband im Mobilfunk, davon ist der Forscher überzeugt, macht viel mehr möglich, als wir uns bislang vorstellen können.

Doch noch ist die Telekommunikationswelt weit von derartigen Anwendungen entfernt. Das zeigte sich auch und gerade auf dem Messegelände am Fuße des Montjuic, wo Fest- und Mobilfunknetze in den vier Messetagen ständig zusammenbrachen.

Dafür war in Barcelona jede Menge Zukunftsluft zu schnuppern. So waren bei vielen Ausstellern Demonstrationen der kommenden Mobilfunkgeneration Long Term Evolution aufgebaut. Von Ericsson über Nokia Siemens Network, von der chinesischen Huawei bis zur japanischen NEC - sie alle wollten zeigen, dass sie up to date sind.

Schließlich haben sie gemeinsam hart an der Standardisierung der nächsten Mobilfunkgeneration gearbeitet: In der NGMN-Allianz - Next Generation Mobile Network - wurden die technischen Spielregeln detailliert festgelegt. "Das Equipment von verschiedenen Herstellern läuft miteinander", sagte Anthony Berkley, LTE-Stratege beim Ausstatter Alcatel-Lucent. Die Netzausstatter und -betreiber haben in diesem Fall hehre Ziele: Sie wollen einen weltweiten Standard etablieren, der sowohl in Asien und Australien als auch in Europa, Afrika und Amerika funkt. Ein bislang einmaliges Unterfangen.

Vor allem jedoch soll mit dieser neuen Technik der ständig wachsende Hunger nach Bandbreite gestillt werden. Video über Handy, Netzwerken über Facebook, Musikdownloads über iTunes, Fotospaß mit Flickr - das alles propagierten vollmundig die Mobilfunkanbieter in den Messehallen. Und das alles füllt und verstopft die Netze.

Doch das schockt Carl-Henric Svanberg nicht. "Die nächste Mobilfunkgeneration LTE wird die Geschwindigkeit auf 150 Mbit/s erhöhen", verkündete der Chef von Ericsson, des weltgrößten Ausstatters von Mobilfunknetzen, auf der Mobile World und ergänzte selbstbewusst: "Wir legen Wert darauf, auch hier eine frühe Marktführerschaft zu übernehmen."

Wie es scheint mit Erfolg. Die Schweden sind am heimischen LTE-Netz der Telia Sonera und dem von Japans NTT Docomo beteiligt. In Stockholm soll die vierte Mobilfunkgeneration bereits 2010 kommerziell starten. Von Handys ist man dann noch Monate entfernt. "Zunächst wird es Steckkarten und Sticks für Notebooks geben", sagte Thomas Noren, LTE-Manager bei Ericsson.

Doch auch bei den LTE-Geräten gibt es schnelle Fortschritte. Noch bei der gemeinsamen Demo von Nortel, T-Mobile und LG im Sommer vergangenen Jahres in Bonn war das "Handy" so groß wie ein Koffer. Jetzt wurde im Pavillon von T-Mobile ein kleines Endgerät des koreanischen Herstellers LG zum Publikumsmagneten.

"Das haben wir erst vor zwei Wochen bekommen", erklärte der junge Ingenieur an der Demonstrationsinsel des größten deutschen Mobilfunkers.

"Wir können mit 50 Mbit/s senden", erklärte er, während die Videoübertragung einer Testfahrt in Bonn auf großen Bildschirmen lief. "Manchmal sind es auch nur 30 Mbit/s", ergänzte er, als plötzlich Artefakte auf dem Display zu sehen waren. Und fügte schnell hinzu: "Das liegt nicht an LTE, das ist das Netz hier in Barcelona."

Sein Chef Hamid Akhavan ist in Sachen LTE zurückhaltender geworden. "Wir arbeiten bereits jahrelang an LTE", erklärte er in Barcelona und versicherte: "Die Tests gehen weiter." Technologisch sind die Fakten gesetzt. Jetzt allerdings käme es darauf an, dass für die Technik die richtigen Frequenzen mit ausreichender Bandbreite zur Verfügung gestellt werden. "Die Einführung hängt von externen Entscheidungen ab", so Akhavan und spricht damit die Politik an.

Weltweiter Standard wird je nach Land auf anderen Frequenzen funken

LTE wird je nach Kontinent in verschiedenen Frequenzen funken: In Japan mit 2,1 GHz, in den USA mit 700 MHz und in Europa mit 2,6 GHz. Für dieses Frequenzband kommt es noch in diesem Jahr in vielen europäischen Ländern - auch in Deutschland - zu Auktionen. "Wir rechnen damit nach der Bundestagswahl", so Ericsson-Experte Noren. Noch lieber jedoch würden die Anbieter im MHz-Bereich funken. Die Versorgung in Häusern, große Zellenradien und weniger Antennen wären nur einige der damit verbundenen Vorteile.

"Mit LTE werden die Karten im Mobilfunkmarkt neu gemischt", meinte Alcatel-Lucent-Stratege Berkley. Der französisch-amerikanische Konzern, der bislang weltweit nur wenige Mobilfunknetze aufgebaut hat, wittert Morgenluft.

Schließlich sei LTE mehr als nur ein Netz aus Mobilfunkantennen und Basisstationen, so Berkley. "Hinter LTE verbirgt sich die komplette Umstellung der Netze auf IP-Technik." Was im Festnetz längst Standard ist - der vollständige Transport von Informationen über Datenpakete - hält dann auch im Mobilfunk Einzug. Alcatel-Lucent, nach eigenen Angaben die Nr. 1 in Sachen IP (Internet Protocol), hofft daher auf ein ordentliches Stück vom Kuchen.

Des einen Freud, könnte des anderen Leid werden. Längst gilt Long Term Evolution mit seinen dicken Datenraten als potenzieller Ersatz für das Festnetz. "LTE ist ein guter DSL-Ersatz", sagte Ericsson-Experte Noren. Eine Debatte, die mit der diesjährigen Mobile World noch längst nicht beendet sein dürfte.

by Regine Bönsch and Nikola Wohllaib, VDI Nachrichten

VDI Nachrichten

This in-depth session on “Technology Evolution”, developed jointly with NGMN, examined LTE in detail, moving through the process of developing the new technology from identifying requirements, to deployment. It included deployment options and scenarios, testing and trials, device development, roaming, Quality of Service and the emerging challenge of backhaul.

Programme Brochure

Dabei geht es größtenteils noch gar nicht um sogenannte Netzwerke der nächsten Generation (4G) und den UMTS-Nachfolger Long Term Evolution: Auch die bestehenden UMTS-Netze sollen in Zukunft bei der Übertragungs-Geschwindigkeit mit guten DSL-Anschlüssen mithalten können.

So kündigten die deutschen Netzbetreiber T-Mobile und O2 erste Testversuche mit der UMTS-Erweiterung HSPA + an. Mit dem Standard werden Download-Raten von bis zu 28 Megabit pro Sekunde versprochen. O2-Kunden in München sollen davon testweise bereits in der zweiten Jahreshälfte profitierern können.

Vodafone hat ähnliche Pläne in Spanien. Acht Jahre nach der Versteigerung der UMTS-Lizenzen sei das mobile Internet in Deutschland endlich Realität, sagte Jaime Smith Basterra, Deutschland-Chef von O2 Telefónica auf dem Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Treibende Kräfte für die Entwicklung seien innovative Endgeräte, preiswertere Datentarife sowie auf mobile Nutzung spezialisierte Anwendungen. Und genau für diese erwartete Flut von Musik- und Video-Downloads, Instant Messaging und E-Mails sollen die Netze gewappnet werden.

Auf die als UMTS-Nachfolgestandard gehandelte Technologie Long Term Evolution (LTE), die mit erwarteten Übertragungsraten von mehr als 100 Megabit pro Sekunde selbst Glasfaserleitungen schlagen soll, werden die Mobilfunk-Kunden zumindest in Deutschland aber wohl noch etwas warten müssen.

Die Betreiber machen dafür teilweise den Streit um die Mobilfunk-Frequenzen verantwortlich. Solange nicht klar ist, ob an die Mobilfunkanbieter die sogenannte «Digitale Dividende» geht, wie durch den Übergang zu digitalen TV-Übertragungen freigewordene Rundfunkfrequenzen genannt werden, wollen sie sich erst einmal auch nicht weiter engagieren.

Auch in Deutschland wird LTE zwar schon getestet - in anderen Regionen sind die Unternehmen allerdings schon weiter: Mit Verizon Wireless baut der größte Mobilfunkbetreiber in den USA ab 2010 ein LTE-Netz auf. In Europa sollen Kunden von TeliaSonera in der schwedischen Hauptstadt Stockholm ebenfalls ab Mitte kommenden Jahres in den Genuss der superschnellen Mobil-Netze kommen.

Für manche Marktbeobachter ist damit der Wettlauf zwischen LTE und dem konkurrierenden mobilen Format WiMAX bereits entschieden. «WiMAX ist nicht so bedeutend geworden, wie es in der Vergangenheit erwartet worden ist», sagt etwa Christoph Caselitz, Vertriebs- und Marketingchef von Nokia Siemens Networks. «LTE ist die wichtigste Technologie für die Zukunft.»

Und auch Philippe Kreyer, Technikchef von Alcatel-Lucent, sagt: «Unsere wichtigsten mobilen Kunden, haben sich für diesen einen Ansatz entschieden.» So treibe zum Beispiel der chinesische Marktführer China Mobile die Entwicklung voran, der in China allein 460 Millionen bedient. Ob sich die Betreiber immer sofort für die Standards der nächsten Generation entscheiden, sei allerdings noch nicht geklärt, räumt Kreyer ein. Beide Unternehmen gehören zur NGMN-Allianz (Netz Generation Mobile Networks), die den Aufbau von LTE als einheitlichen Standard propagiert.

Für Gartner-Analyst Sylvain Fabre ist LTE aber immer noch Zukunftsmusik. «Ich glaube, das LTE sehr langsam kommen wird.» Von der Nachfrageseite gebe es keinen Druck, denn mit UMTS gebe es ja bereits anständige Übertragungsraten. «Für den einfachen Nutzer macht es erstmal keinen Unterschied, ob er Übertragungsraten von 30 oder 100 Megabit pro Sekunde bekommt.» Und das wissen auch Netzbetreiber und Ausrüster: «Sie kaufen sich mit der Ausstattung der alten Netze erstmal etwas Zeit.»

