EUROPEAN 3RD-GENERATION MOBILE SYSTEMS

Vast importance is being placed in Europe on the development of third- generation mobile telecommunications systems, since it is expected tha t mobile and personal communications will become a key driver for grow th and innovation in the next millenium as well as being a necessary b uilding block of the wireless information society. Significant progres s has been made since 1988 by a number of European Union funded R & D projects working toward the development of future generations of mobil e communication concepts, systems, and networks. The recently launched ACTS (Advanced Communications Technologies and Services) program will offer, in the period 1995-1998, service providers, communications ope rators, and equipment manufacturers greater opportunities to master an d trial mobile and personal communications services and technologies. From the user's perspective the ACTS program will strive to ensure tha t current mobile services are extended to include multimedia and broad band services, that access to services are made without regard to the underlying networks, and that convenient, lightweight, compact, and po wer-efficient terminals adapt automatically to whatever air-interface parameters are appropriate to the user's location and desired services .