The International Telecommunication Union announced network experts who met in Geneva earlier this month agreed on six sets of specifications for IMT-2000 networks.
The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, under the leadership of Study Group 11, is developing IMT-2000 network-related standards such as signaling, functional architectures and security. The standards aim at allowing global roaming and ensuring seamless delivery via the various fixed and mobile networks around the world.
The ITU has approved a family of third-generation standards involving Code Division Multiple Access-based and Time Division Multiple Access-based technologies. Standards groups are working on allowing these standards to interoperate.
“What consumers want is a virtual home environment, where global roaming enables mobile users to take the same handset wherever they go-across technologies and networks,” said Dr. Sadahiko Kano, chairman of Study Group 11. “And they want to be able to use the same phone number and have access to the same services which they can get on their home network.”
As such, the Third Generation Partnership Projects will carry out the initial standard development work needed to evolve from second-generation networks to 3G networks for each of the two major core networks, GSM MAP and ANSI-41. The ITU said it will focus its work on the required interfaces between the two network types to provide seamless operation for users.
“As with the work carried out in the radio aspects, our strategy is to make maximum use of the work carried out by the 3GPPs and standards development organizations to produce rapidly the standards needed to cut down time-to-market availability of IMT-2000 globally interoperable systems,” said Raj Pandya, chairman of the working party responsible for Study Group 11.
ITU/R Task Group 8/1, which previously held the primary responsibility for development of the IMT-2000 radio interface standard, completed its activities in November. The ITU instead has created Working Party 8F, which falls under Study Group 8, to continue the global development of IMT-2000 technology in a collaborative effort with standards development organizations and work on overall system aspects of IMT-2000 systems and beyond, focusing primarily on terrestrial radio interfaces. Steven Blust, director of technology strategy and standards with BellSouth Cellular Corp., will chair the new group.
“If you look at any new standard, it undergoes significant evolution and tune-up of the first releases,” said Blust. “A primary activity of Working Party 8F is going to be to incorporate those next set of necessary changes.”
