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IMT‐2000 mobile systems are designed to provide wireless communication services including moving pictures, graphics, sound, and data to people on all continents. While standardization work has made significant strides to achieve a high degree of universality, IMT‐2000 in fact covers a family of standards. This article discusses the relevant standards issues and their implications in different regions. The migration paths from existing mobile systems toward 3G systems are reviewed. The enhanced data rates offered by IMT‐2000 are expected to provide a broad range of mobile multimedia services on a multiple choice of terminals. These new facilities and applications are examined. IMT‐2000 radio access and core network architecture is addressed, as are the most salient economic implications of migration toward 3G, with emphasis on license costs and new business models. The authors conclude with a discussion of beyond 3G evolution, which involves not only an all‐IP core network, but also optimization of scarce spectral resources through cooperation among heterogeneous networks.