Introduction Digital cellular public land mobile telecommunication systems (DCPLMTS) are defined to be land mobile systems for voice and data services using digital cellular radio technology for the connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN)@ integrated services digital network (ISDN) and public data networks (PDNs). Part A of this report deals with the general principles of DCPLMTS and@ in particular@ addresses the rationale for digital cellular systems design. This part also provides a basic comparison with existing analogue cellular systems and discusses some architectural features of these systems. The major characteristics of some DCPLMTS currently under development are presented in Part B of this report@ together with a brief description of the current status of these systems and any unique features of their design.