In response to queries from would-be bidding consortia, the UK Department of Trade & Industry has issued supplementary notes on applications for Personal Communications Networks licences. The notes largely address issues arising from the choice between the pan-European digital cellular radio standard, Groupe Speciale Mobile – GSM – and the Digital European Cordless Telecommunications standard – DECT. The question of technology affects such things as the date at which a service could be started, the market to be targeted, competition between Personal Nets and cellular or Telepoint services, and the reception of Personal Communication Networks on the continent. However, the Department’s initial consultation, Phones on the Move, established that proponents of DECT and GSM were almost equally numbered, and in reponse to queries about deviations from both, it has made several recommendations. The Personal Communication Network standard is to be as similar to GSM or DECT standards as is possible, and any changes should accommodate the components and sub-assemblies developed for GSM or DECT. Backward compatibility to facilitate the development of multi-function portable terminals is also desirable, and interfaces must be public ones to which suppliers can manufacture equipment. However, the Department may allow changes either to ensure the economic viablity of the Networks, or to take account of the difference in propagation characteristics. No decision has been made on inter-system roaming – using the same terminal or phone on more than one network – but its likely that terminals should be able to re-register on another network, and proposals based on a combination of technologies in the same network will be considered. The Department wants the Personal Networks to be in service by the early 1990s, despite the fact neither GSM nor DECT are mature technologies, and changes should be made within this period, and approved by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. Any standardisation work will have to be largely self-financed, although the Department promises that it will facilitate such efforts as far as it is able.
