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Shaping the wireless world of tomorrow
The introduction of GSM in Europe some 15 years ago triggered the growth of a market that can only be compared to the introduction of automatic telephony in the fifties. GSM – now called Second Generation (2G) – has in many regions of the world now replaced fixed line operations. The world is becoming mobile Triggered by the success of 2G and the increasing requirement in the market for new mobile and wireless services, third generation (3G) mobile radio systems are currently being deployed in different regions of the world. Considering the lead time for developing enabling technologies, systems beyond the third generation (B3G) are already under discussion in international bodies and fora such as ITU and WRC (World Radio Conference) and they are subject to huge research initiatives in all major trade regions of the world. Based on the experience of the third generation, future systems will be developed mainly from the user perspective with respect to potential services and applications including traffic demands. Systems for a future mobile and wireless world will cover different communications relations as illustrated in figure 1.
Figure 1: Communications in a future mobile and wireless world Global solutions need a global forum Mobile and wireless communication has now become a global market, and the development of future systems can only be successful if seen in a global context. By the turn of the century, major public programmes were launched in all trade regions with the aim of boosting research and technology development for future generations of mobile and wireless systems. In 2001, major telecom manufacturers, operators and academia created the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) in order to develop common opinions on the wireless world, enable powerful R&D collaborations, and push the wireless frontiers to serve the customers. A key driver for the WWRF vision is the introduction of I-centric services, adjustable to a vast range of user profiles and needs along with seamless connectivity anywhere and anytime. In addition, such services should be affordable and less expensive than any alternative or traditional solutions. Flexibility, adaptability, reusability, innovative user interfaces, and attractive business models will be the key to the success of the systems beyond the third generation (B3G). To seize the initiative one of the first actions by the newly created forum was to produce a Book of Visions, which outlines this vision of the future and considers the environmental, contextual, and technical aspects. In Europe, the forum played the initiator role in establishing the Wireless World Initiative (WWI), an umbrella organization for boosting projects addressing the B3G area within the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Union. Four large Integrated Projects (IPs) have now been launched within the framework of WWI, all addressing key topics for the evolution of next generation mobile and wireless systems:
More than 100 companies, research bodies, and academic institutions are currently working in these projects with more than 3,500 person-months of effort spent per year. Eurescom is providing management support services to MobiLife and WINNER. The WWRF has now turned its attention to the really global issue of bringing opinions and results from similar initiatives in Asia and the Americas together. Membership Membership in WWRF is open to all companies, research bodies and academia supporting the promotion and further development of mobile and wireless communications with matching applications and content. Since its foundation in 2001 WWRF has gained substantial momentum, and the forum has currently more than 150 members, 14 of them are operator organisations. Organisation The day-to-day operation of the forum is taken care of by the chairperson, the secretary and the treasurer, assisted by vice-chairs from the Americas, Asia, and Europe/MiddleEast/Africa. Eurescom is providing secretarial and technical support. The current WWRF executives are:
The work itself is organised in six work groups and three special interest groups. A vision committee is drawing up the longer-term visions of the WWRF and producing updates of the Book of Visions on a regular basis. The next edition of the Book of Visions will be available towards the end of 2004.
WWRF is working through meetings The WWRF is working through regular meetings; three of them per year, one in each of the major trade regions. The meetings offer unique opportunities for both industry and academia to discuss and harmonise their views on all aspects of the future mobile and wireless world. Common positions are formulated in White Papers of which more than 30 are currently progressed. The White Papers serve as an important input to the new edition of the Book of Vision. Whereas the WWRF meetings are open to everybody, the White Papers are only available to members. The last WWRF meeting took place in Oslo, Norway, in June 2004 and was sponsored by Eurescom and Telenor. The meeting attracted 210 participants who discussed more than 60 high-quality presentations in two days of sessions. The next WWRF meeting will be held on 4-5 November 2004 in Toronto, Canada, hosted by Bell Mobility and Nortel. Further information is available on the WWRF website at: www.wireless-world-research.org Network operators within the
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