Connecting the World

UHF Bands for Mobile

UHF bands identified at WRC
One of the main issues discussed at the World Radiocommunications Conference 2007 (WRC 07) in Geneva in October 2007 was the reallocation of the digital dividend spectrum.

The conference agreed to identify a chunk of UHF spectrum for mobile broadband services, and a chunk of spectrum in the higher frequency bands to create the capacity required for the next generation of advanced mobile services.

The consensus achieved by the ITU at WRC 07 was an important step towards closing the digital divide between those with access to mobile broadband and those without.

The following UHF band identifications were made at WRC 07:

Spectrum bands allocated to mobile  
 450-470 MHz band
  • No intended use in US and Canada 
  • Will not be implemented in most European (CEPT) countries
 698-862 MHz band
  • Region 2 (N+S America) and 
  • Region 3 - nine countries (inc Japan, China, and India)
 790-862 MHz band
  • Regions 1 (Europe, Africa and Middle East)
  • Region 3 (all other Asia Pacific)
 2.3-2.4 GHz band
  • No intended use in US and Canada 
  • Will not be implemented in most European (CEPT) countries
 3.4-3.6 GHz band
  • Region 1 (EMEA): allocation to mobile on a primary basis and identification for IMT in 82 countries by country footnote
  • In Region 2 (Americas): allocation to mobile on a primary basis in 14 countries (not in US/Canada)
  • Region 3: allocation to mobile on a primary basis and identification for IMT in some countries:

Delaying is not an option

  • Digital TV deployment is happening now, the longer the delay, the more expensive and complex solutions to allow mobile will be
  • More set-top boxes will require changing or upgrading and more consumer aerials swapped
  • Ideally the industry would like some form of binding measure but this looks unlikely in the short term
  • More re-planning of broadcasting networks will be needed
  • These will all add time and uncertainty
  • Mobile operators have plans to deploy LTE in 2013/2014 (some earlier, such as in the US)
  • Administrations are currently negotiating MOUs to deploy digital broadcasting to refine GE06
KEY FACTS
  • How much spectrum governments award, in which bands and for what services really matters to a country's economic growth
  • Regulators need to ensure they understand the costs of their decisions regarding spectrum allocation to decide what the optimal split is in terms of their economies and social objectives
  • Particularly in developing countries, mobile broadband technologies such as HSPA and LTE can do for broadband availability what GSM did for voice
  • With enough spectrum for capacity and coverage, mobile broadband can give citizens in developing countries access to the knowledge-based economy for the first time
  • There are more users of mobile than fixed communications in the world today

790-862 MHz band for IMT

  • Spectrum at 700/800 MHz is needed by mobile operators to allow economically efficient mobile broadband coverage
  • WRC 07 identified the 790-862 MHz band for mobile in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
  • The GSMA believes that 750-862 MHz needs to be considered as an option
  • Extension bands at 2.5/2.6 GHz are being auctioned for LTE in Europe for mobile broadband capacity

 
"This decision by the WRC is an important step towards enabling hundreds of millions of people in the developing world and rural parts of the developed world to gain affordable access to broadband services," said Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer of the GSMA. "Radio signals in the UHF spectrum will travel further than signals in the higher bands, enabling future mobile broadband networks to reach as far as 2G networks do today. This Conference has taken an important opportunity to shape the spectrum landscape for the next decade of mobile telecommunications services, giving both operators and their suppliers a valuable roadmap for future investments." Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer, GSMA