IMT-Advanced or "4G" Technologies Under ITU Consideration

BELLEVUE, WA, Oct 08 (MARKET WIRE) --
"We are turning the page in the wireless industry as candidate proposals
for true '4G' technologies, which will officially be named IMT-Advanced,
are being submitted this week at the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) meeting in Geneva," stated Chris Pearson, President of 3G
Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM
family of technologies including LTE and a Market Representation Partner
of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

The 3GPP Partners, which unite more than 370 leading mobile technology
companies, made a formal submission to the ITU on October 7, proposing
that Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release10 and beyond (LTE-Advanced) be
evaluated as a candidate for IMT-Advanced.

"ITU-R (Radiocommunication Sector) is the recognized organization
producing the official definition of Fourth Generation (4G) wireless
systems called IMT-Advanced and as part of the 3GPP family of
technologies, it is an exciting time to see that LTE-Advanced has been
submitted," Pearson said.

3GPP addressed the IMT-Advanced requirements in a version of LTE, called
LTE-Advanced or Evolved Universal Radio Access (E-UTRA), for which
specifications could become available in 2011 through Release 10. Other
technologies will apply as candidates for IMT-Advanced technologies, such
as WiMAX in a version called Mobile WiMAX 2.0, to be specified in IEEE
802.16m.

It is expected to be mid to next decade before OFDMA-based systems like
LTE have a large percentage of subscribers, and it could be well toward
the end of the next decade before any IMT-Advanced system has a large
subscriber base. Needless to say, vendors and operators will be looking
at how to leverage and enhance current OFDMA systems like LTE and WiMAX
to meet the requirements of IMT-Advanced and future demands of mobile
broadband subscribers.

"Spectrum is the oxygen needed to fuel the successful deployment of LTE,
so success is contingent upon operators worldwide obtaining more
spectrum," Pearson added. "However, LTE will be launched in 2010 and 2011
to address the market needs over the next decade. Subsequently, operators
may deploy IMT-Advanced '4G' networks using LTE-Advanced technology."

Additional information can be found on the 3G Americas website at:

"4G" or IMT-Advanced

LTE-Advanced

Mobile WiMAX

HSPA to LTE-Advanced: 3GPP Broadband Evolution to IMT-Advanced (4G)

White Paper. Rysavy Research, September 2009

The 3GPP press release is available online at:

http://www.3gpp.org/3GPP-Partners-propose-IMT-Advanced.

Full details of the 3GPP proposal can also be downloaded from the 3GPP
website at:

RP-090736 (Cover sheet)

http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_ran/TSG_RAN/TSGR_45/Documents/RP-090736.zip

RP-090939 (3GPP Submission Package for IMT-Advanced)

http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_ran/TSG_RAN/TSGR_45/Documents/RP-090739.zip

About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology

3G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of
telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's
mission is to promote, facilitate and advocate for the deployment of the
GSM family of technologies including LTE throughout the Americas. 3G
Americas has contributed to the successful commercial rollout of GSM
across the Americas and its place as the number one technology in the
region, as well as the global adoption of EDGE. The organization aims to
develop the expansive wireless ecosystem of networks, devices, and
applications enabled by GSM and its evolution to LTE. 3G Americas is
headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, with an office for Latin America
and the Caribbean in Dallas, Texas. More information is available at
www.3gamericas.org.

Contact:
Vicki Livingston
Email Contact
+1 262 242 3458

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-