Einig sind sich die Experten aber zumindest in einem: In Zukunft wird es mehr Breitbandverbindungen im Mobilfunk als im Festnetz geben.

by Annika Graf, dpa-AFX

dpa-AFX

As part of the MWC main conference program, GSMA and NGMN announced a specific stream on Thursday, February 19th with top speakers from Partners of the NGMN Alliance as well as other major companies of the mobile industry. This in-depth session on “Technology Evolution”, developed jointly with NGMN, will examine LTE in detail, moving through the process of developing the new technology from identifying requirements, to deployment. It will include deployment options and scenarios, testing and trials, device development, roaming, Quality of Service and the emerging challenge of backhaul.At the NGMN Hospitality Suite, the NGMN Office representatives welcome company representatives interested in the NGMN Alliance. To arrange meetings, please contact the NGMN Office at office(at)ngmn.org. The NGMN Hospitality Suite 137 is located on Gallery Level (Entrance via Hall 2, Level1. for directions click here

Programme Brochure

For the past three months, visitors to T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bonn have been able to experience what impact NGMN could have on real life communications. T-Mobile is bringing this experience to Barcelona, allowing visitors to their booth to interact with users in Germany over a mobile video connection and through popular applications like multiplayer gaming and social networking. This is how future subscribers will use the Next Generation Mobile Network to stay connected to colleagues, family and friends while on the go.

The demonstration comprises a high quality link between the stand in Barcelona and a LTE-equipped van in Bonn, Germany. As the van travels along the test route, visitors will be able to experience LTE via high definition video conferencing between the van and the stand. They will be able to play online games with people in the van and see lightning-fast file downloads speeds. There will be a second screen which will demonstrate mobile IPTV. In addition, a remote camera will provide a video feed of what is happening in the van in Germany.

Previous trials within the NGMN alliance successfully demonstrated download rates of up to 170 Mbit/s and upload rates of up to 50 Mbit/s in optimal conditions. With a view to demonstrating a customer experience which is second-to-none, T-Mobile tested the exciting applications showed on the van under live conditions. This resulted in the successful transmission of data to and from a vehicle driving at speeds of up to 65 km/h late last year. On the test route data transmission went smoothly without interruption or loss of quality even across different cells – one of the most important prerequisites for qualification as a mobile communications network of the future. The network used in this test was established by Nortel and consisted of a multi-cell end-to-end Nortel network. LG Electronics terminals were used in the vehicle.

“We’re very pleased to see the continued success of our tests with Next Generation Mobile Networks,” said Emin Gürdenli, EVP Radio Networks T-Mobile International and Technology Director, T-Mobile UK. “To ensure T-Mobile’s ongoing leadership in mobile network technology and meet the growing de-mand from our customers for mobile data, it is vital that we prepare for the future. These tests of real-life applications are an important step in managing the eventual transition to a NGMN.”

Press Release "T-Mobile extends leadership in Next Generation Mobile Networks with world-first demonstrations at Mobile World Congress"

T-Mobile

In the setup at the Rohde & Schwarz booth (hall 1, booth D59), an R&S AMU200A baseband signal generator will generate a base station's LTE TDD MIMO signal received by the user equipment (UE) implementation jointly developed by ASTRI and Innofidei. The signal contains an encoded video stream that is decoded by the UE. The R&S AMU200A is already equipped with two signal sources and one internal two-channel fading simulator. In the demonstration, it will include the option for LTE MIMO fading. This will enable the instrument to add 2x2 MIMO realtime fading in order to assess the effects on the receiver. The unique concept of the R&S AMU200A offers in one box all functions that are required to perform measurements on 2x2 MIMO receivers.

The 3GPP Release 8 specifications include both an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) mode and an LTE time division duplex (TDD) mode. Both are essential for the commercial deployment of LTE. Although the two modes have been technically harmonized, solid test solutions are needed.

In addition to the setup in the demonstration, ASTRI also uses test solutions from Rohde & Schwarz to verify a femto base station implementation for LTE TDD. This involves using two R&S FSQ signal analyzers that assess the RF characteristics of the base station's MIMO signal.

The LTE TDD test solutions for signal generation (options R&S AMU-K55 and R&S SMx-K55) and signal analysis (options R&S FSQ-K104 and R&S FSQ-K105) are available from Rohde & Schwarz.

Press contacts:

Europe (headquarters): Monika Roth, Phone: +49 89 4129 12232, Fax: +49 89 4129 13208, E-mail: press(at)rohde-schwarz.com

North America: Chris Petrole, Phone: +1 410 910 7836, E-mail: chris.petrole(at)rsa.rohde-schwarz.com

Press Release "Rohde & Schwarz and ASTRI to demonstrate advanced test solutions for LTE TDD"

Rohde & Schwarz

The LTE demonstration will utilize Samsung’s eNode-B system and Starent’s multimedia core solutions including Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (SGW) and Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW).

The interoperability testing and public demonstration showcases the two companies’ commitment to creating a solution that is standards compliant and can address mobile operator requirements for broadband connectivity along with network deployment flexibility. The demonstration further validates Samsung and Starent Networks’ leadership positions in delivering next generation mobile broadband and multimedia core networking solutions to an ever evolving market.

“Because Starent focuses on mobile broadband and the multimedia core network, they were the perfect choice to showcase the interoperability requirements of a multi-vendor LTE EPC solution,” said Woon Sub Kim, Executive Vice President of Samsung. “We believe this interoperability test is the first with the radio access from one company, Samsung, and the packet core from another, Starent. While other live network demonstrations have showcased end-to-end vendors demonstrating their radio and EPC, the completion of interoperability testing between Samsung and Starent validates the open standards compliance of both companies and demonstrates that we are ready and able to work with other companies’ solutions.”

“With the completion of interoperability testing with Samsung, Starent is poised to be first to market with a fully deployable evolved packet core network based on open standards,” said Ashraf Dahod, CEO of Starent Networks. “We are focused on the specific needs of the mobile operator multimedia core network and understand the unique dynamics of the network.  As a result, we have developed our solutions to deliver superior performance in the existing 3G network, with easy and cost-effective evolution to 4G-LTE.”

Samsung

Starent Networks

www.ngmn.org

A major objective of the NGMN Alliance is to ensure that next generation devices are available when the network is commercially available in 2010. The industry requires complete synchronicity of next generation devices, networks and services for a successful launch.

The NGMN’s ITDD project is an initiative which determined the requirements for user equipment for delivery in 2010. It defined devices which are enabled to serve common requirements while at the same time providing enough customisation to be regionally useful.

This document has initiated a sequence of “Executive Workshops on Devices” where all NGMN partners are committed to participate. NGMN continues to put a major focus in its workplan on the critical success factors in the device area including early device availability and capabilities, certification, test cases and IPR matters.

“NGMN’s main objective is to provide the mobile industry with support and recommendations that will enable device manufacturers, service providers and network operators to offer a complete synchronised offering in 2010. The ITDD document released today is the result of many months of intense work by the NGMN partners. They have specifically taken into account the mobile industry requirements for devices in the launch phase”, said Peter Meissner, Operating Officer, NGMN Alliance.

Download "NGMN Initial Terminal Device Definition"

NGMN Press Contact

NGMN Press Release "NGMN Releases Requirements for Initial Terminal Device Definition"

The cooperation agreement between NGMN and 3G Americas will focus on areas related to next generation mobile broadband, including information exchange, project-based cooperation and work on public relations, marketing and advocacy opportunities.

First joint activities will be around the NGMN Alliance’s session “Tools for Success – Enablers and key success factors for deployment of next generation mobile networks” at the Broadband World Forum at CTIA Wireless 2009. On April 2, leading industry executives will be discussing technical options, implications and success factors related to the transition towards next generation networks with representatives of NGMN, 3G Americas and others during this featured session.

NGMN is an organization founded to evaluate candidate technologies to develop a common view of suitable solutions for the next evolution of wireless networks. In June 2008, LTE was confirmed by the NGMN as the first technology which meets its recommendations. Now, as both NGMN and 3G Americas support 3GPP LTE/SAE, the working agreement between the two bodies will enable development and deployment of commercial mobile broadband based on this standard.

“Our agreement with 3G Americas will allow us to work cohesively in the successful implementation of next generation mobile technology throughout the Americas region,” stated Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. “There is already strong operator support by leading GSM and CDMA operators in adopting LTE for future evolutions. 3G Americas has proven itself successful in paving a smooth path for mobile operators adopting new 3GPP technologies and we are pleased to be able to work together to ensure future market success.”

The Americas region currently has 45 commercial HSPA networks in 22 countries and the natural 3GPP evolution will lead these operators to deploy LTE.  In addition, leading CDMA operators from around the globe have announced their next generation technology evolution to LTE. Worldwide, there are more than 100 operators who have announced plans to trial or deploy LTE for next generation mobile broadband. The vast majority of leading operators, device and infrastructure manufacturers support LTE as the mobile broadband technology of the future.

Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas, commented, "Collaborating with NGMN Alliance on areas of common interest to both our organizations benefits the wireless industry and customers in the Americas region.  Our joint focus is not only on wireless technology evolution, but will also include spectrum policies, regulation and establishing a complete mobile broadband ecosystem to support the social and economic development in this region.  We are honoured to be associated with this important global wireless organization.”

NGMN Press Contact

Press Release "3G Americas and NGMN Alliance Initiate Cooperation on Next Generation Mobile Networks"

3G Americas

The NGMN Alliance has had a successful year with some key deliverables and key milestones being reached. With the documentations on Self Organising Networks, Backhaul and ITDD (Initial Terminal Device Definition) now available from www.ngmn.org the Alliance has turned its attention to focus on operational efficiency, device availability and trials in the area of emerging next generation networks.

Next generation mobile networks are gaining momentum and operators are already moving their business propositions towards them. During the seminar, high level industry speakers will be discussing all aspects of next generation networks and how these will offer a connectivity boost for a new generation of consumer devices specifically tailored to suit next generation mobile services and applications.

Starting at 09.00 am, Thursday 19th February at the Fira de Barcelona, and spread over the full day, the conference stream will cover key areas of next generation mobile networks.

In the morning session “Drivers & success factors for the deployment of next generation mobile networks” keynotes and panels will focus on:

• Deployment strategies
• Interoperability & roaming
• Trials & testing

Followed in the afternoon session “Key technical and business aspects of network evolution” which zooms in on specific technology and business challenges such as:

• Network operations & rollout realities
• Terminals – development and timescales
• Backhaul solutions

Keynote speakers in the morning will be:

• Vivek Badrinath
  EVP IT Networks & Product Support, FT/Orange and Chairman of the NGMN Board
• Marc Rouanne
  Head of Radio Networks, Nokia Siemens Networks
• Donglin Shen
  VP Wireless Technology, ZTE Corporation

Representatives from 3GPP, Alcatel-Lucent, China Mobile, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, LG, LSTI, mimoOn, NEC, Nortel, NTT DOCOMO, Qualcomm, Rohde & Schwarz, T-Mobile, Telefonica, Telia Sonera, Tellabs, Telus, Vodafone and ZTE Corporation will also address key topics in their speeches.   “Early 2010 will see the first next generation network deployments, devices and services and in recognition of this we have joined with the GSMA to develop an in-depth, day long seminar,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance.  “We are delighted to have some of the leading technology executives from the largest corporations across the globe speaking at the seminar.  We hope that those involved and attending enjoy the speaker sessions and that the panel on deployment strategies and backhaul challenges will spark further discussion points across the industry.”

