At the Conservative Party conference last week, the UK’s Chancellor – George Osbourne – announced plans to make £150m available for additional mobile phone masts to improve coverage for the 5% – 10% of population that have limited or no coverage currently. The details on how this money will be spent will be released by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in 2012. However, it is clear that these will need to be well thought through if this money is to deliver the Government’s aims. Continue reading
The Spectrum Challenges Facing LTE
LTE appears to be heading towards becoming the single global standard for fourth generation mobile broadband. Of course it is actually the next evolution of LTE – LTE Advanced – that is truly 4G. This is as recognised by the ITU’s IMT-Advanced specification process. WiMAX 2.0 is the other standard that the ITU has recognised as meeting the IMT-Advanced requirements but enthusiasm for this contender seems to be flagging. Several existing WiMAX operators (including Verizon, Clearwire, Yota, Packet One and Vividwireless) are either examining LTE’s potential or are actively deploying trial or commercial LTE networks. Hence, along with all the existing GSM/ UMTS operators around the world, we expect to see many current WiMAX operators making use of LTE in their network in the future.
This represents a very different position from that found in both 2G and 3G technologies, where several disparate technology solutions were deployed around the world causing challenges in areas such as roaming and handset development. However, despite the advantages that will accrue to LTE if it does become a single global standard, the dispersed nature of the spectrum allocations and their usage will continue to present challenges across the entire LTE ecosystem. Continue reading
Posted in Spectrum Aspects of Wireless Networks, Spectrum Economics, Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Spectrum Usage, Wireless Network Development, Wireless Technologies
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Band Plan Management, IMT, IMT-2000, LTE, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Operator, National Regulatory Authority, Spectrum Allotment, Spectrum Policy, Spectrum Re-farming, Spectrum Regulation, UMTS, WiMAX, Wireless Access
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Transactional Spectrum Management: a practical future or fanciful science fiction
With the use of auctions to determine spectrum allocation of larger spectrum blocks, National Regulatory Authorities are looking for efficiency in allocating small spectrum blocks or channels that have traditionally been allocated by NRA administrators. This audio-visual presentation looks at how technology will in the future allow the ultimate in efficiency to be achieved through what been called here ‘transactional spectrum management’.
Redefining Harmonisation: essential for future progress?
At the recent Middle East spectrum management conference there was lengthy discussion about how much spectrum would be needed and when. One parallel issue which was raised though time precluded complete discussion was the subject of harmonisation, or rather the definition and possible re-definition of harmonisation to speed up that spectrum release.
Harmonisation is not well defined and spectrum managers have found various interpretations. Harmonisation is defined in ECC Report 80 as the “designation of a band for a specified application”. In Europe, the permitted applications are registered in EFIS, the European Frequency Information System. In EFIS, allocations, applications, band plans and technologies can be compared country by country – effectively viewing the degree to which harmonisation has been achieved. This leads us to conclude that harmonisation is the agreement between countries to use a common set of allocations, applications, band plans and technologies band by band.
Posted in Spectrum Aspects of Wireless Networks, Spectrum Economics, Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Spectrum Usage, Wireless Network Development, Wireless Network Modelling, Wireless Technologies
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Band Plan Management, Band Plans, Bi-lateral Agreement, Cross Border Coordination, European Spectrum Policy, Harmonisation, IMT, IMT-2000, Mobile Operator, Mobile Roaming, Multi-lateral Agreement, National Regulatory Authority, Signal Overspill, Spectrum Master Plan, Spectrum Regulation
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Licensing Syria’s third mobile operator; what happened and how will it be resolved?
In late April, the Syrian Ministry of Communications and Technology (MOCT) announced that it would be indefinitely postponing its planned auction for the country’s third mobile communications licence. This licence would have given the winning operator rights to establish a national mobile network using spectrum in the 1800MHz and 2GHz bands, and hence it was anticipated that both 2G (GSM/ EDGE) and 3G (UMTS/ HSPA/ HSPA+) technologies would be rolled out.
