Multimedia communications: research, standardisation and regulation, hand in hand

The evolution of 2nd to 3rd generation mobile communication systems is requiring a totally new approach to the development of services and applications. The applications are moving from speech to interactive multimedia and broadband services. The driving forces are a merging of technology, politics, and market demands. Success of this development is dependent on a close co-operation of manufacturers, the research community, regulators, and the standardisation bodies. The lack of a common understanding of the issues amongst them might be a problem. This paper addresses the different roles of the players and discusses the needs and possibilities for creating a fruitful environment suitable for deployment of broadband multimedia communications.