IEEE Announces Seminar on Global Standards and Developing Economies

The IEEE, in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of
Communication Technologies, will present a seminar on "Global
Standards and Developing Economies: Broadband Access and
Infrastructure" This event will bring together leaders from industry,
government and international standards organizations to share their
insights on how local entities can participate in and optimize global
standards and best practices to help close the digital divide.

Hosted by the IEEE Standards Association Corporate Program, the
conference will be held 9-10 May 2007 in Tunis, Tunisia, and will
provide an in-depth introduction to international standards activities
and highlight the scope of the IEEE and its relationships to ITU and
other standards bodies. Through interactive presentations, the seminar
will provide a solid overview of the issues being faced by today's
policy makers and industry leaders and provide real world examples of
how standards are making a difference in emerging economies.

"We're pleased to have tremendous support from industry,
government and standards organizations," said Dr. W. Charlton Adams,
Program Director of Standards Intellectual Property Licensing, IBM,
and Chair of the IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group. "Those who attend
this seminar will walk away with a wealth of knowledge about how
standards for wired and wireless access are being deployed today in
emerging economies and what next steps are next to continue progress
in breaking down the digital divide."

In addition to discussion of broadband access and infrastructure
standards via presentations and case studies, challenges and
opportunities for developing countries regarding Intellectual Property
Rights and standardization will also be addressed. Seminar
participants are also invited to attend a meeting of the IEEE
Standards Association Corporate Advisory Group, the governing body for
the IEEE Corporate Standards Program, which will be held on 9 and 11
May. For information on "Global Standards and Developing Economies:
Broadband Access and Infrastructure," see:
http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/tunisia/index.html, or call the
IEEE-SA Corporate Standards Office at +1 732 562 5342; email
cag-conference@ieee.org.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized
standards-setting body, develops voluntary consensus standards through
an open process that brings diverse parts of an industry and the
public together. These standards set specifications and procedures
based on current scientific consensus. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of
some 900 active standards and more than 400 standards in development.
For information on the IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.

About the IEEE Corporate Standards Program

The IEEE Corporate Standards Program brings companies and other
organizations together to develop standards in entity-based working
groups. Companies participate directly in IEEE's accredited
standardization process, with each corporate member entitled to one
vote. This industry-oriented program facilitates work completion in
one to two years, depending on participant commitment and use of IEEE
support services. The program also expedites international adoption
through agreements and alliances with key international standards
organizations. Details about the Corporate Program can be found at
http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/index.html.

About the IEEE

The IEEE has more than 370,000 members in approximately 175
countries. Through its members, the organization is a leading
authority on areas ranging from aerospace, computers and
telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer
electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 percent of the world's
literature in the electrical and electronics engineering, computing
and control technology fields. This nonprofit organization also
sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical conferences each year.
Additional information about the IEEE can be found at
http://www.ieee.org.