Mobile Broadband Services in the UK Enhanced by Spectrum Refarming

A relevant study carried out by Pyramid Research has suggested that refarming the analogue TV services spectrum was a cheap and convenient way to boost the mobile broadband services in the United Kingdom. The agency had subjected the 900MHz radio spectrum that was to be freed up owing to the digital switchover, in the UK, Switzerland and Finland.

Another significant conclusion come to from the studies was that the 900MHz spectrum awaiting the digital switchover was ideally suited to the mobile broadband services. The research also added that subscriptions to mobile broadband service across the Europe had grown rapidly that it is expected to touch the 100 million mark by 2014, since the introduction of 3G across the continent.

Analyst at Pyramid Research, Andrei Tchadliev has suggested that prices were lowered and usage allowances were expanded in the relevant market owing to the prevalence of a healthy competition, although it has also pushed the network capacities to the maximum. He added that the refarming of the spectrum was one of the most critical regulatory revolutions to have affected the industry in the last twenty years.

Tchadliev also expressed his concern that those networks who currently possessed the 900MHz spectrum assets, saw refarming as a threat to their network quality as well as competitive advantage. The findings of the agency are all the more significant in the circumstances as the proposal for the next generation broadband services rollout was very much on the cards, which however largely depended on the co-operation from the existing spectrum-holders.