Embracing the 1800MHz opportunity: new report on LTE for the GSA

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A new report 'Embracing the 1800MHz opportunity: Driving mobile forward with LTE in the 1800MHz band', prepared for the GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) by Innovation Observatory, shows and explains from practical, economic and business perspectives why 1800MHz will emerge as a prime band for LTE deployments in virtually all regions of the world, and be important for international roaming.

The momentum behind deployment of LTE in the 1800MHz band is growing. Operators in all regions except North America are trialling LTE in this band. Operators in Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region have now launched LTE services in the 1800MHz band and more companies will deploy LTE in the 1800MHz band to take advantage of frequency availability.

Reviewing the state of launch of LTE in the 1800MHz band, and considering the pros and cons of refarming spectrum in the 1800MHz band for LTE, the report demonstrates there is a significant opportunity cost to delaying the introduction of LTE and waiting for bandwidth in other frequency ranges, rather than launching sooner using the 1800MHz frequency band.

To illustrate the dynamics of the various investment options, the report presents a hypothetical business case for a mid-sized mobile operator looking at the cost for that operator of deploying a national network based on various combinations of mobile broadband technology.

The report concludes that accelerating the launch of LTE through refarming of spectrum in the 1800MHz band can deliver a number of opportunities to mobile operators.

• Providing initial widespread coverage with LTE in the 1800MHz band can be as much as 60% cheaper than covering the same area with LTE using higher frequency bands
• Deployment of LTE 1800MHz can mean a faster time to market
• Vendors need to support multi-mode, multiband handsets, with LTE supported across three or four frequency ranges (depending upon the region being targeted)
• Where LTE has been deployed in another band first, subsequent deployment in the 1800MHz band can mean improved geographic or indoor coverage at lower cost
• 1800MHz is a prime band for LTE deployment in virtually all regions of the world, and is likely to be an important enabler for international roaming
• In order to realise the benefits of LTE 1800MHz, regulators need to accelerate efforts to enable refarming of spectrum in the 1800MHz band. This is underway, but regulators should redouble their efforts to remove barriers as swiftly as possible.

The report was sponsored by CSL Ltd, Deutsche Telekom, Elisa, Qualcomm, StarHub, and Telstra and is available via the GSA. For more information visit http://www.gsacom.com/.