[The UWCC completes its mission of convergence and interoperability and prepares to pass the baton. ]

The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium (UWCC) has fulfilled the goals and objectives of its five-year program in support of the development and deployment of TDMA, WIN, and EDGE wireless technologies and will be concluding its Limited Liability Corporation in the near future.

The UWCC was founded in 1996 to foster the development and deployment of TDMA and WIN technologies through collaboration among more than 100 operators, equipment manufacturers, and software vendors. We later expanded our scope to develop a Third Generation (3G) option for TDMA operators and to enable seamless global communications through convergence and interoperability with GSM and WCDMA (UMTS). The UWCC Board of Governors has decided that the organization has accomplished its objectives by laying the technical foundation for cost-effective operation of TDMA networks and for their evolution to 3G systems. The UWCC counts the following among its many achievements:

- The development of UWC-136 (including EDGE) and its acceptance by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a member of the IMT-2000 3G family of standards

- The joint development, with the GSM North America Alliance, LLC, of the technical specifications for GSM-TDMA interoperability (GAIT program). These specifications formed the core component of a new global organization dedicated to creating truly global wireless interoperability -- the GSM Global Roaming Forum (GGRF)

- Implementation of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), formal working agreements and other membership status agreements with the Andean Association of Telecommunications Enterprises (ASETA), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), Inter-American Telecommunications Commission of the Organization of American States (CITEL), GGRF and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to further global roaming and interoperability

- Acceptance of the EDGE standard by the 3GPP as part of its technical development program

- Productive participation by world telecom leaders, including regulators, operators, and vendors, in five annual Global Summits and numerous international symposiums hosted by the UWCC to advance the global wireless industry

- Acceptance of the UWCC by 3GPP as a Market Representation Partner(MRP) and by ITU as an IMT-2000 3G Proponent of UWC-136

- The deployment of TDMA as the leading wireless technology in terms of operators, subscribers, and geographic coverage in the Americas

- The creation of multiple options for TDMA operators for 3G success through GSM/GPRS overlays to EDGE and WCDMA (UMTS)

Our work has brought us to a point of development for TDMA, as well as convergence with the GSM community, which effectively completes the UWCC's organizational goals. With the recent announcement of a new organization that for the first time will encompass the five technologies --TDMA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE and WCDMA (UMTS) -- in the Americas, it is time to gracefully close our doors.

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