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3GPP

The Third Generation Partnership Project is an association that has set itself the task of producing technical specifications and reports for a Third Generation Mobile System. The reports are intended to be globally applicable and should act as a guideline for the implementation of 3G products.

www.3gpp.org

CDMA

The CDG is an international consortium comprised of the world's leading CDMA service providers and manufacturers. Its purpose is to promote CDMA services worldwide, whilst improving the efficiency of existing services and smoothing the path for their upgrade to third generation technology.

www.cdg.org

MOBILE DATA ASSOCIATION

MDA was established in 1994 to increase awareness of mobile data among users and their advisers. As well as providing a focal point for industry participants to meet and share information on technical and business issues, the MDA actively works to promote the uses and benefits of wireless value added services through industry and business press; conferences; seminars and the maintenance of an interactive website.

www.mda-mobiledata.org

BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is made up of leaders in the telecommunications, computing and network industries. The group aims to drive development of the technology and bring it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and more than 2000 Adopter/Associate member companies.

www.bluetooth.com

EUROPEAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS INSTITUTE

Based in southern France, ETSI brings together around 800 members from 52 countries from all sections of the telecommunications industry. Its job is to develop the telecommunications standards that will be used for years to come both in Europe and abroad. ETSI produces voluntary standards, some of which may go on to be adopted by the EC as regulatory standards.

www.etsi.org

MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT FORUM

This forum intends to bring together leading personalities from the mobile entertainment sphere and give them the opportunity to meet in an open, round table environment. With six founding members, the Forum hopes to expand its membership base in order to explore the possibilities of what could prove to be the most lucrative of all wireless service sectors.

www.mobileentertainmentforum.org

RADICCHIO

Radicchio is a global partnership of companies and organisations committed to the development of secure wireless e-commerce and to the promotion of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for wireless devices and networks. Its mission is to achieve worldwide industry awareness of the opportunities presented by secure wireless e-commerce and PKI. The forum wants to enable a dynamic, global market for secure wireless e-commerce through high level regulatory process, technical collaboration and consensus among members.

www.Radicchio.org

GSM ASSOCIATION

With bases in Dublin and London, the GSMA is an international association that represents the interests of its 500 or so members, who include network operators, regulators and suppliers of infrastructure. Now 14 years old, the association meets to discuss the future of the mobile industry in terms of operating policy, research and development and emerging technologies. The GSMA prides itself on being an internationally co-operative body working to promote the success of the global telecommunications market.

www.gsmworld.com

UMTS FORUM

The UMTS Forum is a self-appointed champion of UMTS technology. Founded in 1996 and boasting 240 members drawn from across the industry, the Forum's aim is to facilitate the global transition from second to third generation mobile communications. By examining issues ranging from technical standards to business strategy, the body aims to deliver recommendations to the industry in the interests of realising the potential of UMTS. Its central office is in London.

www.umts-forum.org

GLOBAL MOBILE SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association is an advisory body for the GSM and 3G supplier industry. Open to all members of the GSM chain, with members representing 80 per cent of the global market, the GSA aims on the one hand to increase the awareness of its members on industry-related issues, and on the other to represent their views to the powers that be. In doing so the GSA seeks to promote individual members and their products, whilst furthering the industry as a whole. The Association is based in the UK.

www.gsaassociation.org

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the ITU is an international organization within which governments and the private sector coordinate global telecom networks and services. With 189 member states and over 600 sector members, it represents a wide range of organisations with an interest in telecommunications, particularly within the developing world. Hosting Africa 2001 in South Africa in November the ITU will bring together representatives of government and the telecommunications industry for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and technology.

www.itu.int

MOBILE MUSIC FORUM

Launched as recently as February this year, the MMF aims to ensure that the mobile user will have the chance to access music on his handset both cheaply and easily. The Forum does not intend to invent new technology but rather to develop existing systems and specifications. Its firm belief is that the rights of the recording artist should not be impugned but that the consumer should still be able to expect a good service. The MMF hopes to attract the input of as many parties as possible in order to produce specifications for a successful and economically viable service for the downloading of music onto mobile phones.

www.mobilemusicforum.com

GLOBAL MOBILE COMMERCE FORUM

Founded in the interests of both company and consumer, the Global Mobile Commerce Forum aims to ease the successful global uptake of mobile commerce. Members of the Forum will have the opportunity to pool ideas with other leading organisations and remain at the forefront of the emergence of m-commerce.

www.gmcforum.com

MOBEY FORUM

The Mobey Forum (pronounced Mo-bay) was set up in May 2000 and made open to financial institutions and mobile phone manufacturers. Based in Finland with 13 founder members, the Forum's target is to form work groups to investigate the possibilities of m-commerce and to encourage the financial sector to institute or develop their own m-commerce programmes.

www.mobeyforum.com

MOBILE ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS

MeT, co-founded by major handset manufacturers including Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola, is an initiative aimed at establishing a framework for secure mobile transactions and ensuring a consistent user experience no matter what the device, service or network. Its members include network operators, security vendors and systems integrators. MeT has now released its first set of specifications on mobile phone functionality for m-commerce.

www.mobiletransactions.org

MOBILE APPLICATIONS INITIATIVE

Formerly the GPRS Applications Alliance, the MAI has been reformed in order to embrace other standards besides just GPRS. Founded by Ericsson in 1999, the MAI provides developers with a platform with which to test new applications and take them to the market. Developers can use MAI's GATE, Global Application Test Environment, to estimate how their application will perform in a real network setting. MAI also offers courses at which members can receive basic or advanced technical training. Its main centres are in Sweden and California.

www.gprsworld.com

UNIVERSAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS CONSORTIUM

UWCC is a Washington-based international consortium of more than 100 wireless carriers and vendors supporting the TDMA-EDGE & WIN technology standards. They promote TDMA-EDGE & WIN as an integrated global wireless communications technology, providing operators and subscribers with a flexible, compatible service that can evolve into additional enhanced voice and data services.

www.UWCC.org

WAP FORUM

Set up with a view to promoting co-operation and growth within the wireless industry and based in the US, the Forum has over five hundred members representing 90 per cent of the handset market who have collectively developed the de facto standard for wireless information and services on mobile phones. It gives its members a mouthpiece to say how they hope to see WAP services progress.

www.wapforum.org