Back in November 2010, six organisations submitted pre-qualifying bids for the licence; Etisalat, France Telecom (FT), Qatar Telecom (Qtel), Saudi Telecom Company (STC), TAMCO and Turkcell. In December, all the bidders except TAMCO cleared pre-qualification and were expected to submit bids, and hence take part in the auction. However, three of these – Etisalat, FT, and Turkcell – had dropped out by late March/ early April leaving Qtel and STC as the only bidders. Continue reading
The FAT is Dead: Long Live the FAT
The Frequency Allocation Table is the central pillar of Article 5 of the ITU Radio Regulations. It’s a record of the allocation of one of the five main services[1] and their sub-services[2] to a frequency band.
The three Regional FATs in Article 5 are subsequently managed and modified by World and Regional Radiocommunications Conferences of the one hundred and ninety four ITU member states. At the national level, local National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) then adopt the FAT and develop and amend it to fit local conditions. The national FAT and its series of footnotes is therefore the central policy making and policy development instrument.
But this is the historic state. Things are changing. Continue reading
Posted in Spectrum Aspects of Wireless Networks, Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Spectrum Usage, Uncategorized
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Band Plan Management, European Spectrum Policy, IMT, Interference, National Regulatory Authority, Spectrum Allotment, Spectrum Policy, Spectrum Regulation
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The Middle East Spectrum Conference
The Middle East Spectrum Management Conference closed last week in Dubai with two overall conclusions: that demand is forecast to grossly exceed supply and that countries are not really facing up to the need to rapidly release spectrum to the market.
There were many notable presentations.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure noted that spectrum management is a relatively obscure and isolated field within overall engineering, law and economics. He commented that spectrum managers are shaping the future.
Osman Sultan, the CEO of Du, the UAE’s second mobile operator, made a superb and impassioned delivery Continue reading
Posted in Spectrum Aspects of Wireless Networks, Spectrum Economics, Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Spectrum Management Systems, Spectrum Usage
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Band Plan Management, Bi-lateral Agreement, Border Roaming, Border Roaming Gateway, Coordination, Cross Border Coordination, e-licencing, IMT, Interference, LTE, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Operator, Next Generation Networks, Signal Overspill, Spectrum Acquisition Fees, Spectrum Allotment, Spectrum Policy, Spectrum Re-farming, Spectrum Regulation
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Spectrum for 4G Networks: harmonisation in the Gulf region
This blog is a post-conference recording of a paper given by John Berry of InterConnect Communications at the Middle East Spectrum Conference held in Dubai in March 2011. Follow this link for a full programme.
Posted in Spectrum Aspects of Wireless Networks, Spectrum Economics, Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Spectrum Management Systems, Spectrum Usage, Uncategorized
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Bi-lateral Agreement, Border Roaming, Border Roaming Gateway, Coordination, IMT, IMT-2000, Mobile Broadband, National Regulatory Authority, Spectrum Acquisition Fees, Spectrum Auctions, Spectrum Policy, Spectrum Pricing, Spectrum Re-farming, UMTS
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Overspill and Coordination in Public Mobile Networks
This blog is a post-conference recording of a paper given by John Berry of InterConnect Communications at the Middle East Spectrum Conference held in Dubai in March 2011. Follow this link for a full programme.
InterConnect Presentation – Overspill and Coordination
More PowerPoint presentations from John B Berry
Posted in Spectrum Engineering, Spectrum Management Policy, Wireless Network Development, Wireless Network Modelling, Wireless Technologies
Tagged 1800MHz, 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Bi-lateral Agreement, Border Roaming, Border Roaming Gateway, Cell Sites, Coordination, Cross Border Coordination, IMT, Interference, LTE, National Regulatory Authority, Signal Overspill, Spectrum Regulation, UMTS
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Will there be a single mobile wireless standard? Will the LTE and WiMAX standards merge?
WiMAX and LTE Market Background
Will WiMAX and LTE merge?
The WiMAX standard 802.16e has been around since 2005, and WiMAX continues to press towards being a globally significant mobile wireless technology. The WiMAX forum currently estimates that there are over 580 networks deployed globally, with more than 823 million people covered by their footprint. The number of WiMAX subscribers using these networks is currently estimated to be over 13 million (Maravedis’ 4gcounts Quarterly Report Issue 12).
LTE is just starting its operational life but is expected to become the next major global wireless technology. All GSM/ UMTS operators are expected to deploy LTE (at some point), as are many CDMA2000 operators (particularly given that there will be no further evolution of the CDMA2000 standard). Continue reading