The WPMC symposia series were inaugurated in 1998 in Yokosuka, Japan, as a global platform which aimed at enabling global collaboration in the field of information and communications technologies (ICT), especially wireless information.
Since the fist WPMC in Yokosuka, WPMCs have been held in all over the world, Asia, Europe and America. WPMC has grown up to established itself as a unique global conference dedicated to wireless multimedia convergence.
In 1993, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication (MPT, present Ministry of Internal Affairs), Japan acted the regulation of radio usage fee, which is the system to collect the fee from radio broadcast stations, mobile cellular operators and users who are using radio frequency bands.
With introducing this new system, MPT promoted a new research park in Yokosuka city (YRP; Yokosuka Research Park), which opened in 1997.
According to the Government R&D policy, Communications Research Laboratory of MPT (present National Institute of Information and Communications Technology; NICT) opened a Wireless Communication Research Center in YRP in 1998
According the purpose of radio usage fee, CRL started R&D programs based on new policies of collaborative R&D projects with industries, academia and the government in global wide levels.
Under these circumstances, the WPMC series were founded by Professor Hideki Imai, Professor Ramjee PRASAD and Dr. Shingo OHMORI who was the first Director of Wireless Research Center in NICT Yokosuka. And the first WPMC1998 was held in YRP Hall of YRP No.1 Building.