Statement from Commerce Secretary Evans on U.S. Wireless Private Sector Partnership with Romania

Washington, DC - Today, I had a productive meeting with the Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, where we emphasized the continued importance of economic reforms that strengthen the climate for international investment and trade.

I fully support the new partnership between Qualcomm, of San Diego, California, and the Government of Romania for the standardization and implementation of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless technology in that country. CDMA technology converts speech or data into digital information, which is then transmitted as a radio signal over a wireless network, enabling wireless Internet access for schools, businesses and individuals. The Commerce Department has provided strong support for this project.

The wireless telecommunications manufacturing sector has been a key engine for exports and economic growth for the United States. This agreement creates a new market for U.S.-developed CDMA wireless technology, and will benefit the numerous American companies which will supply equipment to build this network. The success of CDMA technology speaks for itself.

The CDMA network will be launched in Romania by Telemobil (a Romanian wireless provider). Deployment is scheduled for 18 main cities in Romania and the major highways for later this year with continued expansion in the future. Lucent Technologies of Murray Hill, New Jersey, will be providing CDMA equipment for the first phase of the network.

I am also pleased that we are signing a Statement of Intent between the Commerce Department and the Romanian Government to promote increased commercial linkages in the field of mobile communications.

Secretary Evans meets with Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase to discuss bilateral commercial issues. The Secretary emphasized the importance of continuing Romania's economic reforms and highlighted projects by U.S. firms Qualcomm and Harris in Romania's fast-growing information technology sector.