Setting the Regulatory Framework for the Next Generation Radio Technologies

Phoenix, July 21, 2008 – On October 29, 2008, as part of the SDR 08 Technical Conference and Product Exposition “SDR 2.0 - Entering the Mainstream” being held in Washington, D.C., the SDR Forum will host a workshop to explore the regulatory challenges inherent in software defined and cognitive radio and look at ways for better regulating the technology to benefit both the industry and the end-users the industry serves.

“The participation of recognized experts in the regulation of advanced wireless technologies in this workshop will provide clarity to the SDR Forum’s members and guests on a number of regulatory areas that impact the advance of next generation radio,” said Bernie Eydt, Chair of the SDR Forum Regulatory Committee. “Through this workshop, we hope to define ways in which those regulations could evolve to improve the ability of software developers, network operators and radio manufacturers to support the needs of end-users.”

There will be three sessions in this day-long workshop. The morning session will feature a discussion moderated by Eydt entitled “SDR 2.0 Certification and Accreditation: Do existing processes need reform?” This session will focus on how industry will adapt to new technological capabilities and how this will impact future certification and accreditation processes. Eydt will also lead the second session entitled “Pointing the finger: How should governments assign liability to promote the success of next generation radio technology.”

The final session of the day will be a panel discussion moderated by Lee Pucker, CEO of the SDR Forum, on “What Should the Incoming US Administration Do To Promote The Success of Next Generation Radio Technology.” This discussion will focus on how the upcoming change in U.S. administration will be critical to the advancement of next generation technology.

Participants in this workshop will include:

Dr. Klaus Moessner, Senior Research Fellow in Mobile Communications in the Centre for Communication Systems Research, The University of Surrey, UK and creator of the “SDR Responsibility Chain” concept
Dr. Dale Hatfield, Adjunct Professor in the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and former Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission
Dr. William Scott, General Dynamics C4S and Chair of the SDR Forum Security Work group
Dr. Jung-Min "Jerry" Park, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech
Dr. Shu Kato, Professor at Tohoku University and Program Coordinator at NICT
Dr. John Chapin, Chief Scientist at Vanu, Inc. and Chair of the SDR Forum
Bruce Oberlies, Senior Director of Advanced Technology and Strategy, Motorola
Jennifer Warren, Senior Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Bernard Eydt, Chair, SDR Forum Regulatory Committee, and Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton
Peter Tenhula, Vice President and General Counsel, Shared Spectrum Company

This workshop is one of many topics on the agenda for SDR '08 Technical Conference and Exhibition which will be held in Washington on October 26 - 30th and will include keynote presentations from Dr. Ron Jost, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3, Space & Spectrum, Bill Maheu, Senior Director, Qualcomm Government Technologies and Rajendra Singh, Senior Regulatory Specialist, World Bank.

The annual event is a highlight on the wireless industry event calendar bringing together high caliber speakers and attendees from around the world across commercial, government and civil organizations including operators, manufacturers, developers, regulatory agencies, and academia. Sponsored by GE Fanuc, General Dynamics, Harris, Motorola, PrismTech, Xilinx, and ZeligSoft, additional information on keynotes, panel discussions and workshops will be announced shortly.

For further information and updates on the conference, please visit www.sdrforum.org/sdr08/index.html

About the SDR Forum™

Established in 1996, the SDR Forum™ is a non-profit international industry association dedicated to promoting the success of next generation radio technologies. The Forum's 100-strong membership comprises world class technical, business and government leaders from EMEA, Asia and the Americas who are passionate about creating a revolution in wireless communications based on reconfigurable radio. Forum members span commercial, defense and civil government organizations at all levels of the wireless value chain and include service providers, operators, manufacturers, developers, regulatory agencies, and academia. SDR Forum is the only organization in the world dedicated to serving the industry's needs through advocacy, opportunity development, commercialization and education. The SDR Forum's administrative office is headquartered in Phoenix. For more information, please visit www.sdrforum.org