Editorial of the Chairman

Dear Members of the DECT Forum,

I am foreseeing a very busy year 2009 with a lot of activities in the home and enterprise communication industry. The DECT Forum, the industry association would like to inform you about the most important topics and highlight relevant information with this DECT Forum Newsletter. This is the first edition in 2009 and we will continue to communicate DECT Forum issues quarterly from now on.
I hope you will find this Newsletter helpful in order to be on track with latest news of our industry.

Kind regards,
Erich Kamperschroer

The Wireless World of CAT-iq - Movie Now Online

2 days in February: Amsterdam was the stage for the wireless world of CAT-iq. 120 delegates of the home and enterprise communication industry from all over the world discussed at the 13th DECT CAT-iq Conference future developments of DECT and CAT-iq. One major topic of the 2009 program was the award ceremony for the winners of the first international CAT-iq Design Competition presenting innovative design studies for communication devices of the future. The movie "The Wireless World of CAT-iq", produced in cooperation between the DECT Forum and Incisor TV, highlights the most exciting moments of the convention and shows the almost unlimited opportunities of CAT-iq for brilliant voice communication in the home. Please go to the DECT Forum websites and watch the movie at www.dect.org and www.cat-iq.org.

DECT CAT-iq World Conference 2010 in Amsterdam

The next DECT CAT-iq Conference - organised by the DECT Forum and Informa - will take place on February 2-3, 2010 again at the Barbizon Palace in Amsterdam. Please put the dates of this important and global event of the DECT CAT-iq communication industry in your diary now. Amsterdam as an important hub in Europe guarantees easy access from all over the world and the nice and convenient location of the Barbizon Palace in the vibrant heart of Amsterdam was very much appreciated by 2009 delegates. See you again in Amsterdam in 2010.

CEO Roundtable 2010

The roundtable of CEOs and executives of DECT Forum member companies has become a traditional part of the DECT CAT-iq conferences. In its 4th year the CEO roundtable will take place on February 2, 2010. "The DECT Forum is glad to host this event again in 2010", says DECT Forum Chairman Erich Kamperschroer. "This is an excellent opportunity to discuss strategic questions and challenges of the industry with a high level of top executives." Invitations for the 2010 roundtable will be distributed to participants personally in the second half of 2009.

Awarded CAT-iq Design Studies

For those who could not meet the winners of the CAT-iq Design Competition in person in Amsterdam and who are interested in the results of the CAT-iq design studies, please go to the document section of the DECT Forum website to download the graphics at www.cat-iq.org. DECT Forum members may use the studies for promotion purposes, but notify please that the IP rights remain with the inventors. The DECT Forum Secretariat is at your disposal for any questions.

Milestone - CAT-iq 2.0 Certification

The DECT Forum has set up a certification program for CAT-iq 2.0 and further releases to meet operator needs for full interoperability of products from different manufacturers. "We are full on track with the certification and the development of the test equipment", says Sabine Schulze, Head of the CAT-iq Working Group of the DECT Forum. "I am therefore expecting that CAT-iq manufacturers will start to certify their products in autumn 2009. This is a significant milestone for the market deployment of CAT-iq 2.0 devices."

Securing DECT Frequencies in The European Union

One of the most important aims of the DECT Forum is to secure future access to already granted spectrum. The European Commission reviews its current spectrum decisions at regular intervals. Presently the decision ERC/DEC/(94)03 on spectrum for DECT is under review. Parts of the text in this document were relevant from year 1994, and should be amended to reflect the current situation. The document shall also be aligned with a standard format used in more resent ERC decisions. One of the new requirements is "Technology neutrality", unless otherwise justified. People familiar with the various DECT applications, its unique technology and its markets, know that DECT is a justified case for not applying "technology neutrality". DECT Forum contributes to this update with information, collaborates with ETSI TC DECT and will be represented by DECT Forum CTO Dag Akerberg at the next ECC PT1 meeting in April 2009, where a coordinated approach to the EU Commission will be presented. For more information please contact the Secretariat.

DECT 6.0 USA and Regions

DECT 6.0 Interference Free Communication - is a great success story in the USA. DECT 6.0 is a registered trademark of the DECT Forum and available in the USA. DECT Forum supports with this trademark its full members who have used the DECT 6.0 trademark to their advantage in USA. Launched in 2006 DECT 6.0 has reached a value share of 65% in the US market and is still growing. DECT 6.0 is also available to full members and their appointed distributors in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. Further extension of the DECT 6.0 trademark to Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay is in evaluation. Please contact the Secretariat for any questions regarding regional trademark issues.

Indian Subsection Drives DECT Allocation

An Indian subsection of the DECT Forum is being created with own "Articles of Association" but strictly related to and aligned with the DECT Forum "Articles of Association". A well-reputed Indian Chairman and a Secretariat will represent DECT Forum India. "The aim is to promote the DECT Forum India Chapter goals among relevant Indian decision makers, specifically the goal of convincing the telecommunication regulators to grant spectrum for the DECT, CAT-iq and DECT WLL standard and technology, and harmonise the local spectrum allocation to internationally accepted norms", says Dag Akerberg, CTO and Chairman of the Regulatory Working Group. Companies who would like to join the Indian subsection as local members please contact the DECT Forum.

DECT Forum Market Forecast

After a confident market forecast for CAT-iq handsets and gateways in 2008 the Working Group will kick-off to discuss and develop further market forecast studies in 2009. "Full members and in particular manufacturers of DECT and CAT-iq products are invited to actively participate in the Working Group", says Ruth Wilson, Chairperson of the WG. Please visit the DECT Forum website's event schedule for next meetings or contact the Secretariat.

News from General Assembly 2009

Some important decisions from the General Assembly of the DECT Forum:

• The membership termination period has been changed from 90 to 60 days prior to the end of a calendar year. Membership changes, for instance termination or downgrade, have to be notified in writing to the Secretariat by October 31 (of a calendar year) at the latest.
• After more than 10 years of unchanged membership fee the GA has decided to slightly increase membership fees with
  effect of 2010:
  Full membership: 17,650 CHF
  Associate membership: 3,000 CHF
• Security issues: widely reported in the German media, the GA has decided to fully support the DF Board in responding to these issues, including the dialogue with the researchers. For any questions please contact Roel Ottink, the Chairman of the Security Working Group, or the Secretariat.

DECT Forum Organisation

On the DECT Forum website you can find an overview of the DECT Forum organisation with all relevant contacts. If you are looking for a Working Group or the contact persons for membership issues, please visit: http://www.dect.org/content.aspx?id=54

Face-to-Face

Albert Zanettin, DECT Forum Board member and representing Philips, will leave the Board at the end of March 2009. Wilhelm Pschill will follow Alberto as Board member for Philips. The entire DECT Forum team would like to thank Alberto for his great engagement, his creativity and long-term contribution to the DECT Forum. We wish Alberto all the best in his "new life" in Southern France!

Latest Hot News - New CAT-ig Logos and DECT in Japan

• The new additional logos indicating and describing CAT-iq versions 1.0 - 3.0 are now available for download at the DECT Forum website's document section. Please note that full members can only use the logos. Full members and their distributors have to sign a licence agreement to use the logos and the labels. For more information please contact the Secretariat.
• Workshop on DECT allocation in Japan: a delegation of the DECT Forum, represented by full members Infineon and Panasonic, has met with the Japanese Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and local operator Willcom to discuss options of DECT allocation in Japan. The result of the meeting with these authorities was very positive and the discussion will be continued. For more information please contact the Secretariat.

Welcome!

• Deutsche Telekom AG (Jens Johann)
• Snom AG (Ahmar Ghaffar)