Bangkok--16 Apr--Farh Agency Achieving ubiquitous broadband access is a key priority for governments and international bodies who wish to enable the ‘digital society’. Combining existing fixed broadband with the new generation of 3G radio technologies enables ADSL-like connections to be made available quickly and cost-efficiently, anywhere. New spectrum allocation is critical To realize the full potential of mobile broadband, allocating sufficient radio spectrum is critical. Broadband traffic in mobile networks is predicted to grow at least 30-fold by 2012. However, until around 2015, the only internationally agreed additional spectrum identified for IMT-2000 mobile broadband services is the 2.50—2.69GHz Extension Band. This band offers internationally-aligned Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) spectrum arrangements agreed by CEPT in Europe and CITEL in the Americas. It is vital that the global and local benefits of harmonized paired FDD spectrum, are not put at risk by deviating from these agreements or allocating the same spectrum to non-compliant technologies. Some countries or regions might want spectrum allocated to non- IMT-2000 technologies but these cases could easily be addressed outside the 2.50—2.69GHz band, for example in the 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz bands. The next question is how to meet demand beyond 2015. The ITU estimates that 1,300—1,700MHz of spectrum is needed to handle public mobile broadband services up to 2020, meaning that current levels needs to be doubled or tripled. Allocating this additional spectrum in sub-5GHz frequencies will enable true wide-area mobility in a cost-effective manner, and it needs to be harmonized globally to enable roaming and scale economies in network equipment, devices and services. Low frequency spectrum, such as the 470-862 MHz band, is needed to enable cost effective rollout in rural areas with tomorrow’s great demand of capacity. Higher spectrum bands, like the 3,400-4,200 and 4,400-4,990 bands, are needed to provide enough capacity in densely populated areas and give sufficient indoor coverage. Global harmonization benefits users How spectrum is allocated has a greater impact than one might think. The GSM/IMT-2000 ecosystem now serves 2.4 billion people, proving that international standards, harmonized technology and economies of scale are the best drivers of user value. Analysts expect 1.2 billion broadband subscribers by 2010 when LTE will reach the market, half of these on mobile broadband networks. Over two-thirds will be served by WCDMA/HSPA, around 20 percent by CDMA 2000 EV-DO and less than five percent will use Mobile WiMAX. The UMTS/WCDMA 3G standard has already passed 110 million subscribers, and some 115 operators have launched HSPA services. By contrast, Mobile WiMAX still has only two commercial deployments and less than 10,000 subscribers. Technologically, Mobile WiMAX is two to four years behind the WCDMA/HSPA track. WCDMA/HSPA-enabled devices such as laptops, PC cards and PDAs are already widely available and economies of scale are becoming apparent. Analysts predict that the WiMAX share of total mobile phone sales will remain below one percent until 2010. Nothing’s for free It will be difficult for WiMAX to match the volume and cost structure of current mobile devices. Devices also need to be dual-mode (e.g. WiMAX/CDMA or WiMAX/ GSM) to enable mobile broadband coverage in larger areas and to handle both voice and data, driving up device costs. In addition, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and costs need to be considered. There is a perception that WiMAX is free from IPR issues, but this is unlikely to become a differentiator. By reaching reasonable IPR agreements, WCDMA/HSPA vendors can offer products with very low IPR costs. For WiMAX, the situation is still unclear, and IPR costs may well be higher than for WCDMA/HSPA. For instance, if dual mode terminals are used, IPR costs will automatically increase. Then there are operational and capital costs. Around 70—80 percent of mobile network costs relate to the radio network part and, of these, approximately 80 percent are site costs. With all other parameters the same, WiMAX will need between 70 percent and 200 percent more sites than WCDMA to achieve the same coverage levels, due to the specific transmission technologies used. It is vital that regulators make the right choices to ensure that networks can deliver widely available, affordable high-speed access to realize the ‘broadband for all’ vision. For further information, please contact: Mrs. Voraparn Eua-arporn (coco) GM of Farh Agency Tel: 0 26160991-2, Fax: 0 2616 0993 MB: 08 9144 4014, 08 1376 5927