''Big Bang for the Buck: The Value of Communications Research''; TIA to Hold Press Conference at GLOBALCOMM™ 2006

Business Wire, May 19, 2006

GLOBALCOMM:

What:   The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) will host
        "Big Bang for the Buck: The Value of Communications Research,"
        a press conference to discuss the need for federally funded
        basic research in communications.  This event, sponsored by
        TIA's Communications Research Division (CRD), also will
        examine how ICT basic research is currently funded in the
        United States compared to other nations; the importance of
        President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative, which
        calls for increased basic research funding for the physical
        sciences and improvements in math and science education; and
        promising research areas that could provide industry
        innovations in the next decade if funding were prioritized.

        Communications research is the principal source of fundamental
        advances in the digital technologies powering vital U.S.
        defense and homeland security capabilities.  Yet, for fiscal
        year 2007, only 0.3 percent of the $137.2 billion in total
        federal research and development funding requested was
        budgeted for large-scale networking research and development,
        of which communications research is a part.  To remedy this
        troubling statistic, TIA is recommending that communications
        basic research funding be prioritized so that advances in
        strategic areas such as universal broadband, networking
        security and architectures, interoperable mobility, homeland
        security and nanotechnology can be accelerated.

Who:    Matthew J. Flanigan, President, TIA; and technologists from
        seven global communications giants, specifically Frank Ou, VP
        of Engineering, ANDA Networks; Jake MacLeod, Principal VP and
        CTO, Bechtel Telecommunications; Madhu Singh, VP - Telecom
        Group, Global Consultants Inc.; Rod Alferness, Senior VP,
        Research, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies; Anil Kripalani,
        Senior VP, QUALCOMM; Adam Drobot, President & CTO, Advanced
        Technology Services, Telcordia Technologies; and Bill Noll,
        CTO and Senior VP, Engineering, Westell

When:   Monday, June 5, 2006,
        2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

Where:  GLOBALCOMM(TM) 2006, N427D (Level 4 in the South Building)
        McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.

RSVP:   Please RSVP to Jennifer Mead, (703) 907-7723,
        jmead@tiaonline.org

About TIA

TIA is the leading trade association for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. As owner and producer of GLOBALCOMM(TM), TIA represents global ICT suppliers and their service provider and enterprise customers through its leadership in standards development, domestic and international policy advocacy, and facilitating member business opportunities. TIA represents the communications sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Visit us at http://www.tiaonline.org.

About the TIA Communications Research Division

The TIA Communications Research Division's (CRD) mission is to ensure that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a world leader in advanced research; provide expert advice to the government and to TIA on the status and impact of research and technology on the communications industry; and educate the public on the importance of communications research as a foundation for communications products and services. For more information about the CRD's priorities, see http://www.tiaonline.org/policy/committees/communications.cfm.> About GLOBALCOMM(TM)

GLOBALCOMM(TM) is a trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The Next-Generation Communications Marketplace and Summit will take place June 4-8, 2006, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA, with exhibits open from Monday, June 5 through Wednesday, June 7. Visit www.globalcomm2006.com.