More Spectrum to Be Auctioned in Western Hemisphere in 2008
Nokia Siemens Networks Ericsson Alcatel-Lucent Huawei Nokia Motorola Samsung HTC i-mate Option Texas Instruments Broadcom Ericsson Mobile Platforms (EMP) Qualcomm STMicroelectronics Sirific Wireless Limited Infineon Technologies RF Microdevices Inc. Skyworks Solutions Inc. Fairchild Semiconductor Rohde & Schwarz Signalion Lightspeed Airlinx Communications Andrew Corporation Gemalto Agilent SonyOperators in the Americas who adopt the 1700/2100 MHz band plan will also partially benefit from the commonality of band structure between Europe and the United States. The U.S. specifically identifies AWS I as 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz, i.e. 90 MHz of spectrum. Both the U.S. and Europe utilize the 2110-2155 MHz bands for mobile transmit. In September 2006, the 1700/2100 MHz spectrum auction was concluded in the U.S. T-Mobile USA and AT&T were among the GSM operators who acquired spectrum, and it is anticipated that T-Mobile USA will be announcing the launch of their 3G network in the near future. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) endorsed the 1700/2100 MHz spectrum band, also known at 3GPP as UMTS Band IV, and this band is marked for auction or reserved in many countries in the Western Hemisphere. Canada will auction the 1700/2100 MHz band in May 2008, Chile is expected to auction this band in the first half of 2008, and Mexico will auction the same spectrum band by July 2008. Additional countries in the Americas that have reserved this band include Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador. "Many regulatory entities throughout Latin America are faced with the important decision of choosing the appropriate spectrum bands that will provide economies of scale to deliver advanced wireless services," stated Erasmo Rojas, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean for 3G Americas. "The 1700/2100 MHz spectrum band is currently being considered by several countries, and 3G Americas expects that this will become a core band of mobile services in the region." The 1700/2100 MHz band is particularly well-suited for UMTS/HSPA, with the 5 MHz channels perhaps providing a better spectrum fit than technologies that use narrower 1.25 MHz channels. It is expected that 1700/2100 MHz spectrum will be assigned as FDD spectrum by countries that auction it off, such as in the U.S. At this time, 1700/2100 MHz is an unlikely match for Mobile WiMAX 802.16e, which is not currently developed for Frequency Division Duplex (FDD). The Mobile WiMAX specification allows for FDD operation, but to date, the Mobile WiMAX system profile solely stipulates TDD. Since mobile WiMAX gets any implied cost or performance benefit by being optimized for single channel Time Division Duplex (TDD) voice and data, using the 1700/2100 MHz band could marginalize its performance. Furthermore, 3GPP's Long Term Evolution (LTE) is another prospective technology for the 1700/2100 MHz spectrum band, and is the technology of the generation beyond UMTS/HSPA. Vicki Livingston, Director of Marketing for 3G Americas, stated, "The 1700/2100 MHz spectrum band is a growing ecosystem for UMTS/HSPA that is only partially defined today, as many companies have not made public announcements about their support for this band. For example, most major UMTS/HSPA device manufacturers already have 1700/2100 MHz production capability. We expect to see much more activity as UMTS/HSPA services are launched in this band in the coming months and additional spectrum auctions are held around the world." About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology The mission of 3G Americas is to promote and facilitate the seamless deployment throughout the Americas of GSM and its evolution to 3G and beyond. The organization fully supports the Third Generation technology migration strategy to EDGE and UMTS/HSPA adopted by many operators in the Americas that accounts for over 86% of next-generation customers worldwide. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, WA with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Dallas, TX. For more information, visit our website at www.3gamericas.org.
Contact Information: Contact: Vicki Livingston +1 262 242 3458