Availability of 40MHz of spectrum in L-band — 1452-1492MHz — for mobile services can create economic benefits of more than $40 billion, said GSMA.
An additional $9 billion in economic contribution can be realized if several countries in Asia Pacific decide to identify its use for mobile services.
Only 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region currently support the use of the centre portion (1452-1492MHz) of the band for mobile.
“Spectrum harmonization is a major objective for WRC-15” said John Giusti, chief regulatory officer, GSMA.
GSMA wants Asia Pacific countries to review their position on L-band spectrum and align with the rest of the world to drive low-cost access to mobile services to enhance rural coverage and improve service quality.
L-band frequencies are capable of delivering additional capacity and coverage over relatively large areas, including inside buildings.
A portion of the band is already allocated to mobile services worldwide and another is reserved for digital radio broadcasting, but is largely unused. The centre portion of 40MHz could be made available for mobile services as early as 2018-2020, while the surrounding 40MHz could be available in many countries by 2025, with limited disruption to other services.
The 12 supporting countries in Asia Pacific, spearheaded by Japan, are submitting a proposal into the WRC-15 to identify the missing 1452-1492MHz for mobile broadband in their countries.
“A positive outcome at WRC-15 to support the wider L-band will allow national regulators to plan now to make sure the band is available for mobile services as the demand from citizens and businesses requires,” said Giusti.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
