Communications Industry Paves the Way for Mobile Multimedia Services

Zurich, December 16, 1996

Since the mobile communications market is one of the most promising markets today, the UMTS Forum has been created as an international initiative to define a common strategy and policy for the development and implementation of the future Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. The UMTS Forum has been founded today in Zurich, Switzerland with European and non-European representatives from more than 60 operators, manufacturers, regulators, and information industry companies. The UMTS Forum agreed on the following common objectives:

The aim of the UMTS is to lead the personal communications user into the information society of the 21st century. UMTS will deliver information directly to people and provide them with access to new and innovative services. It will offer multimedia-oriented mobile personalized communications to the mass market regardless of location, network or terminal.

It will target the mass market with a personal communications concept including multimedia services and applications, with volume commercial introduction at the beginning of the next century. UMTS will combine new technologies with the evolution of existing services and systems (for example ISDN and the GSM standard which has been accepted worldwide).

The UMTS Forum has already received firm support from the European Commission in Brussels, as Commissioner Martin Bangemann recently said: "the European Commission fully supports the UMTS Forum as the industry forum to discuss the evolution of personal and mobile telecommunications beyond GSM".

Thomas Beijer of Telia, Sweden has been elected Chairperson of the UMTS Forum, Josef Huber of Siemens, Germany, and Alan Hadden of One 2 One, UK, have been elected Vice Chairs.

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For further information, please contact Thomas Beijer, Telia, Tel.: +46 70 5629358

Attached are two annexes with background material that could be used for more detailed or expert oriented publications:
· Annex 1: Catchwords around UMTS
· Annex 2: List of Founding Members
 

Annex 1: Catchwords around UMTS


Universal              ·       mass market
                       ·       multiple access
                       ·       public and private
                       ·       ubiquitous services
                       ·       common standards
                       ·       global


Mobile                 ·       terminal mobility
                       ·       personal mobility
                       ·       service mobility
                       ·       anytime - anywhere


Telecommunications     ·       transparent services access across networks (fixed, mobile, satellite, ...)
                       ·       integrated communications and seamless service provision
                       ·       multiple media
                       ·       narrow- and broadband: data, graphics, pictures, video, speech, ...


System                 ·       service choice and flexibility
                       ·       personalized service offerings
                       ·       innovative and interactive services
                       ·       user friendly and simple access



Annex 2:       List of Founding Members

*** (to be approved by Chris Wildey) ***

Airtel Movil, Spain
Airtouch Europe, Belgium
Alcatel Telecom, France
BMPT, Germany
Bosch GmbH, Germany
Bouygues Telecom, France
Broadcome Ltd., Eire
British Telecom, UK
Cable & Wireless, UK
Cellnet, UK
CSELT, Italy
CSEM, Switzerland
DeTeMobil, Germany
Deutsche Telekom AG, Germany
DTI, UK
ECTEL
E-plus Mobilfunk GmbH, Germany
Ericsson Radio Systems AB, Sweden
ETNO
European Technology Partners AS, Norway
European Telecoms Office, Denmark
Finnet Group, Finland
France Telecom Mobile, France
Fujitsu Europe Telecom, UK
Hagenuk Telecom GmbH, Germany
IBC, Technical Services Ltd., UK
IMST, Germany
Inmarsat, UK
Intel, Germany
Italtel, Italy
Lucent Technologies, Germany
Mannesmann Mobilfunk GmbH, Germany
Matra Communication, France
Matsushita Communication, UK
MediaMobil Communication GmbH, Germany
One 2 One, UK
Motorola, UK
NEC Technologies Ltd., UK
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd., Finland
Nortel , UK
Orange PCS, UK
PA Consulting Group, UK
Panasonic European R&D Center, Germany
Philips Electronics, Netherlands
PTT Telecom BV, Netherlands
RWE Netzgesellschaft, Germany
Sharp Laboratories of Europe, UK
Siemens AG, Germany
SIGOS GmbH, Germany
Simoco Europe Ltd., UK
Sony Deutschland GmbH, Germany
TeleDanmark, Denmark
Telecom Finland, Finland
Telecom Italia Mobile, Italy
Telefonica Moviles, Spain
Telia Mobitel, Sweden
Vodafone Ltd., UK