Give the International Telecommunications Union credit for cracking a whip. The ITU has warned the major players about a looming March deadline for a standards decision and shown waning patience with intellectual-property disputes. But the saber rattling from commercial companies suggests few are paying heed. At one time, Motorola had an opportunity to drive consensus around a global standard, but the communications giant fell behind in the digital era. Media darling Nokia may have a shot at brokering a compromise if it is willing to look beyond its European roots.
Somebody needs to show some leadership, and quickly.
It's a disgrace watching so-called technology leaders spend useless cycles trying to capture a royalty stream for something that ought to be as open and free as air and water. The real work lies ahead. The giants of the cellular world ought to stop their squabbling and get cracking on it. 2001 CMP Media Inc. All rights reserved.