At least we know who to blame. In the same week that Ofcom finalised its 4G spectrum auction plans, it also fired the starting gun on the race to 5G, whatever that is.
It did so as it announced that is is proposing to free up more spectrum for the wireless operators – this time down at 700MHz, where terrestrial digital TV signals currently occupy the radio waves. It said that giving this spectrum to the mobile operators would enable the provision of new mobile broadband services, “possibly 5G”. Gaaah, Ofcom. Can we decide on what 5G is, please, before we go around making comments like that? Actually, let’s get 4G nailed down first.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ofcom’s plans did not go down particularly well with the current owner of the licence for that spectrum. Arqiva release a statement that questioned whether Ofcom had made the case for using that spectrum for mobile. HD TV services on the Freeview platform would be just as much a consumer benefit, it argued.
Nor were non-mobile providers over-chuffed. Virgin Media Business Bruce Girdlestone, Senior Business Development Manager, said, “While it’s encouraging to see that Ofcom is being proactive by planning to make more spectrum available, extra airwaves alone won’t solve the problem of bulging mobile networks.”
He also pointed out that Ofcom may be getting a little previous. “While some people will be looking ahead to 4G and even 5G, many mobile users are yet to even experience 3G as they really should,” he said. He then went on to make the case for Virgin Media’s fibre broadband as an enabler of mobile broadband, by increasing backhaul network bandwidths.
In reality, this is a wider story than this one Ofcom proposal for the UK market. European and international wireless regulators and bodies came together earlier this year to discus the future of harmonised spectrum allocations, and finding more spectrum for mobile broadband. A strong candidate frequency is the spectrum at 700MHz. So Arqiva shouldn’t feel victimised by Ofcom. The regulator was really responding to an international push to free up this spectrum for mobile in a harmonised manner.
Nor should objectors worry too much about things happening too quickly. On past evidence, it will take about seven years to decide how to dispose of the 700MHz frequency in any case.
Here are a few of the other stories we covered this week.
Vodafone moves to a rental model: What could the implications be of separating usage from the price of a device, we asked.
Bouygues Telecom struggling: profits are collapsing at the French operator, as the market struggles to sustain ARCEP’s desired four operators.
KPN sells 2,000 towers in Germany: operators exiting passive infrastructure is a sign of the times, especially struggling ones.
78% of all smartphone data in the UK is over WiFi: integrated wireless strategies now look more important than ever, as we begin to see just how much WiFi dominates data traffic.
Qualcomm launches wireless health business: the US giant wants operators to use the platform for D2C services.
A feature article looking at device level tracking and monitoring, a year after the CarrierIQ debacle. Could Root Metrics and others have the answer to capturing device-level data?
You can read all of these, and more, at the links below.
And finally…please, please…,
Mobile Europe’s annual survey is now live. This is the survey where we ask people what they thought went on in 2012, and what will be key in 2013.
We want everyone to have their say here – so we can provide a in-the-round look into how the industry ecosystem views some of the key issues of the day. The results get written up into a full report that is published in our next issue.
It will take you only a very few short minutes and this is your last chance. Thank you.
Keith Dyer
Editor, Mobile Europe