Spectrum

Vodafone NZ launches country's first commercial 700MHz LTE network

Vodafone New Zealand has teamed up with Nokia Networks to deploy the country's first commercial 700MHz LTE network.
The wireless week

Europe was late to the 4G party but the UK was even later, with a combination of squabbling operators and lack of spectrum delaying the rollout of LTE. But according to new figures this week, there are now six million 4G LTE subscribers, amounting to around eight percent of all mobile subscriptions.
GSMA repeats call for harmonised spectrum to meet data demands

The GSMA has repeated its plea for harmonised spectrum to satisfy the expected surge in data usage, ahead of next year's crucial World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC).
UK operators win licence fee reduction

UK operators have won a reprieve in the amount of money they will pay for 800MHz and 1800MHz spectrum, after regulator Ofcom reduced their proposed charges.
ARCEP launches open spectrum consultation

French regulator ARCEP has launched a consultation into the use of open spectrum, particularly by short range devices.
Huawei, Vodafone complete world’s first GSM-LTE dynamic spectrum sharing trial

Huawei and Vodafone Spain have announced that they have successfully completed with world’s first GSM-LTE dynamic spectrum sharing (GL DSS) trial.
Ofcom outlines UK's future spectrum strategy

UK regulator Ofcom is looking at spectrum sharing and repurposing bandwidth to cope with the expected boom in data usage across mobile devices and M2M.
Broadcasters should help operators meet spectrum crunch, says GSMA

Operators should be given spectrum from broadcasters to feed forthcoming demand for capacity, as viewing habits and technologies change, the GSMA has said.
V-band “ideal” for small-cell backhaul deployment and solving spectrum crunch, says EE

V-band radio systems are the perfect answer to small cell backhaul deployment challenges and a potential spectrum crunch that could face operators, according to UK operator EE.

V-band (60 GHz) is a part of the millimetre wave radio technology. The band is essentially undeveloped but available for use in a broad range of new products and services, including high-speed, point-to-point wireless local area networks and broadband internet access.
Operators face “ugly choices” as “boiling point” nears over lack of spectrum

Smartphone customers are consuming more data on a per-user basis than tablet users, according to a new report, which is helping to push mobile networks towards a spectrum crunch.

The fourth-annual study from network solutions firm JDSU found that out of the top 10 most data-intensive devices six were smartphones, three were tablets and one was a phablet.
Ofcom identifies huge increase in new spectrum available

Ofcom has said that it plans to boost the capacity of the UK mobile broadband by more than 25 times by 2030.

The UK regulator said it has identified a number of new spectrum bands as potential options for future mobile broadband use as part of the launch of a new consultation process.