International support for the Asia-Pacific band plan for the 700MHz digital dividend spectrum is growing. Regulators from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have all committed to align with the APT plan, which is also backed by many Latin American countries.
This presents a real chance for a harmonized LTE approach in the regions whose dividend spectrum lies in 700MHz, with the notable exception of North America and its fragmented system. Although there are no commercial roll-outs of 700MHz LTE using the APT plan as yet, major economies such as India have thrown their weight behind it.
The EMEA region, whose dividend frequencies are in 800MHz, is also looking to open up 700MHz for mobile broadband and its regulators are considering whether to support the APT plan, albeit with localized variations, at the next ITU World Radiocommunications Conference in 2015.
At the Communicasia 2013 event in Singapore this week, the three regulators talked up the benefits of this low frequency spectrum in supporting wide area coverage and indoor penetration,
‘using technologies such as 4G’. They join other markets which have committed to the APT approach, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The GSMA recently called on Thailand to allocate its 700MHz frequencies for LTE following recent analog TV switchover.
Meanwhile, the important Latin American economies of Brazil and Mexico are among those in that region committing to the ATP plan.