FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 19, 2008

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Yankee Group Strike Research Deal

Agreement Advances TIA's Global Connectivity Agenda

Arlington, Va. - The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leader in advocacy, standards development, business development and intelligence for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, and Yankee Group have announced a formal relationship in which Yankee Group will provide strategic counsel and industry research to TIA. They announced their agreement May 12 at ITU Telecom Africa 2008 in Cairo.

"TIA is on a mission to bring to its membership an expanded view of the global demand for its products and services thanks to the impact of ubiquitous connectivity," says TIA President Grant Seiffert. "Yankee Group's outstanding thought leadership around the evolution of 'anywhere connectivity' is precisely the right vision at the right time for our industry."

"We are very pleased to be invited to provide our expert advice and research to such a prestigious organization as TIA," said Emily Green, president and CEO of Yankee Group, "Yankee Group and TIA share a vision of global connectivity not only based on technology but also the impact those technologies have on societies, businesses and consumers in every culture. At Yankee Group, we continue to explore new drivers for demand of technology leading to the rise of the Anywhere Enterprise™ and Anywhere Consumer™."

A Yankee Group Enterprise Executive Summit – “The Network as Platform for the Anywhere Enterprise” – will be held at NXTComm08 on June 16 in Las Vegas. TIA is co-sponsor of NXTcomm08.

For years, TIA has produced forward-looking market studies to assist ICT companies with their business planning, including the annual Market Review and Forecast. The Yankee Group partnership is one of a series of TIA initiatives designed to add value for its members.

Through its network of international relationships, TIA will continue to provide insight into the needs of expanding markets and represent its membership at gatherings of global policy makers and major international events.

 

About TIA
Currently in its 84^th year, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory compliance. TIA enhances the business environment for thousands of companies and individuals whose focus is broadband development and deployment (including wireless and landline infrastructure and services), information technology (IT) for commercial or residential application, Internet Protocol (IP) hardware, software and content solutions, and the convergence of voice, video and data ("triple play") applications and evolution.

TIA co-owns NXTcomm, the tradeshow serving the ICT industry; is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); serves as the secretariat for the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2); holds Board of Director positions on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) TELECOM and USITO Boards; and hosts the USA pavilions in ITU trade fairs worldwide.

More than 1,100 subject matter experts and other industry leaders participate in TIA's 70+ standards committees and TIA has produced more than 1,150 standards documents. From mobile and personal communications systems to fiber optics and cabling infrastructure, from vehicular telematics and terrestrial mobile multimedia to healthcare ICT, TIA's engineering committees work to formulate positions and prepare international standards and reports for use by industry and government.

In government affairs and international trade, hundreds of experts are at the table helping to advance and advocate initiatives on behalf of the industry - projects such as advancing global broadband deployment across wireline, wireless and cable platforms; advocating advanced spectrum management; encouraging policies to enable information access for persons with disabilities; seeking allocation of additional spectrum to advance wireless services and public safety; facilitating market opportunities by promoting full, fair and open trade and competition in international markets; and ensuring that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a leader in advanced research.

On the environmental front, TIA's EIATRACK subscription-based web service, on the Web at www.eiatrack.com, enables companies to determine up-to-date information on environmental compliance of their products in various regions around the world.

TIA's Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ACS, ADC, ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, ANDA Networks, ArrayComm, AttivaCorp, Avaya, Bechtel Communications, Inc., Cam Communications, Cisco Systems, Corning Incorporated, Ericsson, Inc., Graybar, Henkels & McCoy, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, OneChip Photonics Inc., OnSite Systems, Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics, Ulticom, Inc., Westell Technologies, Inc. and Zebra Technologies Corporation. Advisors to the Board include FAL Associates, ILS Technology, Orca Systems and Telcordia Technologies.

TIA membership enhances the ability of companies to prepare for the future of communications. TIA brings people and businesses together by helping the industry overcome technical and political barriers to communications. Visit www.tiaonline.org for details.

About Yankee Group (www.yankeegroup.com)
The people of Yankee Group are the global connectivity experts™ - the leading source of insight and counsel for builders, operators and users of connectivity solutions. For nearly 40 years, Yankee Group has conducted primary research that charts the pace of technology change and its effect on networks, consumers and enterprises. Headquartered in Boston, Yankee Group has a global presence including operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

 

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