Conway says cooperate - World News - GSM operators - Brief Article

CommunicationsWeek International, Feb 4, 2002

GSM operators will enforce unprecedented cooperation on mobile data services at their 3GSM World Congress in Cannes this month. "Getting agreement on...critical pathway services is priority number one," said Robert Conway (above), chief executive of the GSM Association, in London. Conway said he has spoken with 15 to 18 chief executives of mobile network operators around the world to get their consensus on standardizing service platforms and application interfaces.

"There's a danger that as we move into third-generation [services] we have too many [players, and] all pull in their own direction," Conway said. He added that operators won't tolerate landgrabs by proprietary technology holders like Microsoft and Nokia, both of which are building extensive developer forums of their own.

The payoff will come early, said Conway, as operators improve global roaming for GPRS. "There's going to really be a major takeup...in the second half of this year," said Conway.

Last month, the GSM Association helped broker a roaming agreement between Bouygues and Korea Freetel in time for the World Cup. "[And] we are beginning discussions on an aftermarket for spectrum trading," he added.