today that several new operators and vendors have joined the organization,
passing the 50-member milestone in less than nine months since the group’s
inception. The Alliance also announced the successful conclusion of its
second summit meeting, where more than 80 executives from more than 20
countries joined to discuss UMTS TDD insights, strategies, and
developments. In addition, in response to the growing worldwide
deployments, the Alliance formed a subcommittee to address and advance
global roaming capabilities.
“The Global UMTS TDD Alliance is a dynamic and effective forum for the many
operators that are deploying UMTS TDD around the world to share technical
and business learnings, as well as to work with the growing list of vendors
that are supporting the technology,” said Liz Kerton, executive director,
Global UMTS TDD Alliance. “With our membership continuing to expand, it is
clear that UMTS TDD is gaining tremendous momentum around the world.”
Launched at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes in February 2004, the Global
UMTS TDD Alliance has grown to include 30 operators and 20 equipment
manufacturers and vendors, a list of which can be found on the Alliance web
site at www.umtstdd.org. Membership in the Alliance continues to be
reserved for companies actively involved with the technology versus
companies that just want to monitor the technology’s progress.
Sonaecom, a leading Portuguese integrated communications company, hosted
the second members-only Global UMTS TDD Alliance Summit in Portugal and
hosted tours of their UMTS TDD cell sites and operation centers in Lisbon.
Many new TDD networks were represented at the Summit, which stimulated
discussions on roaming between member networks and the creation of a
Roaming Subcommittee within the Alliance.
The summit also included case studies of UMTS TDD deployments from
Sonaecom, Woosh Wireless (New Zealand), Maxis (Malaysia), and NextWave
Telecom (US). Multiple vendors presented their technology and product
roadmaps for UMTS TDD network infrastructure and a myriad of new devices
expected to become available in the near future. Member delegates
participated in interactive panels that covered key topics for members,
including VoIP, marketing strategies, as well as deployment strategies and
learnings.
The UMTS TDD Standard for Broadband Wireless
Many of the biggest trends in telecommunications and technology point to
the need for a ubiquitous, very high speed, low latency, packet-based
platform to provide broadband and other packet services to users at home,
at work, or on the road. The first platform that meets this need and the
only one with proven, real-world traction is the TDD branch of the 3G UMTS
standard, UMTS TDD (also known as TD-CDMA). Optimized for high-speed data,
UMTS TDD can be used by operators and manufacturers worldwide and has
emerged as the leading standard for mobile broadband.
UMTS TDD is the best choice for provisioning ubiquitous broadband data and
voice services not only because of the unmatched performance and economics
of the solution, but its standards-based nature, and the growing market
lead of the technology in commercial deployments in countries around the
world, including Australia, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, South
Africa, and the United States.
About the Global UMTS TDD Alliance
Created and supported by the growing community of UMTS TDD operators,
services providers, and vendors around the world, the Global UMTS TDD
Alliance’s goal is to provide a forum for members to share their knowledge
and experience with each other and with the public, set requirements for
future solutions, and foster the market environment for solutions based on
the UMTS TDD standard. For more information on the Alliance, visit
www.UMTSdd.org.
