A total of 26 mobile phone heavyweights, including operators and equipment makers, have reportedly reached an agreement to jointly develop a standard for next-generation mobile technology. Dubbed Super 3G, the new technology enables transmission speeds more than ten times faster than those of current 3G services, reaching 30 to 100 megabits per second.

The group, comprised of companies from different countries, includes operators such as NTT DoCoMo, Vodafone Group, Cingular Wireless, and China Mobile. Participating equipment makers include NEC, Alcatel, and Siemens.

By forming a unified standard for Super 3G technology, the group is aiming to launch the advanced services globally by 2009 at the earliest. Participants are expected to draw up specifications by June 2007 prior to further development of services and equipment.

Super 3G services are also seen by players as a new driving force for market growth. As the advanced services feature faster transmission, demand will likely surge for handsets with larger size LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels. The universal standard will also allow subscribers of different operators to experience better interconnections between services. Additionally, once handset specifications are unified, handset makers will be able to reduce cost significantly through mass production.