FAQs
Spectrum is a sovereign asset. That is, use of the airwaves in each country is overseen by the government or the designated national regulatory authority, which manages the radio spectrum and issues spectrum licenses.
There are several factors that play into spectrum planning for mobile. For example, at the international level, the International Telecommunication Union and regional bodies are deeply involved in agreeing and assigning future spectrum bands for mobile, bound by international treaty. National regulatory authorities are concerned with interference that could arise from incompatible spectrum use along borders, which must be managed or negotiated with neighbouring countries. At the national level, even after reallocating a particular spectrum band for mobile, there is the work of migrating incumbent spectrum users, such as broadcasters or defence programmes, out of the band in a practical, managed way. Finally, equipment manufacturers need to develop affordable devices that work seamlessly within new frequency bands. Each of these steps can take years to achieve before new spectrum can be licensed and used for mobile services.
Not at all. Spectrum bands have different characteristics, and this makes them suitable for different purposes. In general, low-frequency transmissions can travel greater distances before losing their integrity, and they can pass through dense objects more easily. Less data can be transmitted over these radio waves, however. Higher-frequency transmissions carry more data, but are poorer at penetrating obstacles. National regulatory authorities have a big job, therefore, to allocate and license appropriate spectrum to the services and sectors that need it, maximiseing the value generated by this finite resource.
While tempting for some governments, revenue maximisation should not be a primary consideration of spectrum auctions. Fair allocation of spectrum at a reasonable cost to industry will maximise the value generated by a spectrum band, and this in turn has a positive impact on social as well as economic development — creating jobs and increasing productivity, among many other benefits.
Cognitive radio (CR) is an emerging concept that may have potential to improve the efficiency of spectrum use. It is based on a technology that can obtain knowledge of its environment and adjust its operational parameters accordingly. There have been many advances in the technical development of CR; however, supplemental research on regulation, policy and market structure is still needed before a CR-based system for spectrum access can be implemented for mobile broadband applications. Indeed, the mobile community is still at an early stage of understanding and developing CR capabilities.
Digital television broadcasting is so much more efficient than analogue broadcasting that the conversion makes a true win-win outcome possible for mobile operators and television broadcasters. Countries that make the transition can free up considerable spectrum, known as the Digital Dividend. For mobile, the freed-up spectrum has made two potential bands available, 790–862MHz (aka the 800 band) used in ITU-R Region 1 (including Europe, Africa and the Middle East) and 698–806MHz (aka the 700 band) used in ITU-R Region 2 (Americas) and Region 3 (Asia Pacific). These frequencies are ideal for mobile, offering good coverage characteristics, reasonable capacity and availability in sufficient blocks for efficient deployment of mobile broadband. The social benefit of releasing Digital Dividend spectrum for mobile broadband cannot be overstated; access to the internet through mobile bridges the ‘digital divide’ between technology haves and have-nots, and mobile services in this band can reach into previously unserved rural areas in a relatively cost-effective way.
