Setting a challenge to the rest of Europe, the Finnish government has allocated additional frequencies within the 1,800MHz band to TeliaSonera, Elisa and DNA to enable them to start deploying LTE technologies.
The move to offer this lower frequency band is expected to benefit the three operators by providing them with substantially wider coverage at a lower cost than the more commonly used 2,600 MHz networks, which require a considerably larger number of base stations.
The Finnish Ministry of Communication said this unique decision should mean high-speed wireless networks become widely available in all parts of the country, and not only those living in built-up areas. "I hope that telecommunications companies start making preparations for the introduction of the 4G technology even though at the moment, the emphasis is still on 3G technology," said a Ministry spokesman.
For more on this story:
Telegeography and Cellular News
Related stories:
Telefónica conducts 'real world' LTE trials
HSPA and LTE to dominate by 2012, says Ericsson CTO
Finland's Sonera sets date to migrate fixed users to wireless
T-Mobile CTO: I'll invest in LTE, not HSPA+