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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
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ece0dd2-962c-11dc-b7ec-0000779fd2ac.html 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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