NGMN Press Contact

NGMN Press Release "NGMN and GSMA talk ‘Technology Evolution – Beyond 3G’"

This latest expansion of Motorola’s LTE trial facilities offers operators the ability to engage in LTE technology field trials and detailed real-world equipment testing at the UK site.  Additionally, Motorola can host the core elements of the LTE network for operators that require a hosted LTE trial in EMEA.  The network and trial activity is fully supported by Motorola services, giving operators access to Motorola’s expertise in deploying and optimizing OFDM-based mobile broadband networks as well as developing 4G migration strategies.

“Motorola is at the forefront of 4G development which will address the mobility demands of today's consumers who are looking for personalized media experiences and operators looking to lower their cost per bit and gain a competitive advantage," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA & Asia Pacific.  “With our latest trial network we look forward to working closely with our customers in EMEA as they transition to LTE during 2009 and beyond.”

Visitors to Mobile World Congress 2009 can experience Motorola’s LTE live in a mobile environment.  For more information and to book a live LTE tour please visit http://www.motorola.com/events/mwc2009

Within its LTE lab in Swindon, UK, Motorola engineers work on LTE radio frequency and self organising network (SON) development. In addition, the site in Swindon remains a center of excellence for Motorola base station transceiver (BTS) development for GSM and now LTE.  Development of Motorola’s LTE solutions is also conducted in Arlington Heights, Illinois; Fort Worth, Texas; Beijing, China and Bangalore, India.

Motorola’s first commercial release of LTE solutions later this year will include products for the 700MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands to help operators increase coverage and capacity of their networks as they strive to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband services. Motorola is engaged with operators in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region for LTE field trial activity. 

LTE brings true mobile broadband, giving users a personalized, affordable media experience at home and while on the go. LTE is based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), a next-generation radio frequency technology that has high spectral efficiency, and utilizes an all-IP flat architecture, resulting in a much increased capacity and a lower cost per bit that enables the delivery of mobile broadband services to the mass market. For more details about Motorola’s LTE solutions please visit http://www.motorola.com/lte and http://www.motorola.com/experiencelte

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.

Press Release "Motorola Launches Long Term Evolution (LTE) Trial Network in the UK"

Motorola

In order to provide overall guidance on solutions supporting SONs for the future, the new NGMN document provides several use cases and identifies requirements of operators aiming to implement SONs. The NGMN document builds upon the previously released recommendation “Use Cases Related to Self-Organising Networks”.

SONs offer key operational and financial benefits for operators thinking of investing in next generation networks.  Future networks must be dynamic and have the ability to adapt to user requirements. Self optimising networks are capable of reconfiguring themselves for maximum operational efficiency which in turn significantly reduces the total cost of ownership of a network.

NGMN’s document focuses on the key parts of the “Technical Working Group SON” requirements including:

• SON enablers
• Self-configuration
• Self-optimisation
• Fault Management & Fault Correction
• O&M Related SON

“Self-optimising networks are a key part in the future proofing of network reliability and operational efficiency,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. “We’ve worked with our partners to create the recently released SON document and are happy to discuss the contents of the document further with vendors, operators and interested parties.“

The objective of the NGMN Alliance is to reach out for a new experience in mobile broadband communications and to ensure a virtuous cycle of investment, innovation and adoption of mobile broadband services with attractive cost-performance ratios. NGMN is established as a global voice for common requirements for next generation of mobile networks.

NGMN Press Contact

NGMN Press Release "NGMN Releases Requirements on Self-Optimising Networks"

4G will offer customers a whole new mobility experience using mobile broadband services. It will be a joy connecting to services demanding large data volumes or fast data traffic. 4G will be suitable for media and interactive services for which timing on the second is essential.

“We have chosen Ericsson to deliver the initial 4G city network in Stockholm and Huawei for the initial 4G city network in Oslo. Now, TeliaSonera continues the evaluation of suppliers to deliver 4G networks in the Nordic and Baltic countries, says Lars Klasson, Senior Vice President and CTO, Mobility Services, TeliaSonera.”

Facts: The 4G/LTE system is based on 3GPP standards for Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology and System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core technology.

Press Release "TeliaSonera signs world’s first 4G commercial contracts"

TeliaSonera

The Modem Chip is the most crucial component required to create a viable 4G handset with LTE technology, the leading candidate to become the fourth generation mobile phone technology standard.  LG demonstrated the chip today at its Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab in Anyang, Korea, achieving wireless download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones currently on the market use HSDPA technology and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps.

Higher download speeds are becoming more and more important as people are increasingly using their mobile phones to watch movies, listen to music and browse the internet. With LTE technology, users can download a 700 MB movie file in less than one minute at speeds of 100 Mbps. LTE technology would also allow consumers to simultaneously stream four HD movies without any buffering.

For the past three years, LG have been pursuing 3GPP LTE standardization, working to develop and test commercially viable LTE technology with approximately 250 of R&D staffs. The result is a 13 by 13 mm modem chip, perfectly sized for the next generation of slim-yet-powerful handsets. For its demonstration today, LG used a test terminal running Windows Mobile to play back high quality, on-demand video. In addition to this handset modem, LG is also developing the first preliminary LTE-based data card, which can replace the wireless cards currently used in computers.

“Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon,” said Dr. Woo Hyun Paik, CTO of LG Electronics. “This latest breakthrough gives us a strong technology advantage that we will use to bolster our industry leadership.”

Most of the major mobile operators are pursuing LTE-based 4G technology. Because it is based on the existing WCDMA technology evolutionary path, 85 percent of WCDMA service-provided carriers will be able to upgrade their networks to LTE with far less cost than building a new network based on a different technology.

According to market research company Strategy Analytics, the global LTE handset market will double from 70 million sales units in 2012 to 150 million sales units by 2013.

Dr. Paik added, "Our successful development of this LTE handset modem signals the start of the 4G mobile communications market. LG will continue to advance this technology and develop further technologies to maintain global leadership.”

Mobile phone carriers have now built LTE test networks and are currently working on early stage handsets. The first LTE mobile phones will likely reach the market in 2010.

LG Electronics

Ericsson said this week it expects 80% of global Internet subscribers will connect via mobile broadband instead of fixed by 2013.

by Nick Wood

Total Telecom

Building and Monetizing the open mobile economy -
As internet and wireless worlds collide, Open Mobile is the deal space for the new mobile economy. This outstanding industry event examines the impact of the current trend to open the mobile value chain - on operators, software, handset, Internet, application and mobile web companies. And seeks to define where the value is going to be in wireless.

NGMN Alliance will be represented by Hossein Moiin, Group Vice President Technical Strategy, T-Mobile International and Chair of the NGMN Ecosystem Working Group.

NGMN Partners obtain an additional discount of $100 off the ticket price if they quote NGMN when they register at www.openmobilesummit.com

Download of the conference agenda www.openmobilesummit.com/agenda.aspx

The operator is preparing the new LTE network now, even before its 3G network, based on the home-grown Chinese standard TD-SCDMA, has been commercially launched. (See China Mobile Flexes LTE Muscle, China Mobile to Unleash 3G Next Year.)

China Mobile says it is building out the 3G TD-SCDMA network so that the cell sites and many other elements can be reused for the LTE network. (See Emerging Markets Offer Capex Hope.)

"In our new TD-SCDMA network, we put all the measurement and configuration in place to have a simple migration to LTE," says Bill Huang, general manager at China Mobile Research Institute. "More than 60 percent of the investment will be able to migrate to LTE in the future. That makes us the most ready operator for LTE."

China Mobile's aggressive timescale for LTE begs a burning question: To what extent will the operator actually deploy 3G TD-SCDMA given that LTE follows hot on its heels?

The world's largest operator by subscribers has one of the most aggressive deployment plans for LTE, with a commercial launch targeted for 2010. It joins the ranks of NTT DoCoMo Inc. (NYSE: DCM - message board), T-Mobile International AG , and Verizon Wireless in the push for 4G.

China Mobile's Huang says a proof-of-concept trial will start by the end of this year, while lab and field trials are scheduled for early next year. The operator hopes to enter the "pre-commercial stage" by the end of 2009, and then launch a large-scale pre-commercial trial, according to Huang.

China Mobile refers to its TD-SCDMA network as a "large-scale trial" that comprises 15,000 base stations.

For 4G, China Mobile will use TD-LTE -- a time division duplex (TDD) version of LTE -- that will be compatible with TD-SCDMA and the rest of the world's LTE, which is based on frequency division duplex (FDD). The TD-LTE specifications are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year along with the primary LTE/system architecture evolution (LTE/SAE) specifications at the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) . (See LTE Focus Puts Pressure on Femtocells and LTE Specs on Track.)

"TDD/FDD integration brings the opportunity for a unified radio infrastructure," says Huang. "Global roaming will be effectively enabled with a single access platform."

China Mobile is part of a joint trial initiative with Verizon Wireless and Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD - message board), but Huang was unable to provide an update. (See China Mobile Joins LTE Threesome, Verizon, Vodafone Head for LTE, and Verizon Goes LTE.)

"Before coming here, I asked Vodafone if I could provide more information [about the trial] and they told me I should just say, we're doing it," he says.

Huang also noted the importance of supporting voice over LTE and said that one technology option for that could be Kineto Wireless Inc. 's unlicensed mobile access (UMA).

"We could carry voice over UMA," he says. "We will have an LTE network that supports voice -- it doesn't matter what protocol we'll use. We'll use voice as the application."

by Michelle Donegan, European Editor

Unstrung

China Mobile

Download des Programms

According to Chief Technology Officer Joachim Horn, the company will deploy HSPA as long as no hardware upgrades or replacements are necessary, and will look to improve network efficiency using software techniques. This effectively means T-Mobile can boost its current 7.2Mbps HSDPA network up to 14.4 Mbps on the downlink--and not to the next step of 28.8Mbps (and higher) that is enabled by HSPA+. The major drawbacks, according to Horn, are the necessary base station upgrades and the need for MIMO antennae.

Those looking for conspiracy theories might accuse T-Mobile of attempting to force equipment vendors to place greater emphasis on the development of LTE as against further refining HSPA+. Given that China Mobile, DoCoMo and Verizon Wireless have each made aggressive statements regarding their intent to push forward with LTE, then those interested in such plots have more to go on.

However, there is a question as to whether these operators, including T-Mobile, can wait for LTE--especially given the marketing hype around mobile broadband offers.

Horn is acutely aware of this issue and doesn't believe LTE test networks will be seen until mid- to late-2010. Horn seems content to adopt a long-term strategy: "LTE is suited in the long run, [around] 2020, to be the technology that you can consolidate all technologies onto--GSM and UMTS. That's a vision for 12 years from now."

by Paul Rasmussen

Fierce Wireless

T-Mobile

This new partnership combines the knowledge of NGMN’s partners with Cambridge Broadband Network’s expertise in traffic optimisation and PMP microwave backhaul architecture, thereby furthering the group’s capabilities to work effectively towards providing better next generation mobile broadband services.

Cambridge Broadband Networks’ CEO, Graham Peel comments:

We are delighted to be joining the NGMN. We feel that adding our unique backhaul technology and experience to the NGMN Alliance will both compliment and strengthen the Alliance’s goal to ensure effective end-to-end backhaul performance throughout mobile broadband networks.

