Leading mobile operators have joined forces to develop a common vision for mobile networks and technology that will take the industry beyond the HSPA & EVDO roadmaps.

The mobile operators are China Mobile, KPN, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) initiative provides a vision for technology evolution beyond 3G for the competitive delivery of broadband wireless services. The objective is to establish performance targets, fundamental recommendations and deployment scenarios for a future wide area mobile broadband network.

The initiative, which will work alongside existing standards bodies, will seek to shape the development and standardisation of the next generation of mobile technologies. With a strong emphasis on practicality, the group has specified that the evolutionary path should focus on existing infrastructure and spectrum allocation, in order to develop a platform for creating new and innovative services.

Under its recommendations, the NGMN initiative has outlined a series of features that will help to guide mobile networks beyond current HSPA & EVDO technologies while delivering competitive services in line with customer demand. The guiding principles include but are not limited to: high levels of data throughput alongside low levels of latency; low operation and maintenance costs; compatibility with legacy networks; support of high levels of authentication and security.

“As major players within the industry and heavy consumers of mobile broadband infrastructure, we believe that the future of mobile networks should be determined by a mix of technical and performance standards,” said Thomas Geitner, the current Chairman of NGMN Ltd.

“We are convinced that by drawing on our combined experience and commercial insight as operators, we will be able to bring a whole new perspective to the debate and continue to ensure that we give our customers exactly what they want,” he continued.

In order to further the objectives of NGMN within a recognised and accepted legal framework, the mobile operators have created a limited UK company called “NGMN Limited”.