Table of Contents
1. An unpromising start
Mobile phones are commonplace now. In the 1970's they were associated in the public's mind with Rolls Royce cars. Not without reason.
2. UK Seeds of the new beginning
I had only just came to the DTI from the Home Office where I had been responsible for planning the mobile radio services of a large number of English police forces and fire brigades.
3. Getting the UK’s industrial act together
The French and German governments invited their national industries to put forward proposals for their collaborative field trials. The governments were to pay 100% of the R&D (Research and Development) costs.
4. The tripartite agreement on digital cellular radio
In 1984 and in another part of the telecommunications technology field, the French found themselves in a quandary.
5. Berlin GSM – blood on the floor
The first argument was on the setting up of the permanent task team of experts. The French and Germans wanted this immediately. My further efforts at delay came to nought.
6. The quadripartite agreement
Just before the Berlin GSM meeting the UK played host to one of the Working Parties of the GSM.
7. Getting our man into the seat
After the Berlin meeting of the GSM in the autumn of 1985 there was the little problem of finding a UK candidate for the GSM Permanent task team.
8. GSM frequency channels and the deluge
In parallel with GSM's quiet progress in the proverbial back-room, analogue mobile radio services were grabbing the public's attention across Europe, led by the Scandinavian countries, with services in the UK also starting to accelerate away.
9. Mrs Thatcher & the EU Council get involved
A country choosing between alternatives technologies can be a difficult business at the best of times. This is because a given technology doesn't usually do everything better than the alternative.
10. The technology choices – the easy bit
The French and German governments had tried to position the decisive European decision processes as the best performer in the Paris field trials.
11. Vodafone’s second assault on the GSM channels
In November 1986, far from the clatter of vans full of electronic equipment being bumped and shaken over the back streets of Paris, Chris Gent the Managing Director of Vodafone took the head of the Radio Regulatory Division out to lunch.
12. The road to Madeira
The start to 1986 was particularly arduous. Snow had brought the rail network to a complete standstill.
13. A week in Madeira can be a long time
When the Portuguese offered to host the key GSM meeting they asked the GSM delegates where they preferred to meet – in Lisbon or Madeira.
14. It never rains but it pours
In the first two weeks after the February Madeira a letter went from the DTI Minister Mr Pattie to the French Minister Gérard Longuet. In the letter we tried to imagine the internal argument going on in France.
15. Manoeuvering behind the scenes
Occasionally Philippe Dupuis and I chatted on the phone. He told me that Alcatel had been in to see the French PTT at a senior level. They had asked for time.
16. Pattie defuses the UK GSM frequency channel row
We had just finished an official dinner hosted by the German Ministry Officials at the end of the meeting of Quadripartite agreement partners.
17. The turning point – Bonn meeting of Ministers
Back in the UK a general election had been called. Mr Pattie agreed to take time out from electioneering to attend the Bonn meeting of Ministers.
18. The GSM MOU – GSM gets a turbo boost
At the end of July 1987 the Italians had arranged a large technical conference on digital cellular radio in Venice.
19. From GSM to Personal Communications Networks
With GSM well under way my mind turned to other things. We were seeing a proliferation of ideas emerging in mobile radio ranging from telepoint to mobile satellite systems.
20. From consultation to competition
The intention of my licensing colleagues was to follow the consultation phase by a competition run by OFTEL to select two Personal Communications Network operators.
21. GSM’s expanding universe
Most technology revolutions have been in the making for quite a number of years before they reach critical mass (the tipping point) and explode upon the world.
22. Unintended consequences
When big revolutions occur there can be unintended consequences. The first of these emerged around 1989.
23. GSM and the 7 mobile radio revolutions
European Governments set a strategic vision for the future mobile public infrastructure in an area of demonstrable market demand and radio channels were reserved for this purpose.
24. Could Europe create another GSM success?
The Political History of GSM offers some insight into just how GSM was shaped into the success it turned out to be.
25. A Footnote in History
There was a large amount of work carried out over my time in the GSM but it was only a minuscule fraction of the work that was still to come to develop the full technical standard, industrialise the technology, roll out all the networks and create the services.
