WASHINGTON-Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.), chairwoman of the House Science subcommittee on technology, is pressing the Clinton administration for support to prevent U.S. companies from being unfairly muscled out of the international standards-setting process by Europeans for third-generation wireless communications.
“I am not supporting a specific standard. I do, however, want to ensure that all American-developed standards receive a fair hearing and fair consideration in this process,” said Morella in a recent letter to U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky.
Morella, who is considering holding hearings this month on international standards-setting, asked Barshefsky to respond this week to several questions on the 3G wireless standards-setting issue.
That Congress is now addressing the issue reflects the urgency of the matter. Billions of dollars are at stake and the global standards-setting process is entering a critical phase.
The United States, the European Union and Japan must submit third-generation wireless standard proposals to the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union in June.
There is concern among wireless equipment manufacturers including Motorola Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Northern Telecom Ltd., Lucent Technologies Inc. and others that a Eurocentric 3G wireless standard would favor Sweden-based L.M. Ericsson and Finland-based Nokia Corp. and leave U.S. firms competitively disadvantaged in the global market.
Some groups are trying to harmonize wideband Code Division Multiple Access technology, based on the pan-European Global System for Mobile communications protocol, with W-cdmaOne technology, based on U.S. company Qualcomm’s Interim Standard-95 protocol.
As such, GSM North America and the GSM MoU Alliance announced their support for W-CDMA as a 3G wireless standard, and warned that some harmonization efforts are “bad for our American and Canadian customers.”
“In a debate that has become increasingly political, it’s important to carefully assess the strengths and weaknesses of each technological option, such as capacity considerations,” said GSM North America Chairman Jim Healy, president of Cook Inlet Western Wireless. “Indeed, there are efforts underway to weaken the third generation technology under the guise of harmonization. Choosing an inferior technology for the benefit and gain of a few manufacturers and operators would be wrong and a disservice to our American and Canadian customers.”
Morrella has asked Barshefsky to answer the following questions:
1. How are you participating in the selection process for the United States’ submission of third-generation wireless telecommunication standards to the International Telecommunications Union? What is the current status of that involvement?
2. Do you favor a specific third-generation wireless standard? If so, what standard does the Office of the United States Trade Representative favor and why?
3. Do you believe the United States should propose a single third-generation wireless standard to the International Telecommunications Union, or should the United States propose multiple standards? Please explain.
4. Do you believe that American companies have the same influence over the European standards process as European-based companies have over the American standards process? Please explain.
5. Do you believe competition in the global wireless telecommunications marketplace is best served by the adoption of a single global third-generation wireless standard or multiple third-generation wireless standards? Please explain.
