Interesting
This was a topic of an interesting debate at one of the sessions
at the recently concluded IGF in Rio. With broadcasters trying to claim the spectrum.
However it’s a pitty that in Africa where we need this capacity
more we have chosen to wait till 2015.
From:
Discuss-owner@afrispa.org [mailto:Discuss-owner@afrispa.org] On Behalf Of Eric
Osiakwan
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 7:57 AM
To: discuss@afrispa.org; African Information Society Initiative -
Discussion Forum; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: [AfrISPA.Discuss] Fwd: [TIER] UN agreement on freeing spectrum for
wireless
fyi
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jennifer
Bussell <jbussell@berkeley.edu>
Date: 19
November 2007 19:54:38 GMT+03:00
To: TIER
<tier@tier.cs.berkeley.edu>
Subject: [TIER] UN agreement on freeing spectrum for wireless
Radio
spectrum freed for mobiles
By
Frances Williams in Geneva
Published:
November 19 2007 01:23 | Last updated: November 19 2007 01:23
Valuable
radio spectrum now used mainly by broadcasters is to be opened up to broadband
services offered by mobile phone operators under a United Nations agreement
endorsed on Friday by governments from over 160 countries.
For
the first time, the decision will provide a common chunk of spectrum for mobile
broadband services globally, boosting the market for new wireless technologies.
It is also expected to reduce significantly the cost of expanding mobile
networks in poor or predominantly rural nations.
The
accord follows a month-long diplomatic conference that pitted traditional
broadcasters against mobile phone operators in a battle over who should benefit
from the “digital dividend” provided by the continuing switch from analogue to
digital television.
Digital
signals require much less bandwidth, freeing space in the coveted ultra-high
frequency (UHF) band, which has been the almost exclusive preserve of broadcasters.
Mobile
phone companies have pushed for access to the UHF band for two reasons. One is
that the quality signals support high-speed mobile broadband connections,
enabling faster downloads of data and video to mobile devices and encouraging
the development of new internet-based services.
The
other is that UHF signals can penetrate buildings and travel long distances, so
fewer base stations are required for coverage of large areas, cheapening the
cost of rolling out wireless broadband networks.
Under
the deal, the Americas and much of Asia, including China and India, will open
up the 698-806 Megahertz band to mobile wireless broadband services between now
and 2015 as the transition from analogue to digital television proceeds.
In
Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where broadcasters have retained a bigger
share of UHF spectrum, only the 790-862 Megahertz band will be available for
mobile wireless broadband and not before 2015.
Copyright The Financial Times
Limited 2007
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