A FULL PARTNERSHIP WITH FRANCE TELECOM WOULD BRING THE GEORGIA CENTER FOR ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (GCATT) AN IMPORTANT STEP CLOSER TO ACHIEVING ITS AMBITIOUS GOAL OF BECOMING A GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER.
THE FIRST STEPS TO SUCH A PARTNERSHIP WERE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK WHEN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ATLANTA-BASED CENTER SAID THAT THEY HAD ENTERED INTO TENTATIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH FRANCE TELECOM REGARDING FULL PARTNERSHIP IN THE VENTURE.
FRANCE TELECOM, WHICH HAS A MAJOR RESEARCH PRESENCE IN THE NICE/SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS/COTE D’AZUR REGION, BECAME AWARE OF GCATT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE CO., ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN A TRADE MISSION DESIGNED TO ILLUSTRATE THE ATLANTA AREA’S TECHNICAL/ECONOMIC SIMILARITIES WITH THE FRANCO/ITALIAN SUN BELT REGION.
DURING THE MISSION, RICHARD K. SNELLING, THE DIRECTOR OF THE GEORGIA TECH-AFFILIATED GCATT, MET WITH DELEGATES FROM FRANCE TELECOM TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE ALLIANCES BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE CENTER. GEORGIA TECH ALREADY OPERATES AN EXTENSION CAMPUS IN METZ, FRANCE, SO AN ADDITIONAL LINK WITH THE GCATT WOULD BE A LOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, SAID GARY LEJEUNE, SOUTHERN (U.S.) REGION MANAGER FOR FRANCE TELECOM.
STRESSING THAT THE TALKS WITH GCATT WERE TENTATIVE, MR. LEJEUNE SAID THAT FRANCE TELECOM, THE FOURTH-LARGEST TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY IN THE WORLD, IS INTERESTED IN BRINGING ABOUT THE CONVERGENCE OF TELEPHONES, COMPUTERS, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION CONTENT AND THE MEDIA INTO A GLOBAL CENTER.
TED LAWRENCE, A GCATT BOARD MEMBER AND AN EXECUTIVE WITH SOUTHERN BELL, SAID THAT THE FRENCH ALSO ARE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING SIMILAR BUSINESS/UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS IN THEIR OWN SUN BELT REGION. LIKE THE SOUTHEAST, THE REGION ANCHORED BY NICE IS AN IMPORTANT BASE FOR A COLLECTION OF HIGHTECH FIRMS, BOTH HOME-GROWN AND INTERNATIONAL. THE PRESENCE OF SEVERAL MAJOR FRANCE TELECOM RESEARCH CENTERS AND ETSI (THE EUROPEAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS INSTITUTE) HAS PROMPTED THE REGION TO BE TAGGED TELECOM VALLEY.
MR. SNELLING SAID THAT GCATT IS SEEKING TO ESTABLISH SIMILAR LINKS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL HIGH-TECH CENTERS SUCH AS TELECOM VALLEY ELSEWHERE, AND COMPARED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH LINKED CENTERS TO INDUSTRIAL-AGE SEAPORTS.
LAST WEEK’S ATLANTA CONFERENCE WAS DESIGNED TO BRING RIVIERAN AND GEORGIAN MANAGERS, EXECUTIVES AND EDUCATORS TOGETHER TO EXPLORE COOPERATIVE EFFORTS. SPONSORS OF THE CONFERENCE INCLUDED: THE RIVIERA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, NICE-RIVIERA AIRPORT, THE RIVIERA PARTNERS, DELTA AIR LINES, BELLSOUTH, FRANCE TELECOM, GEORGIA POWER, TRUST COMPANY OF GEORGIA AND UNITED PARCEL SERVICE.
MR. SNELLING MAYBE REACHED AT (404) 894-9211.