Cambridge Broadband Networks is the leading supplier of point-to-multipoint (PMP) packet microwave backhaul network solutions, designed to provide flexible backhaul to mobile broadband network operators. Cambridge Broadband Networks’ solutions enable mobile network operators to roll-out high performance mobile broadband networks quickly at less cost than many alternatives.

Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of NGMN, welcomed Cambridge Broadband Networks as an NGMN sponsor.

To ensure that next generation networks deliver a quality experience to customers, backhaul networks need to be carefully designed to respond to traffic requirements while providing cost-efficient, flexible and easy-to-operate solutions for the operators. NGMN is glad to have Cambridge Broadband Networks on board to help us to achieve our challenging objectives and to make the vision of NGMN a reality.

Press Release "Cambridge Broadband Networks to Join NGMN Alliance"

Cambridge Broadband Networks

The sessions included mobile video streaming and various high data rate applications. The demonstrations also included execution of applications priority which guarantees throughput using quality of service (QoS) aspects of the LTE standards.

“This field test shows the progress we’ve made in preparing to deliver a commercial LTE solution for testing and early limited deployments in 2009,” said Darren McQueen, vice president, Wireless Broadband Access Technologies, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. “We are testing our 700MHz and 2.6GHz products, which are expected for first commercial release next year, in real-world environments to ensure our products will meet the needs of mobile carriers who want to be first to market with LTE.”

The lower frequency bands provide better coverage and in-building penetration, which is a requirement for many mobile operators. In North America, the 700MHz spectrum auctioned earlier this year is part of the worldwide “digital dividend” - spectrum in the 470–862MHz bands that has been freed by the switch from analog to digital TV. The digital dividend is viewed by mobile operators in the U.S., Europe, and much of the rest of the world as a valuable resource as existing and new mobile broadband networks quickly consume current spectrum allocations and operators are pushed towards providing connections to rural areas.

In Europe digital dividend spectrum encompasses the current TV broadcast 790–862MHz bands. It is expected to be auctioned between 2009–2012, coinciding with mobile operators’ plans to deploy LTE.

Motorola’s flexible LTE eNode-B architecture can be tailored to meet each customer’s specific requirements by using frame based-mounted radios and remote radio heads. This design allows many spectrum bands to be supported in the early stage of LTE and accommodates a wide variety of LTE deployment scenarios across newly available spectrum as well as existing GSM, UMTS and CDMA bands. The 700MHz radio head for example, can be modified to operate in 790-862MHz to provide operators a solution to deploy LTE in the “digital dividend” spectrum as soon as it becomes available in the various regions.

LTE promises to deliver an unrivalled user experience with ultra fast broadband and very low latency with lowest cost per bit for data services. With LTE’s ability to deliver a highly compelling user experience and to interconnect with other access technologies, operators will be able to integrate their LTE and fixed line broadband networks. LTE creates the opportunity to deliver subscribers truly seamless broadband communications that accelerates the delivery of personal media experiences and brings exciting new applications like video streaming to enable media mobility.

For more details about Motorola’s LTE solutions please visit: www.motorola.com/lte and www.motorola.com/experiencelte

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit www.motorola.com.

Press Release Motorola Demonstrates Industry First Over-the-Air LTE Session in 700 MHz Spectrum

During the NGMN live test, data was transmitted to and from a vehicle driving between Deutsche Telekom’s headquarters on the left side of the River Rhine and the T-Mobile headquarters on the river’s right bank. On the four km test route the vehicle, which was driven at speeds up to 100kph (60mph), demonstrated download speeds in excess of 130Kbps (max 170 Mbps) and upload speeds up to 44 Mbps (max 50 Mbps).

The trial system was working in the 2.1 GHz band using multiple radio cell sites providing true mobility (including handover) and at varying vehicle speeds we experienced LTE enabled services across the Nortel solution.

In his introduction to the event, T-Mobile CTO International, Joachim Horn said that mobile broadband had become a reality with data revenues multiplying by 1.5 times between Q206 and Q208 whilst mobile data traffic from 06/08 to 06/08 and showed a growth factor of 13.

“This growth will continue”, said Horn. “Working on Moore’s Law, the performance of digital circuits doubles every two years – but the price stays the same.”

We don’t like it slow

Horn went on to say that with the evolution of the networks, LTE would have an enormous impact and now with HSPA in place, “You can never go back. When customers get used to better performance, that’s what they expect forever. The more speed we provide, the more they want and that’s what will fuel our networks in the near future.”

Judging by the experience of the field test when broadcast TV, live video calls and HD viewing was all running in parallel, as well as making a voice call, LTE shows immense commercial promise that wireless operators can exploit to offer the rich content services of the type demanded by bandwidth hungry consumers.

2010: the year of LTE

Horn continued by saying that there would be several success pointers for LTE:

Device usability: early GSM devices were not for purpose If we look at what IPod and iPhone did for consumers’ perception then HSPDA will do he same for mobile consumers.

Optimized Web Experience: Applications and Internet access are not new to consumers, but through LTE they will have better experiences in their browser, screen and speed. They won’t have to learn new ways, just appreciate better ways of what they know.

Worry free roaming: as prices become unified, data roaming will increase through the vastly improved capability of LTE.

Network Innovation: The network will no longer be viewed as a commodity. Technology will prove to be the engine of innovation. Today, we are not forgetting about 3G at all as we have to re-use and maximise the resources to go forward and I think that LTE is the most likely technology to be adopted for 4G. No decision has been made yet it is gradually proving to be good and shows a great potential. Network latency is greatly diminished.

“LTE is clearly here – it’s on the street and ready for lots of applications and it’s not too ambitious to say it will hit the road on 2010,” said Horn. “170 Mbps is well within our reach now.”

by Kendrick Struthers-Watson, Global Editor Telecommunications

Telecom Magazine

T-Mobile

• Vivek Badrinath
  Executive Vice President for IT, Networks & Product Support, France Telecom SA
  
• Dr. Jae W. Byun
  CTO, Head of Institute of Network Technology, MNO Business, SK Telecom Co. Ltd. 
  
• Joachim Horn
  Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile International AG
  
• Mitsunobu Komori
  Executive Vice President, Chief Technical Officer, Member of Board of Directors, and Managing Director of R&D Center, NTT DOCOMO, INC.
  
• Cayetano Lluch Mesquida
  Director of Technology and Services Development, Telefonica Móviles España S.A.
  
• Steve Pusey
  Global Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Group Plc.
  
• Kris Rinne
  Senior Vice President – Architecture & Planning, AT&T, Inc.
  
• Sha Yuejia
  Vice President for Business Support, Technology and R&D, China Mobile Communications Corp.

Outgoing Chairman Hamid Akhavan (CEO, T-Mobile International AG) congratulated the newly appointed Board Directors: “The NGMN Alliance has been established as a key player in the mobile industry in just two years with major achievements in the areas of next generation technology, spectrum, IPR and many others. I’m convinced that the Alliance will continue its track record in the coming years.”

At its first meeting, the new Board elected Vivek Badrinath as Chairman and agreed to work on ensuring the successful launch of next generation mobile network technology by focusing on trials and testing, device availability, services and applications.

The new Chairman, Vivek Badrinath, expressed his appreciation for the Initial Board’s groundbreaking success and thanked Hamid Akhavan for his excellent leadership: “I am honored to follow Hamid Akhavan's guidance and intend with all our colleagues, to put continued focus on the key needs for an evolutionary, cost-effective migration path from the existing networks to the next generation networks in order to deliver on our promise of mobile broadband to our customers.”

NGMN Press Contact

"4G Executive Summit provided business and communications executives a forum where they gained insight into the current trends and projected capabilities of next generation mobile broadband systems, networks, advanced technologies, services and applications", explained Eliot Weinman, conference founder, co-chair, and president of Trendsmedia.  "The Summit provided attendees with a clear roadmap for success as they begin to build their business models for the future."

The 4G Executive Summit focused on assessments of key technologies and new business models that enable service providers to profitably deliver the intrinsic value of mobile Internet access to businesses and consumers.  Additional expert-led breakout sessions offered attendees opportunities to examine technology infrastructure, device and applications strategies as well as exploring regulatory and spectrum policy challenges.Some of the industry experts sharing their insights with attendees included:

• Dr. Peter Meissner, NGMN Alliance
• Dr. Mo Shakouri, Alvarion Chris Pearson, 3G Americas
• Charlie Martin, Huawei Technologies
• Herns Pierre-Jerome, Qualcomm
• Hank Kafka, AT&T
• Eric Dentler, Cisco Systems
• Mark Pecen, Research In Motion
• Fred Campbell, WCA

Summarizing the event's success Weinman offered that "with over 800 attendees the importance of 4G in the future of mobile broadband to major carriers, start-up content providers, solutions vendors, broadcasters and investors has been well demonstrated."

About Trendsmedia

Trendsmedia is the events and publishing division of Yankee Group Research, Inc. Our mission is to help our clients stay ahead of the major technology trends that are likely to impact their businesses significantly. Trendsmedia provides their clients with independently researched media products that target emerging technology markets in depth, including focused conferences, independently produced online media, and in-depth newsletters. For more, see www.trendsmedia.com.

This 4G Executive Summit leverages the extensive research conducted by Yankee Group and will provide a unique insight into the market potential for 4G broadband services based on 3GSM/LTE, Wi-Fi and WiMAX technologies.

Key topics of the conference are

• Personal and Mobile Broadband Services
• Enabling Disruptive 4G Mobile Technologies
• Wireless Broadband and Mobile Applications Strategies
• Mobile Content and Commerce Strategies
• Mobile TV, Quad Play, and Broadband Embedded Consumer Electronics
• New Business Models for Personal Broadband and the Mobile Internet

NGMN Partners obtain a discount of $ 300. Please contact office(at)ngmn.org to receive the priority code. Details are available at 4G Executive Summit 2008

Now, T-Mobile goes one step further by realizing the NGMN in a live test under everyday conditions. In the trial, data was transmitted to and from a vehicle driving in Bonn between Deutsche Telekom's headquarters on the left side of the river Rhine and the T-Mobile headquarters on the river’s right bank. On the four-kilometer test track data transmission went smoothly without interruptions and without loss of quality even across different cells – one of the most important prerequisites for qualification as a mobile communications network of the future. The network used in this test was established by Nortel and consisted of a multi – cell end-to-end Nortel network. LG Electronics terminals were used in the vehicle.

In a second step, applications with high demands on bandwidth and latency like HDTV, HD-Video or Online Gaming will then be tested for their usability under real-world conditions.  

“As a pioneer in the development of NGMN, T-Mobile marked the next step in testing future technology with this field trial. In line with the NGMN Alliance's recommendation we are the first network operator worldwide to take LTE as one of the possible new future technologies from the laboratory to the field. In doing so, we are consolidating our position as the leading network provider and innovation driver. At the same time, we are underlining our claim of continuing to offer our customers top quality and the fastest broadband connections for the mobile Internet with the next generation of networks,” said a delighted Joachim Horn, Chief Technology Officer of T-Mobile International AG, on the successful start to LTE testing.

