GSMA urges regulators to open up 900MHz spectrum to 3G

The GSM Association (GSMA) is calling on regulators to open up the 900MHz spectrum to 3G, suggesting that such a move would mean the potential mobile broadband audience in Asia, Africa and Europe would increase by 300 million people by 2012.

If this lower spectrum band were to be allocated for 3G services, much broader coverage would be possible thanks to the spectrum's greater range of radio waves and enhanced indoor coverage, according to a GSMA-commissioned Ovum study.

Indeed, the research estimates that, for the same capital expenditure, a 3G network in the 900MHz band is capable of achieving up to 40 per cent greater coverage than the same network in the 2100MHz band.

Given the increasingly-competitive mobile landscape, these cost savings would be beneficial to any operator, but they will prove particularly valuable to those in developing countries - many of which are turning to HSPA to provide the high speeds they need in areas lacking fixed line infrastructures.

However, according to Ovum's findings, the ability for countries to make the 900MHz band available in a 'harmonised' way to enable manufacturers to identify the mass market opportunity and ramp up production levels quickly, will be key to success.

"National governments need to coordinate their spectrum policies to enable the widespread rollout of HSPA in the 900MHz band," said Tom Phillips, the GSMA's chief government and regulatory affairs officer.

"Such coordination would make HSPA at 900MHz a cost-effective way to provide valuable broadband services to the many people untouched by the high-speed Internet revolution that has swept through the developed world."

The likely future scenario is for operators to use the 900MHz band to provide widespread 3G coverage, while 2100MHz would act as supplementary hotspot provision in urban areas demanding greater capacity, according to the analyst.

As a result of the research outcomes, the GSMA is urging the industry to work together to plan the re-farming of the 900/1800MHz spectrum so that investors will feel confident enough to support the development of 3G in the way most destined for success.

"As well as requiring lower up-front investments than 3G/HSPA at 2100MHz, a 3G network at 900MHz is more cost-efficient and is better at handling both voice and data traffic, compared to GSM," said Stewart Anderton, principal consultant at Ovum.

"But 900MHz is one of the most used spectrum bands in the world and regulators must be careful to avoid interference with existing GSM services or interference across national borders."

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