"Europe strengthens research links with Asia"
London (ots) - With 3G mobile in commercial service in Japan since October 2001, an important focus for Asia over the past year has become the future evolution of mobile communications. 'Mobile IT' is seen in Asia as a key future market, with estimates of potential revenue in Japan alone exceeding 42 trillion Yen over the decade 2001-2011 [reference 1] and with China, Japan and Korea all funding research to grow their industry.
As a direct result of a DTI-supported technology mission to Japan on future mobile communications in April this year [reference 2], research links between Europe and Japan are being strengthened this week, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK-based Virtual Centre of Excellence in Mobile & Personal Communications (Mobile VCE) and Yokosuka Research Park (YRP). YRP is a science park tasked with promoting research and development of mobile telecommunications technologies. Mobile VCE is an industry-steered international research organization developing innovative concepts and technological solutions relating to mobile and personal communications and adjacent technologies.
On behalf of Mobile VCE, Dr Walter Tuttlebee, Executive Director, Dr Keith Baughan, Chairman, and Mr Alec Brooks, Company Secretary, will sign the Memorandum of Understanding. YRP signatories are Professor Dr Mitsutoshi Hatori and Mr Akio Motai, respectively Chairman and President of YRP R&D Promotion Committee, and Mr Hideo Sawada, President of Yokosuka Telecom Research Park, Inc. and Mayor of Yokosuka City.
The Memorandum of Understanding will facilitate mutual cooperation with a view to exchange of information and research personnel, and a range of joint activities relating to research, marketing of technologies, events, public relations and business introductions.
Yokosuka Research Park
Yokosuka Research Park, which became operational in October 1997 after ten years of concept formulation and planning efforts, is an international mobile communications research site, today housing some 6000 scientists and engineers from over 60 research organizations from various parts of the world.
Yokosuka Research Park R&D Committee, a predecessor of the YRP R&D Promotion Committee, was established to promote R&D at YRP at the time of the research park's opening. Its membership comprises 120 world telecom-related companies and organizations, and it performs various activities aimed at providing support to research.
Mobile VCE
Mobile VCE is a not-for-profit company, founded in 1996, whose members represent an industry-academic partnership of over 35 organisations, including global wireless industry players and the UK's leading universities in mobile communications. With a mission of industry-led, long-term, high-quality innovation, aimed at facilitating the growth of the mobile communications business, Mobile VCE has developed an international reputation for its research, which is available for exploitation royalty free by its industrial members. Industrial Steering Groups oversee its research programmes in strategic areas of wireless industry development, including wireless access, internetworking and security, inter alia.
Mobile VCE's membership is open to small and large companies from all parts of the value chain and all countries and include mobile operators (eg Hutchison 3G, Orange, O2, SK Telecom, T-Mobile, Vodafone), infrastructure manufacturers (eg Fujitsu, Lucent, Nortel, Siemens) and handset manufacturers (Matsushita, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba), as well as players from adjacent industries such as broadcasting (BBC, Crown Castle, NTL) and satellite communications (Inmarsat).
[Reference 1] Report from the Committee of Future Mobile Communications Systems of the Telecommunications Council, Japan, June 25th 2001, page 11.
[Reference 2] "Japan's Vision for a Wireless World", GlobalWatch, October 2002, published by the UK Government, Department of Trade & Industry's International Technology Service, pages 12-13.
About The Virtual Centre of Excellence in Mobile & Personal Communications (Mobile VCE)
Established in 1996, Mobile VCE operates at the interface between the wireless telecommunications industry and relevant academia. Reflecting the nature of its industrial members, the vision of Mobile VCE is global and its research internationally recognised. It is in process of establishing new linkages with similar research organisations, such as this one with YRP, in Asia and in North America.
Mobile VCE's membership currently comprise the following companies - BBC, Crown Castle International, Degree2 Innovations, Fujitsu, Hutchison 3G, Independent Television Commission, Inmarsat, Lucent, Matsushita, Motorola, NEC, Nortel, Nokia, NTL, O2, Orange, Philips, the UK's mobile regulator the Radiocommunications Agency, Samsung, Siemens, SK Telecom, Sony, T-Mobile, Tality, Texas Instruments, Thales, Toshiba, Vodafone - and the following universities - Bradford, Bristol, Edinburgh, Kings College London, Royal Holloway College, Southampton, Strathclyde and Surrey.
About Yokosuka Research Park (YRP) -
Yokosuka Research Park has been actively seeking cooperation with overseas science parks involved in research and development of IT through overseas surveys or international conferences. In the past two years YRP has signed similar agreements with several science parks and IT research organizations in Asia, North America and elsewhere Europe.
ots Original Text Service: mobile VCE
Internet: http://www.presseportal.de
For further information, please contact:
Mobile VCE:
Dr. Walter Tuttlebee, Executive Director, Mobile VCE
TEL +44 (0)1256 338604
FAX +44 (0)1256 316589
E-mail: jennyj@mobilevce.com
YRP
Hideo Sekiguchi, Secretary General, Yokosuka Research Park Promotion Society
TEL +81 (0)468-47-5008
FAX +81 (0)468-47-5010
E-mail: Kamimura@yrp.co.jp
Web: http://www.yrp.co.jp/en/
The Virtual Centre of Excellence in Mobile & Personal Communications