“We are pleased to join efforts with T-Mobile in bringing Nortel's LTE technology to life in the Bonn test network,” said  Richard Lowe, president, Carrier Networks, Nortel. “T-Mobile is a thought leader in NGMN. This early field trial is an important step for both companies to test LTE's extensive capabilities and demonstrate innovative LTE applications. Ongoing joint testing of LTE in a real mobile operator network will expand understanding of the benefits and performance characteristics of LTE technology which will further strengthen Nortel's offering and accelerate our time to market.”

The IIR Mobile Broadband World is endorsed by the NGMN Alliance. NGMN Partners obtain a discount 10% off the conference price; please contact office(at)ngmn.org to receive the VIP code. Detailed information about the conference is available at IIR Mobile Broadband World

www.funkschau.de

Supported by NGMN with a presentation from the Operating Officer. To receive further information about the event please follow Synergie Fachtagung

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The HSPA to HSPA+ roadmap provides tremendous technical enhancements and robust capabilities for wireless operators today. Many operators will choose an evolution to extend the current HSPA roadmap through HSPA+ or HSPA Evolved, a simple upgrade to today’s HSPA networks with peak theoretical downlink speeds of 28 Mbps that will be available for commercial deployment in 2009. HSPA+ delivers a smooth transition and complement to LTE, and by 2010, further developments of the technology will offer peak theoretical speeds of 42 Mbps on the downlink and 11.5 Mbps on the uplink. In addition, HSPA+ will more than double the capacity of HSPA as well as reduce latency below 50 milliseconds. Many operators such as AT&T have already announced their network strategy to evolve from HSPA to HSPA+.

“HSPA already has the leadership position in mobile broadband,” stated Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "Now, the mobile telecommunications world is adopting LTE as the next evolutionary technology of choice.”

LTE was recently confirmed by the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance (NGMN). NGMN is the organization founded to evaluate candidate technologies to develop a common view of suitable solutions for the next evolution of wireless networks.

Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of NGMN announced that, “based on intensive and detailed technology evaluations, 3GPP LTE/SAE is the first technology which broadly meets its recommendations and is approved by its Board.” NGMN is ensuring the successful commercial launch of future mobile broadband networks through a roadmap for technology and friendly user trials.  Initial trial results for LTE exceed NGMN expectations and prove that future network technology will deliver on its promises.

In reference to the NGMN Alliance announcement, Michael Thelander, CEO and Founder of Signals Research Group, a US-based wireless research consultancy, stated that, “the implications could be significant, and if nothing else, eighteen of the world’s largest mobile operators have spoken …”

LTE is the next generation technology evolution that most leading operators worldwide are choosing. Announcements have been made on planned LTE deployments, LTE trials, LTE initiatives and LTE testing by leading global operators such as AT&T, China Telecom, China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, Telecom Italia, T-Mobile Germany, Verizon and Vodafone indicating the strong preference of LTE as the future technology.

Nearly one billion potential subscriptions are already represented within networks by operators who have made announcements regarding LTE building tremendous scope and scale for the technology. This scalability will provide an open delivery platform for consumers as well as improve OPEX and total cost of ownership for improved network performance and investments for operators. LTE standards specifications in 3GPP Release 8 were approved in January 2008, with some trials starting in 2008, putting the technology on track for initial deployments in 2010 and beyond.

For more information on HSPA+ and LTE, visit the 3G Americas website at www.3gamericas.org where white papers are available for free download.

The two industry groups announced that they will collaborate to ensure that the dialogue between all stakeholders including research in the area of future mobile and wireless communication systems will be maintained and intensified. In order to contribute to the advancement of the mobile industry, the organisations will cooperate through exchanging information and views and will promote their cooperation by regular meetings and by identifying focus areas. 

Dr. Nigel Jefferies, Chair of the WWRF said, “The NGMN is a key organisation for the future commercial deployment of next generation mobile networks. We are both pursuing the mission to enhance the mobile experience for all parties involved in mobile, from developers to the end user. We are convinced that the WWRF footprint in the research community will support this mission.”

NGMN Operating Officer, Dr. Peter Meissner commented, “The WWRF is offering an excellent platform for the mobile industries to leverage the latest research results into their business activities. By integrating the research platform from WWRF into our work in NGMN we will make sure that all our partners in NGMN have an active link into ongoing global research in the mobile area.” 

NGMN Press Contact

Under the terms of the co-operation agreement, the two organisations will work to facilitate the timely development of next-generation mobile broadband systems while avoiding duplication of work. This includes areas such as defining market requirements; assessing spectrum requirements; optimised backhaul solutions; and the development of recommendations to mobile operators, equipment developers, standardisation bodies and national administrations.

Speaking at this week’s 2^nd NGMN Industry Conference in Frankfurt, UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé emphasized the importance of partnerships between industry associations in promoting technology solutions defined by standardisation bodies.

“HSPA is already a proven market success, with more than 40 million subscribers to almost 120 HSPA networks worldwide. Going forward, our industry now needs to focus its attention on creating a fertile ecosystem to meet future mass-market demand for cost-effective next-generation systems. These advanced solutions will offer an order of magnitude increase in speed, capacity and performance over today’s networks. In the UMTS Forum we are delighted to support and endorse the objectives of the NGMN Alliance in building an environment where technological solutions can be translated into a successful commercial reality.”

Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. explained: “The partnership between the UMTS Forum and the NGMN Alliance will offer the mobile industry will certainly help to steer the future of mobile broadband and will support the rapid deployment of NGMN technologies. Fulfilling NGMN requirements will provide a step change in existing mobile broadband experience and will enable and accelerate mass market access to new products and services. Based on intensive and detailed technology evaluations, 3GPP LTE/SAE is the first technology which broadly meets its recommendations and is approved by its Board”.

NGMN Press Contact

In his keynote speech Hamid Akhavan (Chairman of the NGMN Board and CEO of T-Mobile International) quoted Informa who have predicted that the number of mobile broadband subscribers will overtake the number of fixed broadband subscribers in the early part of the next decade. “We note that mobile broadband expands the mobile ecosystem to include bandwidth hungry applications and consumer electronic devices. These will provide the industry with tremendous growth opportunities through both operator and 3rd party services,” Hamid Akhavan explained, furthermore he added that “in order to continue its growth in a viable manner, mobile broadband players need to address three key challenges; first, they must provide a superior user experience allowing for personalised, easy-to-use devices with desirable and seamless services, second, they must reduce the cost of carrying mobile traffic and ensure the optimised usage of all operator assets, and third, they must synchronise the arrival and readiness of devices, networks and services to avoid years of missed opportunities.” Based on these principles, Hamid Akhavan outlined the major imperatives of the NGMN Alliance roadmap for the next years as “to provide all required enablers, to fulfil all customer-centric requirements, and to extensively trial and test all systems, devices and services prior to commercial availability in 2010.”

In technology sessions, senior executives from operators and vendors discussed delivery plans for next generation high-performance solutions. It was clearly highlighted that fulfilling NGMN requirements will provide a step change in existing mobile broadband experience and will enable and accelerate mass market access to new products and services. Furthermore, the NGMN Alliance announced that “based on intensive and detailed technology evaluations, 3GPP LTE/SAE is the first technology which broadly meets its recommendations and is approved by its Board” as explained by Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance.

In order to ensure the successful commercial launch of mobile broadband networks, a roadmap for technology and friendly user trials was developed when the NGMN Alliance was established. The initial trial results shown at the Industry Conference exceed NGMN expectations and proved that future network technology will deliver on its promises. Several on-site live demonstrations also made the same point during the conference.

Customer expectations and demand, the future of mobile devices and potentially successful services were addressed in several speeches and panel sessions. Industry thought leaders clearly pointed out the explosive growth potential in combining the strength of the internet and mobile industries. New business models and commercial arrangements are under development by many players and these new developments will challenge the mobile industry and will lead to new requirements by the mobile operators. During panel sessions on mobile internet and mobile broadband ecosystem it was emphasised that the innovators and developers will require open platforms to deliver new services to the end-users and the operator community needs to ensure that all the right enablers are in place for their use.

Key elements required to make this ecosystem viable include sufficient spectrum availability and a transparent IPR scheme. Major NGMN milestones in the area of spectrum allocation have already been achieved but a number of spectrum issues (e.g. the timely availability of sufficient UHF spectrum) still have to be resolved. Coordinated efforts of the mobile industry are essential to drive the spectrum allocation process and also the process to finalise the new IPR regime. Speakers expressed that IPR transparency is of greatest importance because next generation mobile communication is fundamentally different to 2G/3G, for example as cost and performance are driven by competitive forces outside the mobile industry. A breakthrough in the telecommunication industry has already been reached as a number of NGMN partners owning key patents have recently published their expected royalty rates for the first time.

While highlighting achievements and discussing challenges during the NGMN Industry Conference, consensus was reached on the strategic focus of the NGMN Alliance for the next two years. Key activities of the NGMN Alliance will include securing availability of devices and services as well as developing consistent requirements for trials to be performed prior to the successful launch of mobile broadband networks in 2010.

NGMN Press Contact

The two bodies will work together to ensure that next generation mobile networks can incorporate femtocells from the very beginning of their deployment rather than integrating the technology afterwards. This is expected to enable mobile operators to use femtocells to manage the cost of rollouts, plan spectrum use and ensure optimum coverage and capacity precisely where it is needed.  The two bodies will be involved in establishing clear performance targets, fundamental recommendations and deployment scenarios for next generation mobile broadband networks incorporating femtocells and to help ensure that cost/performance ratios are optimised.   “Adding femtocells to existing cellular networks provides operators with numerous benefits, but rolling out a completely new mobile technology designed to include femtocells introduces fundamental and powerful advantages,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. “The partnership between the Femto Forum and the NGMN Alliance will offer operators a completely different approach to network rollout than exists today.”   “Femtocells can transform how next generation mobile networks can be deployed. For example, femtocells could be employed using higher frequencies to deliver targeted intense high bandwidth requirements inside buildings - exactly where subscribers need it. This is expected to enable operators to use the scarce lower frequency spectrum to provide good quality coverage across entire markets with the minimum number of macro network cells” said Prof. Simon Saunders, Chairman of the Femto Forum “The range of possibilities opened up by femtocells is extensive and this agreement will help ensure that the most can be made of the opportunity.”   The NGMN Alliance recommendations include a clear requirement for a cost-optimised indoor node design. It also includes requirements for self-organising networks with automated self-optimising and self-configuring functionality.  Femtocells are the first example of a self-organising network and therefore meet both these requirements. The two bodies will work together to define technology requirements, and make recommendations which will then be converted into solutions to be developed within the Femto Forum and promoted jointly.

NGMN Press Contact

In his keynote speech, Hamid Akhavan, Chairman of the NGMN Board, announced the decision of LTE/SAE as the first technology broadly meeting the requirements of the NGMN White Paper 3.0 (details see section “News from the Board”).

Apart from this announcement of the first candidate technology compliant with NGMN White Paper, the NGMN Industry Conference showed a strong commitment of the community to the NGMN roadmap and the most relevant topics to focus on until deployment and launch in 2010: assuring timely availability of devices and services, pursuing intensive trial activities, IPR transparency as well as spectrum availability.

