NEW YORK-Some 32 nations, companies and professional organizations have become initial signatories of an agreement to facilitate deployment of new global satellite systems by joining the International Telecommunication Union Memorandum of Understanding on Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite.
Earlier this month, the signatories met in Geneva to discuss and approve the memorandum, which covers the arrangements for facilitating deployment of GMPCS terminals through simplified licensing, type approval and customs regulations.
A draft was formulated in October at the ITU World Telecommunications Policy Forum, where more than 1,000 delegates from 128 countries debated the regulatory and policy issues related to the new kinds of satellite systems scheduled to go into service during the next five years. Many of the world’s leading telecommunications companies are involved in development of these systems, which promise to deliver seamless global telephone, fax and data services.
Among the initial participants were: AT&T Corp., Globalstar, Hyundai Electronics Industries, Inmarsat, Iridium L.L.C., Loral Space and Communications Ltd., Orbcomm, Samsung Electronics, Satphone Telecommunications Services Ltd. and the Telecommunications Industry Association.
The first group of signatories will meet again in June in Geneva to work out details of the agreement. Further information is available on the ITU’s Web site at http: www.itu.int.
