First Conference on PHS in Europe Held in London


Organised by the Centre for EuroTelecoms, a division of AIC conferences, and supported by the PHS MoU Group, the first "PHS in Europe" conference attracted regulators, operators and manufacturers from 13 countries. This important event addressed the key issues faced by companies wishing to introduce PHS in Europe: Will PHS be licensed by governments and regulators? Will frequencies be available for public applications? How will PHS compete in established GSM and DECT markets? What is the impact of PHS/GSM dual mode services?

PHS in London took place on 17-19 September, 1997. Conference highlights included keynote speeches by Dr. Hiroshi Ishikawa, chairperson of the PHS MoU Group, and by Arne Bornsen, Vice President of the German regulator, who spoke in favour of technology competition and the introduction of PHS to European markets. Delegates benefitted from case studies from all three PHS operators in Japan. The event was highly interactive, with the audience showing great interest in PHS technology and the experiences of the speakers.
The delegates were impressed by the compact, high-performance, latest products of PHS phones and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), analysis of the 7 million subscriber base which has created the new demand, and so on.
PHS in Europe was preceeded by an intensive technical briefing where PHS and DECT were compared with cordless applications of GSM and DCS1800. Delegates and speakers agreed that the minor technical differences PHS and DECT were outweighed by political factors and the market predomininance of GSM in Europe. It was also suggested that the best solution for PHS and DECT would be to target different market sectors, rather than compete head-on.
Concluding the conference, Dr Morbitzer asked: Will PHS succeed in Europe? The critical success factors are:
  • Obtaining frequencies for PHS in Europe, which could include a portion of UMTS spectrum;
  • Alternatively, it would be necessary to assign new spectrum for PHS in Europe;
  • Obtaining type approval would depend on obtaining support from European industry;
  • Pricing and packaging PHS differently from both DECT and GSM;
  • Getting PHS products rapidly to market in Europe.

Will PHS succeed in Europe? The answer will be revealed at future conferences.