Customer expectations and demand, the future of mobile devices and potentially successful services were addressed in several speeches and panel sessions. During panel sessions on mobile internet and the mobile broadband ecosystem it was emphasised that the innovators and developers will require open platforms to deliver new services to the end-users and the operator community needs to ensure that all the right enablers are in place for their use. Key elements required to make this ecosystem viable include a platform for innovation as pursued by NGMN as well as sufficient spectrum availability and a transparent IPR scheme.

Final Conference Programm

Download of presentations for registered participants

NGMN Industry Conference Media Package

Key Milestones reached towards Future Mobile Communications

Announced at this month’s 2^nd NGMN Industry Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, the industry groups will collaborate to ensure the best security is put in place for devices which will become available in Next Generation Mobile Networks. Together, the two organisations, which are both made up of leading mobile operators and major manufacturers, will promote industry recommendations on mobile and network security, which in turn will enable enhanced mobile applications and provide a secure environment for developers, operators and consumers.

Tim Raby, MD OMTP said, “The NGMN is a complementary organisation to the OMTP. We have like-minded individuals, a similar membership and a mission to enhance the mobile experience for all parties involved in mobile, from developers to the end user. We hope to raise device security up the agenda, ultimately delivering a better and safer user experience.”

NGMN Operating Officer, Peter Meissner commented, “The OMTP’s recommendations are valuable and respected within the industry. The security recommendations are widely seen as the baseline for device security across the industry. Security within the network and device is critical for the NGMN Alliance’s roadmap especially in the light of the uptake of future mobile applications such as Mobile Web 2.0, Mobile TV and more.”

NGMN Press Contact  

The NGMN Alliance’s members currently include 19 of the world’s leading mobile network operators – names like AT&T, China Mobile, Orange, Sprint, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Other organizations working within the Alliance include universities and research institutes, as well as 29 makers of network infrastructure (such as Alcatel Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks) and measuring equipment and end-user devices (Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, among others).

“We’re delighted to have Communology, a strong innovator in the field of applications, on board. The success of tomorrow’s mobile communication networks will rely extensively on attractive services and new applications capable of bringing the Internet and mobile communication even closer together,” says Dr. Peter Meissner, NGMN’s Operating Officer.

Communology’s Live Media platforms simplify the process of deploying sophisticated mobile communication services, including mobile social networks, locationbased services and instant messaging, as well as multimedia applications such as mobile TV and video. The company also specializes in solutions to support inno vative forms of mobile marketing, and offers quality assurance services for mobile handset software.

“We are thrilled to be part of the NGMN Alliance and to have the chance to collaborate on innovation in mobile communication applications. After all, high speed and real-time capabilities are not simply an end in themselves, they’re about offering customers attractive services,” says Communology CEO Thomas Kähler. “The higher performance offered by next-generation mobile networks will help to optimize numerous applications. Networks will be capable of supporting video downloads and TV streams in high definition quality, for example, and will greatly enhance the user experience in applications like location and navigation services and mobile internet browsing.”

The two groups will cooperate to ensure that users of next generation mobile networks, such as those based on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, will be able to roam on to existing GSM, W-CDMA and HSPA networks, which now cover more than 80% of the world’s population. The GSMA and the NGMN Alliance will also develop the commercial frameworks and technical platforms necessary to ensure that all mobile services will be able to travel across both next generation networks and existing networks based on the GSM family of technologies.

The two groups have also agreed to co-operate in other essential areas related to the development of next generation mobile broadband services, such as intellectual property rights and spectrum requirements.

“Now is the time for the mobile operator community to bring together all the pieces that are needed to ensure that our industry can meet the rapidly rising global demand for mobile broadband services in the decade beyond 2010,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer of the GSMA. “This agreement with the NGMN Alliance will help ensure that users of the mobile broadband networks of the future will enjoy all the benefits, such as economies of scale, global roaming and interoperability, inherent in the GSM ecosystem today.“

“This cooperation will certainly help to steer the future of mobile broadband and will support the rapid deployment of NGMN technologies,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance. “Our agreement is not just about liaison, it is project driven and we have clearly identified those areas where the mobile industry needs to cooperate. We are happy to share our milestone achievements in technology evaluation, trials, IPR and spectrum.” 

NGMN Press Contact

The agenda for the whole industry will be set with a groundbreaking conference program. For further information about the event  WiMAX Forum Global Congress 2008

here

NGMN Press Contact

In his key note speech, Hamid Akhavan (Chairman of the NGMN Board and CEO, T-Mobile International), outlined the great potential of mobile broadband as well as key challenges and objectives. “Mobile broadband is a reality today in many markets,” Akhavan said. “The mobile data traffic is growing rapidly as people increasingly mobilize their personal, social, and working lives. The NGMN Alliance has been established by leading mobile operators to drive the development and to ensure the success of the mobile broadband ecosystem. NGMN will provide a true mobile internet experience with personalization and attractive, easy to use devices and applications."

Hartmut Kremling (CTO, Vodafone Germany) followed up on this by presenting the key success factors for next generation mobile networks from an operator perspective. He pointed out: “Increasing network traffic load beyond Pentabytes/month and the demand for high data rates indicate a clear need for a step-change in spectrum and network technology. Spectrum - the blood of our industry - is a scarce resource. Sufficient spectrum allocation and efficient use is therefore essential for NGMN. The performance of LTE / Mobile WiMAX is getting closer to the NGMN requirements; however, there is still a way to go. Most importantly, network deployment must be feasible on the existing 3G site grid, and transmission costs need to be drastically reduced through advanced backhauling solutions.”

How advanced network technologies and architectures contribute to resolve the challenges of next generation mobile broadband, this was the emphasis of the speech from Matthias Reiß (Head of LTE Radio, Nokia Siemens Networks): “Reduced network cost per Megabyte is a clear prerequisite for maintaining the profitability of mobile broadband networks,” Reiß said. “LTE/SAE offers an evolutionary network migration path enabling investment protection for operators and low network cost per Megabyte by flat architectures, optimized backhaul transmission, high spectral efficiency, and a scalable bandwidth. We are enthusiastic as “LTE live on Air” field trials carried out in Berlin have shown very encouraging performance results for LTE including the feasibility to deploy it on existing 3G sites.”

„Services are Key“, this was the key message from Dr. Jinsung Choi (Vice President Mobile Comms Tech, LG Electronics), who gave a lively impression of what customers can expect from future mobile broadband end-user devices and applications. “It is very obvious that the convergence of mobile, fixed, internet, gaming and computing industries and applications drives the mobile broadband market growth,” Choi explained. “Drastic handset performance improvements will make the internet experience portable and more personalized. Two major trends will be the convergence of mobile-centric devices integrating many different functions and the divergence of specialized application-centric devices. In either case, service personalization delivers lasting incremental value – increased revenues and customer loyalty,” he concluded.

Semiconductor technology and chip sets for end-user devices are critical enablers for any new and ever more demanding mobile wireless technology. Fortunately, Bill Krenik (CTO, Texas Instruments) had good news for the industry when he pointed out: “Whereas implementation of 3G terminal chip sets was a big challenge over 2G, OFDM-based next generation mobile broadband technologies are much more manageable. Advanced semiconductor process technology maximizes integration and minimizes cost. And integration drives features and functionality. The mobile future is bright. Chip sets for next generation include devices that will enable a 10-fold application processing performance, 8+ hours of continuous video viewing, 100+ hours of music, and much more."

NGMN Press Contact

Mobile Broadband – An economic growth engine
Hamid Akhavan (CEO, T-Mobile International AG, Chairman of the Board, NGMN Ltd.)

Making mobile broadband networks a success – Operator requirements
Hartmut Kremling (CTO, Vodafone D2)

Future network infrastructure for a world connected
Matthias Reiß (Head of LTE Radio, Nokia Siemens Networks)

What customers can expect from future mobile broadband devices and services
Jinsung Choi (Vice President Mobile Comms Tech, LG Electronics)

What 'Silicon' can do for NGMN devices
Bill Krenik (CTO, Texas Instruments)

Final Conference Programm

Presentations

NGMN Conference at CeBIT 2008 looks ahead towards a Bright Future of Mobile Broadband Communications

Motorola’s LTE-enabled experiences on display at its booth (#8A159) will include:

• High definition (HD) video blogging - HD video will be streamed live over LTE to an IPTV set-top box back home for family or friends to view
• Follow me Video – HD video played on an IPTV set-top box will seamlessly hand over to the LTE-enabled mobile device to continue the viewing experience on the move
• Online racing car games played live over the Motorola LTE network
• LTE-enable VoIP calls.

“Motorola’s vision for next-generation networks is one of a 4G radio access technology with huge bandwidth like LTE, combined with a flat IP architecture tied to IMS, enabling an unlimited variety of media mobility experiences. Our carrier customers want technology solutions that fit with their business plans - regardless of whether their 4G choice is LTE or WiMAX that will deliver the user experience and capacity necessary to support the growing demand for bandwidth intensive mobile, multimedia applications,” said Fred Wright, senior vice president, Cellular Networks and WiMAX, Motorola.

LTE will provide users with a personal media experience similar to that of fixed line broadband both in terms of bandwidth and latency, meaning applications that can be delivered today on fixed line will soon be available over the air and fully mobility with LTE. By combining expertise from across Motorola including, chipsets, network and video head-end solutions, and professional services, the Motorola LTE ecosystem will enable true media mobility, delivering innovative applications that can help operators to increase revenues and gain a competitive advantage.

Motorola is pioneering mobile broadband innovation and leveraging its experience, research and expertise in OFDM, as well as developments in chipsets, devices, highspeed backhaul solutions, collapsed IP architecture and video head end solutions, to deliver its end-to-end LTE solution.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced highlights of the company’s 2008 wireless network expansion plans, including the deployment of third-generation (3G) wireless broadband service to more than 80 additional cities in the United States through the course of the year. The planned expansion is expected to deliver AT&T 3G services to nearly 350 leading U.S. markets by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 U.S. cities. The 3G initiative will include the roll out of more than 1,500 additional cell sites nationwide.

Other plans for the new year include completion of the nation’s first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. The AT&T 3G network now delivers typical downlink speeds ranging between 600 and 1,400 Kilobits per second (Kbps), as well as faster uplink speeds, ranging from 500 and 800 Kilobits per second (Kbps). The faster uplink speeds allow AT&T’s HSUPA-enabled laptop users to more quickly send large files and take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.

The company’s wireless network is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technologies, the most open and widely used wireless network platform in the world, supporting 86 percent of the people worldwide who use wireless devices. This platform also positions AT&T to continually adopt next-generation technologies.

“Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T’s wireless unit. “With these aggressive initiatives, we’re expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.

“We’re also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come,” said de la Vega.

The deployment of HSUPA this year is the next step in the evolution of AT&T’s 3G network, with further enhancements and speed boosts expected in the near future. This year’s HSUPA deployment will complete the transition of the AT&T 3G network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standards, marking the only full transition by any wireless provider in the United States to this latest generation of wireless broadband capabilities.

