Contacts:
Tim Yankey
McKie|Headstrom PR
, ext. 3
Michelle Olesiejuk
MWIF
For Immediate Release
Top Engineering Schools From Around The World Invited To Compete
Fremont, Calif., February 25, 2002 Working to help mobile operators understand the benefits of a single, IP-based, open, mobile wireless Internet architecture that is independent of the access technology, the Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF) today launched the University Challenge contest. This program invites graduate students and faculty from engineering schools around the world to compete in a contest of technology prowess and its practical application. Cash prizes will be awarded to those who submit the best papers addressing the cost and complexity of implementing todayıs proposed mobile Internet architectures. The details of the program can be found on the MWIF web site at mwif.org.
"With the myriad of new IP-based industry initiatives, mobile operators face a difficult challenge," said Dr. John G. Waclawsky, MWIF Technical Committee Chair and Senior Technical Staff at Cisco Systems. "The industry needs a set of independent and practical metrics and methodologies to evaluate the architectures and determine the cost, complexity, capability and risk associated with their implementation."
To help create a set of independent and practical metrics and methodologies, MWIF is launching a contest to enlist the aid of todayıs brightest engineering minds. Students and faculty with direct and related expertise in developing wireless telecommunications architectures and wireless data/voice convergence strategies are invited to enter and compete for international bragging rights and cash awards.
The assignment is to submit a 10-15 page paper defining practical metrics and methodologies for evaluating the cost, complexity and risks of deploying next generation IP based wireless networks. The metrics and methodologies must then be applied to todayıs leading proposed mobile Internet architectures to demonstrate the metrics ability to identify subtle and not so subtle cost, complexity, risk and capability differences associated with implementing one or more of these architectures.
Individuals or teams must submit their entries by June 15, 2002. A committee of MWIF members will evaluate the submitted papers and select one first place, two second place and three third place winners. Papers will be evaluated based on their ability to provide practical and useful information that can be used by mobile operators to gauge the impact of potential implementation strategies.
Winners will receive awards of their accomplishments, with the first place winner receiving $1,500, second place winners receive $1,000 and third place winners receive $500. All winning papers will be published on the MWIF web site and the individuals/teams will be publicly announced.
"We are very excited to be tapping into the resources of the academic community," said Dean Sirovica, Managing Director of Strategic Technologies at Vodafone and President of MWIF. "We are confident that this program will provide mobile operators with additional tools to make clear and informed choices about potential designs and implementations of the mobile Internet."
About Mobile Wireless Internet Forum
Founded in January 2000, the Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF) is a nonprofit, international industry consortium whose mission is to drive acceptance and adoption of a single, open, mobile wireless Internet architecture that is independent of the access technology. MWIF and its members publish studies, discoveries and conclusions in technical reports that are made available to the industry. Membership is open to any organization with an interest in promoting the vision of influencing global wireless industry standards that improves interoperability of mobile technologies. Membership information can be found at mwif.org.
Mobile Wireless Internet Forum