Ofcom to release radio spectrum for mobile broadband

"Ofcom has released a consultation on the liberalisation of the 900MHz and
1800MHz radio spectrum, currently used by mobile operators for 2G GSM
services. Current deployment sees Vodafone and O2 as the sole users of the
900MHz band, whilst 1800MHz is shared primarily between T-Mobile and Orange,
with Vodafone and O2 having a small amount of the spectrum available."

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/3...broadband.html

On 20/09/2007 15:22, CyberTron wrote:

> "Ofcom has released a consultation on the liberalisation of the 900MHz and
> 1800MHz radio spectrum"

What is being /proposed/ is allowing 3G equipment on the present 2G
frequencies, to give better coverage (especially applicable to O2/VODA
on lower 900MHz frequencies) but I can't see the providers wanting to
give up on 2G for quite a while yet.

Andy Burns wrote:
> On 20/09/2007 15:22, CyberTron wrote:
>
>> "Ofcom has released a consultation on the liberalisation of the 900MHz
>> and 1800MHz radio spectrum"
>
> What is being /proposed/ is allowing 3G equipment on the present 2G
> frequencies, to give better coverage (especially applicable to O2/VODA
> on lower 900MHz frequencies) but I can't see the providers wanting to
> give up on 2G for quite a while yet.

But couldn't they use these frequencies to improve on 3G coverage to
encourage more people to make the switch and reverse the current
situation where 2G has better reception? It wouldn't necessarily mean
they have to ditch 2G altogether.

--
regards, James Luff
Gamertag: Lufferov
"There are 10 types of people in the world:
Those that understand binary, and those that don't."

James Luff wrote:
> Andy Burns wrote:
>> On 20/09/2007 15:22, CyberTron wrote:
>>
>>> "Ofcom has released a consultation on the liberalisation of the
>>> 900MHz and 1800MHz radio spectrum"
>>
>> What is being /proposed/ is allowing 3G equipment on the present 2G
>> frequencies, to give better coverage (especially applicable to
>> O2/VODA on lower 900MHz frequencies) but I can't see the providers
>> wanting to give up on 2G for quite a while yet.
>
> But couldn't they use these frequencies to improve on 3G coverage to
> encourage more people to make the switch and reverse the current
> situation where 2G has better reception? It wouldn't necessarily mean
> they have to ditch 2G altogether.


Ofcom plans to grab back a third of the mobile phone spectrum that Vodafone
and O2 have been using in the UK for 22 years and auction it to at least
three other companies, in a repeat of the dramatic 3G auction of the dot.com
era.


The original mobile phone companies Vodafone and O2, formerly Cellnet, were
given 2G spectrum when the UK mobile industry was founded in 1985. But Ofcom
wants to release part of it to new entrants so they can run wireless
broadband services, especially in rural areas.


Vodafone and O2 will receive no compensation for losing a massive chunk of
the airwaves and will not be allowed to bid in the auction, proposed for
2009, to try to retain it.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia...173327,00.html



--
Items for sale: http://www.dodgy-dealer.co.uk
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/MetricNow
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/r...rchives_en.cfm

On 20/09/2007 17:21, James Luff wrote:

> But couldn't they use these frequencies to improve on 3G coverage to
> encourage more people to make the switch and reverse the current
> situation where 2G has better reception?

it would have to be a slow process, or they're going to annoy eveyrone
who hasn't got 3G yet, and foreigners roaming here

> It wouldn't necessarily mean
> they have to ditch 2G altogether.

I've no idea of the widths of the spectrum currently allocated to
O2/VODA, but UMTS needs 5MHz channels c.f. 200kHz for GSM, I think O2
trialled 900MHz UMTS on the Isle-of-Man last year.

If OFCOM are going to sieze back the 900MHz space you'd hope some would
get allocated back to each of the current four (or any newcomer)
networks, so they can all gain an "easy" if not cheap route to fill in
the 3G holes.