As customer needs continue to evolve and grow in the future, AT&T’s global leadership in deployment of GSM technologies positions the company to continuously evolve its network to meet those needs. The evolution towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies will enable the company to continue to deliver higher speeds and capacity in the years to come.

“From the beginning, our wireless network has been designed with the future in mind,” said de la Vega. “The capabilities of 3G standards will continue to expand over the next several years, enabling us to stay well ahead of our customers’ broadband needs. And looking even further into the future, our existing technologies provide the ideal platform for a smooth transition to nextgeneration platforms.”

AT&T’s GSM technology also offers customers the largest international roaming footprint. AT&T devices work in 196 countries and regions – accounting for more than 90 percent of the planet. All GSM customers in those countries can roam on the AT&T network in the United States as well.

3GPP LTE, an evolution of the GSM/UMTS family, specifies the next generation mobile broadband access system, which utilizes state-of-the-art Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology. 3GPP LTE provides downlink peak data rates of up to 300 Mbps with very low latency using advanced antenna techniques such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO).

3GPP LTE is capable of operating globally in a wide range of bandwidths from 1.4 - 20 MHz, using both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) modes of operation – hence offering the flexibility to suit any operator’s existing or future frequency allocation globally.

3GPP LTE radio technology is optimized to enhance networks by enabling significant new high capacity mobile broadband applications and services, whilst providing cost efficient ubiquitous mobile coverage.

A soft launch of Xohm mobile Internet service is underway with employees in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington D.C. in preparation for commercial WiMAX service launch beginning later this year in select U.S. cities.

“Sprint is delivering on its Open Internet vision with exciting and differentiated WiMAX services,” explained Barry West, president of Sprint’s Xohm business unit. “The new service agreements and device commitments will help Xohm subscribers access, enjoy, store and secure personal digital and user-generated content while experiencing new device innovation.”

Sprint is exhibiting Xohm WiMAX applications, access devices and showing WiMAX broadband technical demonstrations during the 2008 International CES show in Las Vegas at booth # 31561, South Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center. The company plans to enhance and safe-guard the Xohm personal broadband experience as it expands its WiMAX services ecosystem.

LTE is the next generation system for mobile networks like GSM, WCDMA/HSPA and CDMA. It improves the delivery of new multimedia and rich call applications by enhancing data transfer speeds, reducing latency and building on a scalable flat network design.

Panasonic Mobile Communications has developed WCDMA base stations for over ten years based on NTT DoCoMo’s requirements and has delivered equipment for the operator’s FOMA ^TM network. Panasonic Mobile Communications also joined standardization of LTE technology and development of elements from the early stage.

Nokia Siemens Networks is the forerunner in flat architecture networks with its I-HSPA innovation, providing a smooth migration path for operators to LTE. Nokia Siemens Networks was the first to demonstrate LTE technology in 2006 with data speeds in the 160Mb/s range, and the first to demonstrate a handover between LTE and HSPA in 2007.

"We will collaborate on LTE development, and also leverage both companies’ capabilities to deliver high quality and timely solutions that meet operators’ requirements in a cost-efficient way," said Mr. Nobuyoshi Ito, Director and Member of the Board, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd.

"We are extremely proud to cooperate with Panasonic Mobile Communications and NTT DoCoMo on the development of LTE. This collaboration is a significant step for us and underpins our commitment to technologically advanced Japanese market," said Ari Lehtoranta, Head of Radio Access, Nokia Siemens Networks.

The NGMN Alliance was founded in 2006 by leading network operators to develop a coherent vision for the mobile industry's evolution towards next-generation mobile broadband networks. NGMN’s primary objective is to create a virtuous cycle of investment, innovation, and adoption of mobile broadband services with competitive price-performance ratios. NGMN supports and complements the work of existing standards development organisations by establishing clear performance targets, fundamental recommendations, functional requirements, and deployment scenarios.

The accomplishments of NGMN in 2007 include agreement on a new IPR regime, clarifying the spectrum requirements for the next generation of mobile networks, initiation of trials for various candidate technologies, and continued contributions to standards development organisations. The 2008 roadmap of the NGMN Alliance emphasises the need for the finalisation of the relevant standards, focuses on developing the required elements of the ecosystem and on getting results from technology evaluation studies and validation trials.

Dr. Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of NGMN Ltd., is happy to welcome Anritsu as a new NGMN Sponsor: “To ensure proper end-to-end interoperability of terminals, network infrastructure, service platforms, and legacy systems already during the standardisation and early system design phase is crucial for the successful development and deployment of nextgeneration mobile systems. NGMN is glad to have Anritsu on board, along with other test solution providers and testing houses, as this will greatly help us to achieve our challenging objectives and to make the vision of NGMN reality.”

The experience and wealth of knowledge that Anritsu will bring to the Alliance is born out of the Corporation’s global strategy of providing a true end-to-end portfolio of test and monitoring solutions, focused on delivering the reality of communications network convergence and the ubiquitous network society.

The portfolio the Corporation offers today spans the complete network lifecycle through research and development, conformance test, manufacturing, installation and maintenance, network monitoring and OSS service assurance. With engineers that have a wealth of experience developing solutions for 3G, HSPA Evolution, WiMAX, MIMO, LTE, and high speed optical and IP networks across the whole industry, Anritsu is ready and able to play a vital role within the NGMN working groups.

Jonathan Borrill, Director of Market Strategy, comments: “As Sponsors of NGMN, Anritsu is very excited to contribute in a number of areas which will help the industry assure that the devices, networks and services for NGMN come to market with the right level of quality to meet user expectations. Our role will be in helping to ensure that testing and service quality assurance requirements are correctly addressed within the activities of the NGMN community, so enabling a smoother rollout of networks.”

This event provides an opportunity for the whole industry to come together and drive forward the technical evolution, as well as demystifying the complexity of next generation mobile networks. Officially endorsed by the NGMN Alliance, and several renouned speakers from the Alliance made a valuable contribution to this conference. Fur forther information please see the event page about Informa NGMN Summit

Download of the Final Brochure

The NGMN Alliance grew significantly during the summer of 2007 following a ground-breaking agreement on a new IPR regime when 10 major telecom, IT and semiconductor vendors joined in. In addition, during October and November 2007, 7 further partners joined the NGMN Alliance, Telenor as a new Member and Datang Mobile, Sony Ericsson, NXP Semiconductors, Anritsu, Cetecom and IPWireless as new Sponsors. With these new partners the NGMN Alliance has grown to 14 Members, 23 Sponsors and 2 Advisors. Furthermore, NGMN underscores the importance of the North American region for NGMN through the election of Ms. Kris Rinne, Senior Vice President for Architecture & Planning at AT&T, as a new NGMN Board Member.

In August 2007, the NGMN Alliance issued a White Paper on the spectrum requirements for the next generation of mobile networks. This White Paper is used as the basis of a joint industry effort to obtain additional spectrum for IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced technologies during and after the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07). In particular, NGMN calls for additional spectrum for mobile broadband communications in the UHF band (470 to 806/862 MHz) and in the range above 2.2 GHz. To maximise the probability of success, the NGMN Alliance has actively supported the GSM Association during WRC-07 in Geneva. At a joint GSMA / NGMN Welcome Reception on 23rd October 2007, Mr. Vivek Badrinath, Executive Vice President for IT Networks and Product Support of France Telecom (Orange), gave a Keynote Speech on behalf of NGMN where he stressed the importance of sufficient and globally harmonised spectrum allocations for the further development of the mobile broadband ecosystem: “To continue to offer benefits to users and societies, the mobile communication industry requires continued availability of radio spectrum in sufficient quantity. It is vital – for the continued success of mobile, and to extend and grow its benefits – that new spectrum is allocated for mobile access at WRC-07”.

Noting the importance of technology in realising its vision, the NGMN Alliance, through its Trial Group, has initiated close cooperation with the existing LTE/SAE Trial Initiative and with WiMAX trial efforts led by NGMN Member Sprint Nextel along with several NGMN Sponsors. Furthermore, NGMN is closely monitoring the ongoing UMB developments. The Trial Group will ensure a coordinated approach for the evaluation of field trial results of different technologies with regards to performance and functionality. In 2008, the NGMN Alliance will provide its guidance on the NGMNpreferred technology candidate(s) following an assessment against the NGMN performance, functional and timeline requirements.

For 2008, the NGMN Alliance and its partners are committed to continuing their contributions to various standards development organisations so that all relevant standards are finalised by the end of 2008. In addition, test specifications for the relevant technologies are also expected to be finalised by the same time. Finally, the NGMN Alliance intends to provide additional focus and resources to the development of its ecosystem including appropriate chipsets, terminals, and network infrastructure. In a 3-day workshop dedicated to chipsets and terminals at the end of September 2007, the NGMN partners discussed the key technical challenges and concluded that data cards and handsets for the next generation of mobile networks can be expected to be commercially available in 2010 or earlier.

These points were emphasised by Mr. Hamid Akhavan, Chairman of NGMN Ltd. and CEO of T-Mobile International during the recent NGMN Forum and Board meeting in New York: “To enable early NGMN launches it is important to progress technology evaluation and finalise the relevant standards by 2008. NGMN needs to secure timely availability of devices and also transparency of IPR terms. Mobile broadband is a reality as can be seen through the many-fold increase of mobile data traffic last year.”

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Main objective of WRC-07 was to revise and update the international treaty, known as Radio Regulations, governing the world-wide use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. Over 2800 delegates representing 164 Member States and 104 observers attended the four-week conference, marked by intense negotiations on the future of wireless communications.

Rapid technological developments and growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector have fuelled the demand for spectrum. In July 2007, the NGMN Alliance published a White Paper on the spectrum requirements for future mobile broadband communications and has requested the allocation of sufficient and suitable spectrum (up to 120 MHz) in the UHF band (470 to 806/862 MHz) in the context of the “Digital Dividend”, as well as additional spectrum in the range above 2.2 GHz.

Under the agenda item 1.4 “to consider frequency-related matters for the future development of IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000 …“, WRC-07 has now identified globally harmonised spectrum for use by International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced). Additional spectrum was allocated for IMT systems in various new bands, resulting in 392 MHz in total in Europe and 428 MHz in the Americas:

•   20 MHz   in the band 450-470 MHz (globally)
•   72 MHz   in the band 790-862 MHz for Region 1 (Europe) and 3 (Asia)
• 108 MHz   in the band 698-806 MHz for Region 2 (Americas)
• 100 MHz   in the band 2.3-2.4 GHz (globally)
• 200 MHz   in the band 3.4-3.6 GHz (no global allocation, but accepted by many countries)

Note: This spectrum will not be available immediately, but opened to the market following transition periods of several years.

This outcome of WRC-07 represents an important milestone for the worldwide development of next-generation mobile networks and is therefore highly welcome and appreciated by the NGMN Alliance. A consequent and timely implementation of the new Radio Regulation treaty in all relevant Regions and counties is now crucial for the success of NGMN.

