A European view on the transition path toward advanced mobile systems

The article gives a view on the evolution of personal communications toward a next-generation global system, or family of systems, based on the concepts of universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS)in Europe and the future public land mobile telecommunications systems (FPLMTS) within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Based on the experience acquired in developing GSM, the digital cellular system standardized in Europe in the late '80s, it focuses on a possible evolutionary path which would provide a smooth transition from GSM to FPLMTS. In doing so, it stresses the importance of an evolutionary network platform.<
>