‘Next generation mobile broadband technology’ gets the green signal from ITU
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has finalized the specifications for next generation mobile broadband technology which is more efficient and 100 times faster than 3G.
‘International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) – Advanced’ will support telecommunications services on fixed and mobile networks. It is considered as an improvement from IMT-2000, which is the standard pertaining to 3G.
For the last three years and more, ITU has been working on IMT-Advanced. The requirements of 4G are set by IMT-Advanced. Though Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Mobile WiMax are referred to as 4G, they are actually 3G. However, the next generations of LTE and WiMax (LTE Advanced and WiMax 2.0) can qualify as 4G as per the rules of IMT-Advanced.
About 3300 delegates from 150 countries will discuss the suggestions of ITU at its ‘World Radio-communication Conference’ (WRC) in Geneva from 23rd January to 17th February.
IMT-Advanced technology will be so advanced that it will make the smartphones of today look as ordinary as the dial up internet connection of the past. There is no doubt that surfing the net, downloading videos, data transfer anytime and anywhere etc will be much better than at present.
According to ITU, for mobile connections the standard is a data rate of 100 Mbps, while for fixed connection the standard is a minimum speed of One Gbps. It enforces better use of the spectrum to support the explosion of mobile data traffic. It helps in the development of services like mobile video chat, mobile television etc.
Meanwhile Ofcom is in the process of auctioning the spectrum needed for the 4G project. As per its proposals, no spectrum will be reserved for ‘Everything Everywhere’.
‘Three’ will be the only network to get the reserved spectrum. Three had informed that without the spectrum it would have to wind up the company.
Ofcom has suggested that a part of the 2.6 GHz band be shared among the companies interested in experimenting with new services, say networks for student campuses, commercial complexes, hospitals etc which function on short range frequencies.
4G Mobile Upgrade for National Park
The National Authority of Northumberland has happily greeted the information that the telecom regulator Ofcom has enhanced their obligation for mobile coverage in non-metropolitan regions from 95% to 98%, which is a great help to smartphones and tablets that require more bandwidth.
Moreover the regulator has approved that the 4G mobile broadband should give precedence to places where mobile coverage is not accessible and this is particularly common in the rural regions like the National Park in Northumberland.
The declaration was a forerunner about news of the bidding for the 4G licenses. This came soon after the National Park Authority submitted an application along with James Saunby from Grey Sky consulting to Ofcom in 2011. The submission pin-pointed that the earlier 95% coverage plan would cut off the people living in and people visiting the Northumberland Valleys and high hills and also the Hadrian’s Wall corridor.
The Northumberland Authority had affirmed that they would back the enhancement of the rural facilities in its managerial plans. The non-accessibility of is a persistent complaint both by visitors and people living in the locality. About 3,000 business enterprises and homes have no access to even the lowest level of broadband that is being experienced by the other people in the country.
In addition the survey that was conducted on visitors recently stated that for a person visiting the region for the fist time would prefer to have the security of mobile coverage in order to be able to access details regarding times of opening, bus timings, places where shops are located, cafeterias and also the historical and natural details and walks that they can avail through the Internet.
A couple of months later the authority would also design two visitor smartphone hot-spots on a trial basis at Falstone close to Kielder, and Elsdon in Redesdale and visitors would be able to avail quick response (QR) codes so that they would be able to download all details that they may require.
The Head of corporate services of the Authority, Stuart Evans stated that they were thrilled that their main points had been taken into consideration for 4G coverage. He also said that good and standard mobile broadband would create a great difference to all particularly the people visiting that part of the country.
He also said that the statement should offer a commitment that business houses and homes in hard to reach places in the non-metropolitan regions will not be isolated with pitiable broadband coverage for much longer.
He asserted that they were in a position to make this strong an application because of the excellent working conditions and association with the county council, the business associates and the receptiveness of the people living in the region who have assisted in finishing long drawn out surveys and offered supportive proof that had enabled them to put forward their requirements so well. The 4G coverage would start out from the year 2012 to 2015.
4 G mobile broadband access to 98 per cent of the UK population
MP for Mid Sussex, Mr Nicholas Soames, a widely known and esteemed campaigner for broadband has welcomed the telecommunications regulator in the UK for its proposal to extend broadband access to 98 per cent of the population in the UK. Though the original plan was to cover 95 per cent of the population, now Ofcom has announced its new plan to provide 4G mobile broadband access to 98 per cent of the UK population. The access to superfast broadband would definitely be a blessing for the businesses and households in the UK.
The MP told the Mid Sussex Times that the government’s decision to invest in the infrastructure of the communications sector would change the outward structure of the fortunes of all small and medium sized businesses. Currently these establishments are not able to compete in the market due to lack of adequate access to high speed internet access.
He added that innumerable households, schools, small and medium sized businesses and farms would get high speed internet access for the first time, thanks to the timely decision of the regulator. He continued that as far as Sussex is concerned the superfast broadband connectivity would change the face of the region by opening up new markets and new job opportunities.
