Mr
Erkki Liikanen Member of
the European Commission, responsible for
Ladies and
gentlemen,
It is a pleasure
to be here today at the inauguration of the Center
for Teleinfrastructure. The research efforts that you
will undertake at this Center at
European
Leadership in
Some fifteen
years ago,
The basis for
this success lies in the universally adopted GSM standard developed by ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute,
with the support of the European Commission. This allowed for interoperability
between networks, handsets and services. GSM's evolving nature also enabled GSM
to answer to evolving market requirements increasingly focusing on data.
The GSM
technology has helped the European mobile communications industry to develop,
expand and gain a foothold on a global scale. Some examples of this are Vodafone's operations in Asia and the
Key Issues to be
Addressed
However, there
are new challenges facing the mobile communications sector that need to be
addressed. The early launches of 3G networks and services in Asia and in the
In order for
One of the key
issues is interoperability. We need interoperability between the different
networks, handsets and services. However, the Wideband CDMA
(Code-Division Multiple Access) standard gives the mobile operators the
possibility to optimise their own networks against handsets and services. The
potential side-effect is that interoperability between different networks may
in turn suffer.
The users have
little interest in the underlying technology. They want to have the services
delivered across a seamless environment.
The current new
regulatory framework must respect the continuous convergence between the
audio-visual, IT and telecoms sector. Regulation
should also stimulate competition between the various platforms delivering the
content to the end users.
Interoperability
and Standardisation
In October last
year, a meeting with CEOs from the major mobile
communications companies in
Earlier this
month we met again. The CEOs handed me a report with
a set of recommendations that addressed the challenges facing the sector.
The members of
this meeting that we in "Commission-speak" call "The mobile
communications and technology platform" emphasised the need to ensure
early interoperability of new generation networks, both between networks and
between mobile handsets and other end-user devices. All players in the new
"mobile" value chain have a commercial incentive to achieve
end-to-end interoperability including the network and device interface. At the
same time, competitive differentiation of applications and services is allowed.
If the European
Union is to regain the lead that it achieved in GSM technology, bodies such as ETSI and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
must find effective ways to keep up with technological evolution and to
streamline mechanisms to achieve network and device interoperability. This task
lies primarily with European industry who should meet end-user demand for
interoperability by defining a 'profile' of functions needed.
The European
Union can assist in funding specific measures under the Sixth Research
Framework Programme and is prepared to do so, based on proposals from industry.
This might include the possibility of Community funding of interoperability
testing facilities.
EU's Research
Programme
In the recently
launched European Union Sixth Research Framework Programme, the European Union
will spend a total of 3.6 billion euros on Information Society Technologies (IST). A significant amount is dedicated to mobile
communications technologies.
In order to
ensure concentration of effort and achieving critical mass, the Information
Society Technologies work programme for 2003-2004 is focussed on a limited set
of so-called "Strategic Objectives" that are essential for realising the
IST in the goals of the Sixth Framework Programme.
These objectives
cover, for example, technology components, integrated systems and pull-through
applications. When identifying these technologies we had certain aims:
·
One of the aims was to reinforce European strengths
in areas where it has established industrial and technology leadership: This is
the case, for example, in mobile and wireless communications.
·
Another aim was to overcome weaknesses in areas that
are critical for European competitiveness and for addressing societal
challenges: This is the case for example, in the area of generic software and
computing systems and in content development tools.
·
We also aimed to ensure the co-evolution of technology and
applications so that technology advances are exploitable in innovative products
and services. Particular attention will be paid to users' needs and to
usability and accessibility of technologies and applications.
In the first call
for proposals under Information Society Technologies, we focused, among other
objectives, on "
As many of you
today here are probably aware,
Later this year,
we will launch new IST projects resulting from the
second call with the Community funding worth over 500 million euros. One of the
targets will be to strengthen
Technologies that
will bring broadband to every home and every business will also be supported.
The
The CEO meeting, the Mobile Communications and Technology
Platform, which I referred to earlier, stressed that if mobile communications
is to continue its success, improvements are needed in the way standards are
set and interoperability is achieved.
The CEOs stressed the importance of boosting research and
development in mobile and wireless communications and committed themselves to
preparing a suggestion for a strategic research agenda for the forthcoming EU Seventh Research Framework Programme.
In December 2003,
the Commission presented a report to the European Council entitled
"Initiative for Growth", which mentions a set of projects in the
context of the so-called Quick-Start action programme. This programme intends
to make the best use of dedicated funds such as the Sixth Research Framework
Programme.
According to the
Growth Initiative, a Mobile Communications and Technologies Project would be
developed through a Mobile Communication Technology Platform starting in 2004
and ending in 2006. We will now include the recommendations from the CEOs into this Platform and especially those related to
research and development activities. The Growth Initiative stressed two
research areas for the Mobile Project: firstly, a large-scale distributed
mobile interoperability testing, and secondly, evolution of current mobile
systems beyond 3G.
Conclusions
In order to
maintain
The European Union
is doing its share by providing a research budget that meets these demands, and
an appropriate legal framework that promotes investment.
A focus on
services and innovative applications, coupled with an appropriate
communications network, will drive the development of the communications sector
forward. With higher transmission speeds thanks to new advanced technologies
like broadband and 3G, the demand for improved network infrastructures arises.
And in order to realise these improvements, research is at the centre.
Your focus on
systems beyond 3G as the continuation of today's broadband and 3G networks and
services will pave the way for the Information Society of the future.
With initiatives
such as this Center for TeleInFrastructure,
I am confident that
Thank you for
your attention.