The CDMA Development Group and Qualcomm Inc. are in the minority in asking the International
Telecommunication Union to stop work on third-generation technology development because of the intellectual-
property-right standstill between Qualcomm and L.M. Ericsson.
ITU members met Saturday in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, to obtain industry advice on the best way to proceed with IMT-2000 standardization in light of the IPR
standstill. The meeting is expected to produce a report for the attention of the director of the Radiocommunications
Bureau, Robert Jones, offering advice on how to proceed with IMT-2000 standardization work.
Qualcomm has told
the ITU it will not grant IPRs it claims to hold to W-CDMA technology-technology based on Global System for
Mobile communications system network-unless one CDMA standard is achieved that supports both European and
Interim Standard-41 networks. Ericsson claims to hold patents to both W-CDMA technology and Interim Standard 95-
based cdma2000 technology unless regions are allowed to choose the technology they wish to deploy and other
companies grant full patent reciprocity.
The ITU has said it may not be able to consider any CDMA-based proposals
unless the two manufacturers work out their differences before Dec. 31 because of IPR policy. But now members have
expressed strong support to proceed with technical work independently from the IPR debate, said the
ITU.
“Our view is the best way is to actually stop work in the ITU to put maximum pressure on the industry to
get the carriers together and apply proper force to solve the problem as quick as possible,” Mark Epstein, senior
vice president of development with Qualcomm, said from last week from Kuala Lumpur. “We will defend our
patents.”
As a result of a carrier meeting on 3G technology last month in China, 14 operators from Europe,
Japan, North America and Asia sent an open letter to the ITU stating their support of the work of the ITU and the need
for IMT-2000 related IPRs to be granted on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms and conditions. Their letter
also calls for 3G suppliers and manufacturers to seek out other IPR holders and put licensing or cross-licensing
agreements in place as soon as possible.
The ITU schedule for achieving a single worldwide standard for 3G
technology is March 31, when the ITU wants key characteristics of the radio interface to be decided.
