Spectrum, mobile & wireless update June 2016

Ofcom published an update to its Smartphone Cities report published earlier this year (more background here) focusing on mobile performance in London. The purpose of this supplementary case study was to compare the mobile broadband performance on each network on Category 4 and Category 6 (newer) type handsets. Newer handsets (Cat-6 and above) are able to make use of one of the key recent developments in mobile networks, carrier aggregation (CA) technology.

The study focused on download speed and web browsing performance. Overall, for all download tests carried out, there was no significant difference between Cat-4 and Cat-6 handsets, while in terms of web browsing performance, the average time taken to load the BBC homepage on Cat-6 devices was four seconds, significantly less than the time taken for Cat-4 devices (six seconds).

The European Council adopted a general approach on a draft decision that the 700 MHz band would be made available for wireless broadband in Europe by 2020. Broadcasting services would keep priority in the sub-700 MHz band at least until 2030 (more background on 700 MHz developments here). The 470-790 MHz range is currently widely used for digital television broadcasting and for wireless microphones. However, the high speeds and good penetration provided by the 700 MHz band make it ideal for mobile internet services.

The European Commission opened a consultation seeking views from industry in order to “identify opportunities for a coordinated introduction of 5G networks in Europe, and to assess elements of a 5G Action Plan for the timely deployment of 5G infrastructure as of 2020.” Responses are sought by 11th July 2016. The Commission also published a call for tenders for a study of spectrum assignment in the EU, with a particular view to future 5G requirements. European Commission Vice-President Ansip delivered a keynote at GSMA Europe Mobile 360 Europe setting out the importance of competition and a stable regulatory environment in ensuring that Europe’s future connectivity requirements can be delivered, particularly in relation to Digital Single Market objectives.

Vodafone, in partnership with Ericssion, announced new mini base-stations, housed in small, briefcase-sized radio units. The units are intended to help meet increasing data demands and also for easier deploy on rooftops in urban areas. They are also more energy efficient. The first mini base station has been installed in Southwark, London, and the new system will be rolled out across the capital and other urban areas.

Finally, Network World reported that six companies, including Google, are working on trial projects in multiple U.S. cities to test out shared 3.5GHz spectrum wireless communications; more background on this here. It also reported on remarks by U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler that the Commission will shortly move to open up high-frequency spectrum in support of new 5G mobile services (more on this here).