To date, most countries have allocated low frequency LTE spectrum in either the 700MHz or 800MHz band, largely depending on the position of legacy analog TV services. However, over time, many will allocate spectrum in both bands for mobile broadband, as operators demand more capacity, especially in the sub-1GHz frequencies that support cost effective wide area coverage.
Some European countries, such as the UK, are already consulting on adding 700MHz licences to the 800MHz digital dividend allocations. But the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is taking the lead here, becoming the first nation in the EMEA region to open up both bands for wireless services.
Its regulator, TRA, will combine the standard EMEA 800MHz band plan with the lower portion of the Asia-Pacific 700MHz plan. Most countries are adopting the Asia-Pacific framework for 700MHz, in preference to the highly fragmented US plan in this band. Once EMEA nations join Asian and Latin American regulators in opening up 700MHz, it will provide a broad roaming band for LTE ‘ though probably not until late in the decade, and excluding the US, whose own complicated 700MHz approach creates roaming challenges even domestically.
TRA’s deputy director general for telecoms, HE Majed Al Mesmar, said in a statement: ‘The UAE is predicting a rising demand for global harmonization of the APT 700MHz band benefiting in the growing ecosystem of devices from Asia-Pacific across the Middle East and Africa, through to Latin America.’
Mobile operators in the UAE will use the lower duplex of the APT 700MHz band (APT700) as a ‘baseline’, with the potential to add a further 2x10MHz for public safety and disaster relief services, as well as to boost overall efficiency.
Tom Phillips, the GSM Association’s chief government and regulatory affairs officer, said: ‘Combining the 800MHz band plan for Europe, Middle East and Africa with the lower portion of the APT 700MHz band is a significant step forward’ towards spectrum harmonization and the benefits of global roaming and device economies of scale.