LTE Operators Will be Able to Join GSMA Following Board Resolution
BARCELONA, Spain, February 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The completion of the
Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards by 3GPP is a major milestone on the
road to the deployment of high capacity mobile networks capable of
delivering very high speed and low latency services, according to the GSM
Association, the global trade association for mobile industry. Recognising
LTE as the next evolution of the GSM family, the GSMA's board yesterday
passed a resolution that will enable LTE operators to join the Association
regardless of whether they have GSM or 3GSM networks.
3GPP's LTE project has led to the development of technology to enable a
significant step-change in the bandwidth achievable over mobile networks,
while also boosting cell capacity and reducing latency. By drawing on the
existing definitions of GPRS, 3GSM and HSPA networks, 3GPP has ensured
backwards compatibility with these existing widely-used technologies,
building on the all-pervasive international roaming already available with
GSM technology today.
"The 3GPP standards provide the technical baseline for the GSM family
of technologies and the GSMA is delighted to welcome LTE into the fold as
the next step in the evolution of GSM," said Alex Sinclair, Chief
Technology Officer of the GSMA.
Since its inception, the 3GPP LTE Project, and the related work to
evolve the core to an all-Internet Protocol (IP) network, known as the
System Architecture Evolution (SAE) project, have received widespread
backing from operators and vendors alike. However, most significant has
been the support of operators that had traditionally chosen to deploy
networks defined in fora other than 3GPP.
"The completion of the LTE specifications will not only ensure the
future roadmap for our existing operator members deploying Mobile Broadband
in the form of HSPA today, it will also enable new members, including those
that have already publicly declared their intent to deploy LTE, to join
with our existing 700 plus members to create even greater economies of
scale," added Sinclair.
The growing demand for Mobile Broadband services, both in developed
countries and to bridge the digital divide in developing countries,
requires an adequate supply of spectrum, the "oxygen" of the mobile
industry. At the World Radiocommunications Conference in Geneva, the
world's governments agreed to identify a chunk of spectrum for the
deployment of advanced mobile broadband services. "This represents the
removal of another potential barrier to deployment of LTE and ensures the
continued evolution of mobile networks for the future," Sinclair concluded.
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing
more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and
territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and
suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless
services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to
individual customers and national economies, while creating new business
opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members
serve more than 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone
users.
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SOURCE The GSM Association (GSMA)
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CONTACT:
For more information please contact: Mark
Smith or David Pringle, GSM Association, Email: press@gsm.org
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