Harmonised spectrum needed for mobile broadband

IF OPERATORS want to reap the full benefits of mobile broadband they will need to push for globally harmonised spectrum arrangements, according to the UMTS Forum.

Speaking at the ITU Telecom World event in Geneva, the group behind the development of mobile broadband stressed the importance of capitalising on the Digital Dividend to ensure the smooth evolution of next generation mobile data access.

Available spectrum is at something of a premium these days, leading to things such as the digital switch-over to help free up valuable frequencies.

The UMTS Forum highlighted the ongoing discussions within the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) to harmonise a single spectrum band plan from 698 to 806MHz as a prime example of what it feels needs to be done to promote adoption.

"The timely initiative by APT to deliver a harmonised spectrum band plan could become the cornerstone of a globally harmonised band plan for 698-806MHz," said Jean Pierre Bienaimé, chairman of the UMTS Forum.

"WRC-07 was a positive first step on the road, where the UMTS Forum was instrumental in recommending harmonisation of frequencies in the UHF band to augment existing spectrum allocations for IMT systems."

According to Bienaimé, this is the first time that a regional organisation has actively acknowledged the need to allocate a large proportion of the Digital Dividend to mobile broadband on a harmonised basis.

"We now urge other regional administrations to follow the lead of Asia and Europe, and deliver a genuine Digital Dividend that's spectrally ambitious and globally harmonised."

The radio frequency spectrum below 1GHz that is being freed up by switching off analogue TV broadcasting, can help operators can deliver cost-effective, wide area and improved in-building coverage, said Bienaimé.

This in turn could help ease the transition from today's 3G/UMTS networks to LTE (Long Term Evolution), providing faster speeds and more bandwidth to users at a cheaper cost to operators.

According to the UMTS Forum, recent studies conducted for the EC reckon that taking proper advantage of the Digital Dividend spectrum for mobile broadband could have an economic impact of around €700bn over the next 15 years in Europe alone.

However, the group warned that some of this boost relies on corresponding progress in international spectrum regulation and management, and that spectrum fragmentation could have a significant negative impact on the development of mobile broadband services.

"There is plenty that governments can achieve - such as enhanced TV receiver standards - to ensure more efficient use of UHF frequencies from the Digital Dividend spectrum," added Bienaimé.

He concluded that while technology will continue to march on and that new developments will continue to enhance data access, only by harmonising spectrum arrangements across very large regions, if not globally, will the industry be able to reap significant economies of scale. µ