FCC chief urges standards to make mobile phones global

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FCC chief urges standards to make mobile phones global
Andrew J. Glass - Staff
Wednesday, May 24, 2000

Washington --- Mobile phone users should be able to connect seamlessly with
each other --- and the Internet --- from anywhere in the world, Federal
Communications
Commission Chairman William Kennard said Tuesday.

''We want to move quickly into a future where a phone user in the United
States or in Tokyo or in London can access the Internet on a mobile phone,''
Kennard
told members of the World Economic Forum at their annual two-day meeting in
Washington.

''We need to do so in ways that would allow us to break away from these
difficult disputes about equipment compatibility,'' Kennard added.

The FCC chief saw the need for a ''harmonized world mobile phone standard''
as one of the key challenges on the telecommunications landscape.

He spoke out as delegates from many nations at the World Radiocommunication
Conference sought to thrash out disputes over the use of electromagnetic
spectrum.
The designated wave bands are to be used by ''third-generation'' mobile
phones that recently became available in parts of Europe, Asia and the
United States.

Kennard said he was ''encouraged'' by recent developments at the conference,
known as WRC-2000, which opened in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 8 and which is
due to end on June 2.

''We are not going to pick a mobile standard,'' he said. He called on the
conferees in Turkey ''to come up with an interoperable standard for wireless
(phones)
in which all manufacturers can participate.''

In the United States, long-distance giants MCI WorldCom Inc. and Sprint
Corp. each have invested more than $1 billion in fixed wireless licenses
throughout
the country. MCI WorldCom wants to buy Sprint, in large part to acquire the
latter's digital mobile phone network.

The FCC favors a plan known as ''global 3G spectrum harmonization,'' which,
according to its proponents, will enable international roaming and lead to
lower
costs for manufacturers, carriers and, ultimately, consumers.

Since most of these bands are occupied by government and commercial
licensees, the Clinton administration and private sector, under FCC
prodding, have recently
agreed to conduct studies to determine the potential for increased spectrum
sharing and reduced interference.

Given the billions of dollars already invested in licenses and construction,
the stakes are enormous for both individual countries and mobile network
operators.

As Kennard sees it, in the future, wireless devices, including mobile
phones, will become the predominant link to the Internet.

The global coalition that develops the technology --- and the spectrum it
operates on --- that is eventually adopted will help determine global
high-tech
leadership for many years to come.

ON THE WEB: The Federal Communications Commission: www.fcc.gov

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Received on Wednesday, 24 May 2000 12:47:26 UTC