It looks like the U.S. will no longer be alone when it comes to opening up the 700 MHz band for mobile broadband services. Under a United Nations agreement blessed by governments from more than 160 countries, spectrum in the 698 MHz to 806 MHz band will be opened up to mobile broadband services. The move is a boon for economies of scale. Just like the politics played out in the U.S., the new U.N. agreement followed a month-long conference that pitted broadcasters and mobile-phone operators against each other.
According to the deal, the Americas and much of Asia, including China and India, will open up the 698 MHz to 806 MHz band to mobile wireless broadband services between now and 2015 as the transition from analog to digital television proceeds. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where broadcasters have kept a bigger share of UHF spectrum, only the 790 MHz to 862 MHz band will be available for mobile wireless broadband and only after 2015.
To find out more:
- check out this report from the Financial Times