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- 2009 /
- April-June 09 /
New horizons for HSPA in Europe
Mobile broadband will reach more people in rural areas as Europe opens up for 3G services on the 900MHz spectrum.
June 17, 2009
The European Parliament has agreed to allow the deployment of 3G services on the 900MHz spectrum, which until now has been reserved for GSM services under the European Union’s GSM Directive. Today, most 3G systems in Europe use higher frequencies such as the 2100MHz band.
Mats Nilsson, Head of the Ericsson European Affairs Office in Brussels, Belgium, says the decision removes the final obstacle for EU member states to open up the 900MHz bands for UMTS/HSPA, thereby providing the opportunity for a new wave of HSPA deployments on the 900MHz band. “This groundbreaking spectrum agreement enables more Europeans to benefit from mobile broadband services,” he says.
Deploying mobile broadband services on the 900MHz spectrum will make it cheaper and easier for network operators to extend their coverage to rural areas. “Lower frequencies travel further, making it easier for operators to expand their mobile broadband networks in rural and semi-urban areas,” Nilsson says.
To get the same coverage on a higher spectrum, such as the 2100MHz band, would require more investment due to needing many more base station sites. Higher frequency bands are more suited to provide coverage for highly-populated areas such as cities because higher bandwidth, available with higher frequency bands, allows more traffic.
“Mobile broadband coverage in rural areas is often poor today and to allow 3G services in the 900MHz band will make a big difference,” Nilsson says. “The decision will not only open up new business opportunities for operators, but also improve the lives of people living in remote areas by giving them access to mobile-based health, education and public safety services. It also enhances possibilities for new jobs and increased productivity in such remote areas, by having access to the internet and all its services; therefore facilitating e-inclusion and avoiding a digital divide.”
Opening up the 900MHz bandwidth for 3G services has been a hot topic in Europe for five years, and Ericsson and other industry players have played an active role in lobbying the European Union to allow its use. On May 5, the European Parliament reached the agreement and the decision will be made official as soon as the formal process has reached its conclusion.
