The Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance has joined 3GPP as a Market Representation Partner. With its high level representation from the world’s leading operators and manufacturers, NGMN will support 3GPP to ensure that mobile broadband services continue to meet the expectations of end users.

The Partnership Agreement was signed in a ceremony at the recent 3GPP Project Coordination Group meeting in San Diego with Standards Organisations (ARIB, ATIS, CCSA, ETSI, TTA, TTC) and other 3GPP Market Representation Partners. In its role as Market Representation Partner, the NGMN Alliance will give advice to 3GPP and will contribute to 3GPP standardisation activities in the future.

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Peter Meissner, Operating Officer of the NGMN Alliance, stated:

“The NGMN Alliance is happy to support 3GPP as a Market Representation Partner. Our contributions to 3GPP have always been based on NGMN’s strong experience in mobile broadband. As a Market Representation Partner, NGMN will add its support to the common objective of all 3GPP partners - to achieve a consensus view on the market requirements for services in the scope of 3GPP.”

As Head of the 3GPP Mobile Competence Centre of 3GPP, Adrian Scrase welcomed the NGMN Alliance as a powerful addition to the Partnership, he said:

“The membership of the NGMN Alliance matches well the 3GPP constituency, adding a level of strategic vision that will surely help our specifications to fully meet the needs of the next generation of mobile networks.”

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This text was issued jointly by 3GPP and NGMN Alliance as a press release, 10th May 2011This text was issued jointly by 3GPP and NGMN Alliance as a press release, 10th May 2011

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About NGMN AllianceAbout NGMN Alliance

The NGMN Alliance was founded by leading international mobile network operators in 2006. Its goal is to ensure that the standards for next generation network infrastructure, service platforms and devices will meet the requirements of operators and, ultimately, will satisfy end user demand and expectations.
The objective of the initial phase of NGMN with working groups on Technology, Spectrum, IPR, Ecosystem, and Trials was to enable the launch of commercial services in 2010.

After having successfully reached this milestone, the NGMN Alliance now addresses the challenges of network deployment, operations, and interworking. Furthermore, the NGMN Alliance will drive and guide the development of all future mobile broadband technology enhancements focusing on LTE & EPC and its evolution. The targets of this work programme are supported by the strong and well-established partnership of worldwide leading operators, vendors, and successful co-operations with other industry organisations. For further information visit www.ngmn.org

About 3GPP

Created in 1998, The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) unites telecommunications standards bodies from Asia, Europe and North America.
The scope of 3GPP is to produce Specifications for a Mobile System based on evolved GSM core networks and the radio access technologies that they support. To ensure backward compatibility, the 3GPP scope also includes the maintenance and development of the base GSM Specifications to ensure that they are optimised to give the best possible user experience on legacy mobile networks.
Recent success with the creation of LTE and Systems Architecture Evolution (SAE) Specifications has made 3GPP the focal point for Mobile Broadband systems and a genuine contender as ‘the’ point of convergence for future Specifications for mobile networks.