Ofcom, the communications regulator has stipulated certain conditions stating that the telecoms companies that buy 800 MHz spectrum have to extend their rollout plans to the regions which are identified as not-spots by the Government.
Premier Inn associates with Spectrum Interactive for Connectivity requirements
‘Spectrum Interactive’ (SI) has been chosen as the sole Wi-Fi provider for ‘Premier Inn’. The company will provide wireless broadband to about 600 hotels belonging to Premier Inn throughout the UK.
SI has already won the heart of Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn. Since 2006, it has been providing Wi-Fi service to almost 50% of its budget hotels.
As per the new deal all the upcoming Premier Inn properties will be provided with Wi-Fi by SI.
Siobhan Fagan of Premier Inn stated that SI fulfilled all the requirements needed to become the Wi-Fi partner of the hotel chain. Flexibility and reliability are just some of them.
The growth of Premier Inn during the past couple of years has been amazing. Enormous growth is expected in the future. A dependable Wi-Fi specialist is in great demand for the chain and SI proved to be the best.
Simon Alberga of SI remarked that his company considers it a great privilege to be doing the digital communication work for the massive Whitbread. Getting the contract with Premier Inn will enable to strengthen the existing relationship and association.
As per the new agreement, 85,000 accommodation premises and hotel rooms will have wireless broadband of the SI.
It may be recalled, in association with Nokia, SI took up a Wi-Fi trial in some of the busiest street of London by the end of 2011. That means the capital city can expect a rollout in early 2012.
Delay in the Government’s Delay of the 4G Auction Bing Severely Criticised by Labour
The conservatives are being criticized by Labour for the hold-ups in the launch of the 4G mobile spectrum, stating that it the economy was losing one million pounds everyday.
The government has been severely blamed by Labour stating that it has not been strict with Ofcom with issues concerning the 4G mobile spectrum sale and that the continuing hold-up was costing the economy loads of money.
Labour’s Shadow Minister for Media, Ms. Helen Goodman stated that other than the sale that was anticipated to bring around two to four billion pounds as principle, the government was also losing out on three hundred million pounds annually in license fees. Consequent to the round of meetings that have taken place of late, the sale is slated for the end of the current year with 4G network facilities beginning to be provided by middle of the coming year.
Ms. Goodman stated that the sale could have been conducted two years ago, but the fact was that the government had not supported Ofcom to go ahead with the 4G auction.
There is a possibility that the 4G networks may not be availed of till 2015.
Ms. Goodman also said that people using broadband required better mobile coverage facilities specially in the non-metropolitan regions and that it was disheartening to note that the government had taken over a year and a half to get the sale going.
In times when the economic situation in the country is extremely low, the government is in fact missing out on roughly 1 million pounds in income daily. She said that they as a country would be one of the significant countries in the world to avail of the 4G coverage and stated that it was disgraceful as the country was one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of mobile phone technology.
Initially a 4G sale was planned in the year 2009 however the 4G norms had not been set then. Ever since the regulator had been complaining of issues concerning the alignment of the UK spectrum with that of Europe and that their sluggish analog TV switch off resulted in the sale being postponed from 2009 to 2010 and 2011. Many people seem to differ in their opinions regarding this.
The regulator also asserts that it is concentrating on making certain that the presently and stuffed 2G and 3G networks are good enough for the Olympics, however this would in no way satisfy technical people, business enterprises or the non-metropolitan users.
Most of the disputes have been on the way in which the auction would be carried out. While Ofcom would like to maintain competition, the mobile operators wish to make sure that there would be no repetition of the 3G sales that took place in the year 2000. The sales then earned the government a net amount of 22 billion pounds however many mobile operators got into deep debts and were finding it tough going to build up and then make up their investments which consequently brought on the crash of the telecoms in the year 2001.
There was an alleged last round of discussions last May when it was decided that the sale would go on around this time. Vodafone and O2 have threatened legal action as a result of which there was another round of discussions by Ofcom.
The fact is that Vodafone and O2 both have a bit of 4G spectrum, so they were dissatisfied about it being sold to their rivals. The France Telecom and the Deutsche Telekom’s Everything Everywhere, including Hutchinson-Whompoa were supposed to have the 800MHz spectrum kept aside for them, and this is excluding the general bidding limits. This according to Ofcom would help maintain competition in the 4G market when there are four major mobile providers.
Ofcom let its altered plans be known the previous week which reveals that in the changed proposal, Everything Everywhere will have to give up their 800MHz spectrum. The regulator asserts that Everything Everywhere already has enough 4G that will support the 1800MHz spectrum. The new plan also introduces two new ideas such that nationwide coverage will exceed 95%.
In Germany the spectrum sale is over and it has brought in for the government an amount of 4.4 billion deutschemarks. Telcos in Germany have already started providing 4G networks. The auction in France for its radio spectrum is presently being carried out. In the US there is a 4G network that has been functional and the previous CES exhibition was witness to the release of the second generation 4G mobile phones.
If as Ms. Goodman had prophesied, the 4G spectrum sale does not get underway in the UK and the 4G networks are not established in the next three years, her approximation that it would cost the government 1.5 billion pounds would turn out to be correct.