NGMN Press Contact

The wireless industry has been one of the major engines of economic growth and social change in Europe in the past decade. For more information on WWI click here.

Main objective of WRC-07 was to revise and update the international treaty, known as Radio Regulations, governing the world-wide use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. Over 2800 delegates representing 164 ITU member states and 104 observers attended the four-week conference, marked by intense negotiations on the future of wireless communications.

NGMN welcomes the identification of additional spectrum for IMT as a result of WRC-07

Resolutions Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-07)

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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The NGMN alliance argues that realising the ITU’s vision of a global mobile society requires the availability of some harmonised spectrum in bands below 1 GHz (i.e. in the band between 470 to 806/862 MHz(1), currently mainly used for terrestrial broadcasting) as well as significant additional spectrum in higher bands (above 1GHz, and in practice above 2.2 GHzwhere the most likely candidate is the range 3.4 to 4.2 GHz). Yves Bellego, the chairman of the NGMN spectrum working group, stated that “we need ubiquitous wireless coverage to bridge the digital-divide between cities and rural areas in developed nations and to enable developing nations to offer broadband services to their populace in a cost-efficient manner. Furthermore, the demand for services with higher data rates in urban areas will lead to demand for additional spectrum which can only be found in higher bands. Finally, harmonisation, on a global scale is of paramount importance if we are to achieve economies of scale and make services commercially viable.”

The NGMN alliance argues that not only the amount of spectrum made available for mobile communication (in particular International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)) is important but also how that spectrum is divided. Hossein Moiin, the editor in charge of the NGMN White Paper on spectrum, said that “the next generation of mobile networks require channel bandwidths of up to 20 MHz in bands below 1 GHz and channel bandwidths of up to approximately 100 MHz in higher frequency bands.Therefore, it is critical that sufficiently large and contiguous blocks of spectrum are made available to mobile operators so that they can take advantage of the new technology. For example, a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz is needed to achieve throughput of 100 Mbit/s with high mobility and a channel bandwidth of 100 MHz is needed to provide a throughput of 1 Gbit/s with low mobility.”

Therefore the NGMN alliance urges WRC-07 to allocate and identify sufficient spectrum for mobile communication (and in particular for IMT) so that the future needs of the mobile customers can be met. In addition, the NGMN alliance requests that the administrations around the globe cooperate with each other on more immediate spectrum management issues. This is needed so that a vibrant ecosystem for the next generation of mobile networks can be developed while the spectrum allocated and identified by WRC-07 is being made available. A key to the development of such an ecosystem, to be fully realized when additional spectrum will be made available by WRC-07, is the global harmonisation of bands already identified for mobile communication and the assurance of seamless services based on interoperable systems across mobile networks.

The NGMN alliance’s White Paper on spectrum details all the spectrum requirements for the next generation of mobile networks and can be downloaded at Spectrum Requirements for The Next Generation of Mobile Networks

(1) These two numbers reflect the different amount of spectrum used for terrestrial broadcasting in different regions.

LTE 2007

Download of the Final Brochure

One of the main issues on the agenda will be the much-debated subject of frequency demand and allocation in Europe, and specifically in Germany. This debate revolves around the 470 – 862 MHz frequency band in particular, which is currently used for terrestrial television but, in the context of the transition from analog to digital technology, is also extremely attractive for´mobile broadband communications in more general terms.

This demand for frequency is of particular significance as international studies show that mobile broadband communication is set to be a fundamental factor in the development of the global economy in years to come. Internet and mobile communication services will continue to converge. At the same time, the demand by private and business users for anytime, anyplace access to specific data and attractive media and entertainment content is increasing.

Numerous requirements converge at an international level here. In particular, questions regarding the allocation of the frequency spectrum must be agreed by all the interested groups. The same applies to the clear formulation of requirements and the coordinated submission of the necessary frequency demands in order for networks to be expanded in a promising manner.

In this contentious area, NGMN sees itself as an advocate of end customers who expect innovative mobile services of a high quality at an acceptable price.

Following a brief introduction on the subject of the evolution of future mobile phone networks and services, and statements on the current position of the frequency discussion, the podium participants will be taking questions from the press.

Participants

Markus Haas (Senior Vice President Legal & Regulatory Affairs; o2 Germany)

Joachim Horn (CTO, T-Mobile International)

Hartmut Kremling (CTO, Vodafone Deutschland)

Dr. Horst Lennertz (Member of the Supervisory Board, E-Plus)

Dr. Peter Meissner (Operating Officer, NGMN Ltd.)

NGMN Press Contact

Ein Schwerpunkt ist das intensiv diskutierte Thema Frequenzbedarf und –vergabe in Europa und speziell in Deutschland. Dabei dreht sich die Debatte insbesondere um das Frequenzband von 470 bis 862 MHz, welches zurzeit für terrestrisches Fernsehen genutzt wird, aber im Rahmen des Übergangs von analoger auf digitale Technik auch für mobile Breitbandkommunikation in der Fläche höchst attraktiv ist.

Dieser Frequenzbedarf ist von besonderer Bedeutung, da internationale Studien belegen, dass die mobile Breitbandkommunikation in den kommenden Jahren ein wesentlicher Entwicklungsfaktor der Weltwirtschaft sein wird. Internet- und mobile Kommunikationsdienstleistungen wachsen weiter zusammen. In gleichem Maße steigt der Bedarf der privaten und geschäftlichen Nutzer an orts- und zeitunabhängigem Zugriff auf individuelle Daten und attraktive Inhalte aus den Bereichen Medien und Entertainment.  

Hierbei treffen zahlreiche Anforderungen auf internationaler Ebene zusammen. Gerade die Fragen rund um die Verteilung von Frequenzspektrum müssen mit allen Interessensgruppen abgestimmt werden. Das gilt auch für die klare Formulierung der Bedürfnisse und die koordinierte Einforderung des notwendigen Frequenzbedarfs für einen erfolgversprechenden Ausbau der Netze.

In diesem Spannungsfeld sieht sich NGMN als Fürsprecher der Endkunden, die innovative mobile Dienste in hoher Qualität zu einem akzeptablen Preis-Leistungsverhältnis erwarten.  

Nach einer kurzen Einführung in die Thematik der Evolution zukünftiger Mobilfunknetze und -dienste sowie Statements zum Stand der Frequenz-Diskussion stellen sich die Teilnehmer des Podiums den Fragen der Presse.

Teilnehmer

Markus Haas (Senior Vice President Legal & Regulatory Affairs; o2 Germany)

Joachim Horn (CTO, T-Mobile International)

Hartmut Kremling (CTO, Vodafone Deutschland)

Dr. Horst Lennertz (Member of the Supervisory Board, E-Plus)

Dr. Peter Meissner (Operating Officer, NGMN Ltd.)

NGMN Press Contact

The addition of new members and sponsors strengthens the role of NGMN in shaping the future of the mobile industry. Mr. Akhavan, the Group’s newly appointed Chairman, stressed that the new members will be contributing significantly to the success of the NGMN initiative.  

“With our new members we represent around half of the global mobile subscribers. Furthermore, we have operators from all major markets of the world. This representation enables us to ensure that the future networks will be designed with the diversity of needs and scenarios in mind and that they can effectively respond to the needs of a global user base,” stated Mr. Akhavan.

Mr. Akhavan also welcomed the vendor community to NGMN: “I strongly believe that our new sponsors will assist the operator community in better understanding the issues around technology development. This helps us significantly in creating an effective and viable ecosystem for mobile broadband services and in better serving our customers. The contribution of vendors in NGMN cannot be overstated as they play a vital role in the industry. However, we still welcome applications from other vendors in order to ensure that we can overcome barriers such as fragmentation of the industry.”

In Version 3.0 of the white paper, which lays out a common set of recommendations for the next generation of wide area mobile broadband networks, NGMN members go into more detail about their vision for the future of mobile networks and technologies. These recommendations, which are intended to take the industry beyond the HSPA and EVDO roadmaps, are designed to offer enhanced customer benefits by delivering competitive broadband performance alongside high levels of interoperability and to guide the debate around the future evolution of the mobile industry.

During the NGMN conference held in Frankfurt, Germany in June 2006, the mobile industry was asked to provide the initiative with its feedback on version 2.0 of the NGMN white paper. Various members of the ecosystem, including infrastructure vendors, chipset manufacturers, service delivery platform developers, and device manufacturers as well as other mobile operators responded with valuable comments that were used to enhance the earlier version of the white paper and form the basis of version 3.0.

Version 3.0 of the white paper delivers several key improvements over earlier versions including:

• Additional focus and further guidance on the key issues of architecture, technology selection, interoperability with other networks, spectrum needs, and deployment scenarios.
• New recommendations on handsets and platforms for service creation and delivery in order to provide a more complete view of the mobile industry’s ecosystem.
• New information on the current activities of NGMN Ltd and in particular its technical working group.
• A global perspective by incorporating the feedback of operators around the globe.

Version 3.0 of the white paper continues to stress the guiding principles of NGMN such as high levels of throughput alongside low levels of latency, low operation and maintenance costs, predictability and transparency of IPR costs, and compatibility with legacy networks. These principles are complemented with guidelines required by the industry for the development of NGMN and realising its vision.

Hossein Moiin, the editor in charge of the NGMN white paper, said he hopes that version 3.0 would accelerate the realisation of the NGMN vision so that users of mobile communications could benefit from its deployment as soon as possible.

“We anticipate that this paper will provide the industry with useful guidance to develop systems and networks in a timely and cost-efficient manner,” he said. “This white paper is the result of a strong collaboration with key industry players including vendors, operators and manufacturers. This white paper is designed to add even more focus to previous recommendations as well as address new areas that were deemed necessary by the industry for developing a viable mobile broadband ecosystem.” 

In the future, updates to the NGMN white paper will be under the direction and discretion of NGMN Ltd. This arrangement allows for the active contribution of all members of the mobile ecosystem within a formal framework.   For more information on the white paper and to download a copy of version 3.0 visit the website at www.ngmn.org.

NGMN Press Contact

In his new role, Dr. Meissner, who has more than 30 years of experience in various fields of telecommunications, will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company and ensure that it delivers on its goals. NGMN Ltd. Aims to develop a set of key requirements for a future wide area mobile broadband network that will give customers competitive and highly interoperable broadband performance.

As well as chairing key committees, Dr. Meissner will also oversee a permanent support team which is yet to be recruited. Dr. Meissner said he was looking forward to playing a key role in such an important cross-industry initiative.

“NGMN will provide a powerful springboard for change as the industry seeks to provide faster and more efficient mobile broadband services to its customers. Based on our expertise as mobile operators and the requirements of our customers, NGMN will advise on technical standards while drawing on real-world experience to help develop efficient networks for the future,” said Dr. Meissner.

In his most recent role, Dr. Meissner was Corporate Vice President for Quality and Performance with the Orange Group where, in addition to his operational responsibilities, he played a key role in developing the NGMN initiative. Before that, he served as Chief Technical Officer with Orange Communications in Switzerland. Before joining Orange, Dr. Meissner was General Manager Systems Engineering with E-Plus Mobilfunk, the German mobile operator.

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