«... We want the introduction of third-generation
mobile radio communications to be a success.
The government wanted to show its support for
innovative sectors by taking an
important decision with regard to UMTS.
Since 2000, the situation on the financial markets and the date
of availability of these technologies have changed profoundly.
The heads of innovative businesses
and the scientific experts that make up the Strategic Advisory
Board on Information Technologies expressed their concern regarding
this matter.
In order for new mobile and high-speed- services
to develop in the coming years - services that are genuinely
innovative, attractive, and accessible to as many people as
possible - the financial constraints that threatened to block
such development had to be removed.
This is what we did, at the right moment -
that is, during the Finance Act vote - by cutting the entry
price and extending the duration of licences while re-launching
the procedure for granting new licences in order to ensure increased
competition.
I believe that those in the new-technology
field appreciated this decision, which we expect to have a positive
impact that goes well beyond the operators alone. I am delighted
with this.
The decision on UMTS reflects my confidence
in your ability to make the best of your excellent positions
in the area of new technology. This also represents a new and
important step in government activity in this sector ... »
