Europe : The 22nd meeting of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Working Party 8F (WP 8F) in Kyoto, Japan reached a significant milestone in its work when it forwarded for approval a new terrestrial radio interface for IMT-2000, "OFDMA TDD WMAN" as a specific subset of WiMAX. This new terrestrial radio interface complements the existing family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces and is in direct response to the demands of ITU Members to address the continuously growing wireless marketplace.

WP 8F has delivered a number of key Recommendations and Reports that update and expand the family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces, establish the foundation for IMT-Advanced, and call for additional spectrum for IMT. It has woven together a definition, a recipe, and a roadmap foreseeing the future beyond 3G that is comprised of a balance between a market and services view, a technology view, and a spectrum view. Along with regulatory aspects, these are the key elements for business success in the wireless industry, and ITU-R continues to deliver value to industry and government.

Working under a mandate to address "systems beyond 3G", WP 8F progressed from delivering an initial vision to establishing a name for the future (IMT-Advanced) and set out principles for the process of development of IMT-Advanced. These deliverables stimulated research and development activities worldwide, spawned ideas on potential technologies, and promoted views on spectrum required to address a rapidly growing wireless world.

ITU is the internationally recognized entity chartered to produce an official definition of the next generation of wireless technologies. A full set of documentation for this definition will be released shortly. During 2008 and 2009, there will be an open call for candidates for IMT-Advanced to be submitted to ITU, as well as the start of assessment activities of candidate technologies and systems. Services provided using IMT-Advanced could be commercially available as early as 2011 subject to market demand.

About ITU

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems.