Ofcom announces plans for 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions

Ofcom the communications regulator has announced how it intends to auction the 800MHz band (which is currently used to deliver analogue TV signals) and the 2.6GHz band (which was reserved for future 3G use). The amount of spectrum available for auction is 250MHz which is equivalent to 3/4 of all the mobile spectrum available today and 80% more than the spectrum awarded to the 3G licensees.

Though the spectrum will be made available in a technology neutral manner (i.e. the winner of the spectrum can use it for whatever they want - as long as they meet the technical criteria and don't do anything silly), it's expected that it will be used for 4G services such as LTE or WiMAX and deliver mobile broadband services.

800MHz is considered prime spectrum as it has very good propagation characteristics i.e. it can travel long distance and penetrates buildings well (so anyone who can receive analogue TV services could get broadband), Alcatel-Lucent are already trialling LTE-800 (i.e. LTE services on 800MHz) in Wales as reported in a previous article.

2.6GHz can carry more data (and there's more spectrum available) but it's better for localised high bandwidth services as it doesn't carry as far (it's worse then the existing 3G coverage). However a licensee could use the band for 3G services as 3G phones should scan this band when looking for 3G signals.

Ofcom are proposing to put both spectrum caps and spectrum floors when auctioning the spectrum so that the existing 2G operators cant get too much spectrum sub 1GHz (i.e. 1000MHz) - this really only affects O2 and Vodafone, who's 2G network was provisioned on 900MHz (Orange and T-Mobile got 1800MHz or 1.8GHz which again doesn't propagate as well as 900MHz which is slightly worse than 800MHz). The floors are there to ensure there's enough spectrum to run sensible broadband services over. Ofcom plan to offer at least 4 licenses of which some are expected to be new entrants (by capping the amount of spectrum owned in total the existing MNOs are restricted in grabbing all the new spectrum).

There's a slight fly in the ointment as when T-Mobile and Orange combined to form Everything Everywhere, they had to give back some of their 1800Mhz spectrum to comply with EU competition rules and Ofcom have thrown this excess spectrum in the pot too.

The Ofcom consultation closes on 31st May 2011 and stakeholders are invited to comment here.

The spectrum cant be made available prior to the digital switch-over as the 800MHz band will still be used for analogue TV until then and also Ofcom has made the 2.6GHz band available for use by wireless cameras in the forthcoming 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.

Ofcom forces mobile operators to reduce termination rates

Ofcom published a statement that the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) would have their mobile termination rates reduced from April 1st.

Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone will have their current rate of 4.18p per minute reduced to 2.66p per minute on the 1st of April, while 3 (3UK) will have their rate reduced from 4.48p per minute to the 2.66p per minute rate. Next year the rate for all 4 MNOs will drop to 2.66p per minute then 1.70ppm, 1.08ppm and by 2015 0.69ppm.

This should be reflected in call charges by the MNOs and fixed line operators such as BT.

This doesn't affect data charges which the MNOs can still charge a premium for (though Ofcom will surely cap these too, especially for roaming customers).

This is in-line with European policy as the EU Commission expects mobile termination rates to be between 1.5 and 3c by 2015.

Shipboard mobiles now license exempt

Ofcom today made the use of handsets on boats license exempt (while connected to a basestation on the the boat).

Mobile handsets are already license exempt when connected to a fixed basestation in the UK (which are run by a mobile operator). Both shipboard and land based basestations are covered under the mobile operators' 2G or 3G licenses.

The full statement can be seen here and is in-line with European directives.

Really sneaky Facebook "bug"

It's not really a bug, but if you go into a Facebook event page and then paste the following: -

"javascript:elms=document.getElementById('friends').getElementsByTagName('li');for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === 'object'){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}"

Without the first and ending double quote into the browser's address bar (i.e. not into Facebook, but the browser viewing Facebook), it should select ALL your Facebook friends and invite them to the event.

Scary ...

Spotify get's early content

R.E.M's new album "Collapse Into Now" will be available today to Spotify Premium users one week prior to the official album launch. This will be available to premium users in UK, Spain, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands and Finland.

Spotify are also running a competition to go with the launch where users can win: -
* A Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar, signed by Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck
* A Sonos S5 – a high-performance wireless music system
* A signed photograph of the band
* A special Spotify playlist compiled by the band, which will be automatically added to their Premium account

User can enter here by answering a simple question and entering their details and Spotify account name.

Government gives cash to program makers

The Government has agreed to making grants available to the Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) sector as they currently use equipment which wireless transmits and the spectrum used is being re-allocated and they have to migrate from channel 69 to channel 38.

66% of PMSE licensed users have registered claims in the scheme and those that haven't need to register with Equiniiti (the administrators of the scheme) as soon as possible.

PMSE users will then have to return equipment using the old frequencies within the timescales they have agreed (though these may extended by agreement with Equiniiti).

Ofcom will auction 2010 - 2025 MHz band

Ofcom has decided to auction the 2010 - 2025 MHz band instead of using for Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE). The band is currently unused.

This follows a consultation held in May last year after which it was decided that the opportunity cost of reserving the band for PMSE use was higher than expected. Also in Germany the band was auction and only achieved €5.7m. There was also little support for making the band license exempt.

The auction will not take place before Q1 2012 and Ofcom will hold a further consultation.

In the meantime the band can be used for PMSE and will be licensed under standard PMSE regulations from JFMG. The band will also be made available for PMSE during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

ACS:Law turn themselves off

ACS:Law the legal firm that has become infamous due to their actions of trying to prosecute alleged illegal file sharers (and more infamous due to their exposing files containing lists of said filesharers). MediaCAT (the client of ACS:Law involved in the alleged file sharing cases) has also ceased trading.

In the past ACS:Law had said it had "ceased this type of litigation" as it had suffered a series of unfavourable court hearings.

ACS:Law was under investigation from the Information Commissioner's Office after the company allowed files containing alleged downloaders of pornography and file sharers to be made available on-line (though not deliberately it has to be said).

In the past it is alleged that ACS:Law offered cash to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for data on their subscribers.

The latest action may be as a result of recent court action where ACS:Law tried to discontinue the case against file sharers. However Judge Birss QC wasn't happy to do so and stated "I want to tell you that I am not happy. I am getting the impression with every twist and turn since I started looking at these cases that there is a desire to avoid any judicial scrutiny". Judge Birss is expected to rule on his finding this Thursday and many suspect that ACS:Law and MediaCAT ceased trading to avoid judicial scrutiny.

Ofcom wants to allow mobile operators to trade spectrum

Ofcom is holding two related consultations, the first is to allow mobile operators to trade spectrum in the 900MHz, 1800MHz (1.8GHz) and 2100MHz (2.1GHz) bands, the second is to vary the Wireless Telegraphy Act so that the 3G licenses can be changed to support a new coverage obligation, a change to licence duration, a revocation notice period of 5 years (such revocation not to be capable of taking effect before the period for which the licences were auctioned expires), a provision for Ofcom to charge annual licence fees from the end of 2021 (when the period for which the licences were auctioned expires) and a provision relating to spectrum trading.

The are many reasons to allow spectrum trading which benefit the UK as a whole especially financially as spectrum licenses generate around £40bn per annum for the UK (and account for around 3% of the GDP). Spectrum trading has also been directed from Government.

This will also allow Everything Everywhere (the combined Orange and T-Mobile) to effective get rid of 2 x 15MHz pairs of spectrum from their 1800MHz allowance, which was agreed with the EU as part of the merger conditions. Everything Everywhere will be able to trade directly, as part of the digital divide spectrum (800MHz and 2.6GHz) or give it back to Ofcom who can re-award it.

This is likely to have a major impact when the 800MHz and 2.6GHz licenses are awarded as some entities may have a large chunk of additional spectrum (though companies such a 3 are hoping that there will be sub 1GHz spectrum caps) and can therefore free-up existing mobile spectrum.

The spectrum trading consultation may be responded to here and the WTA variance consultation here.

Ofcom proposes WBA charge controls

Ofcom the super regulator is holding a consultation on placing charge controls on BT for their Wholesale Broadband Access (WBA) services in areas where they are still a monopoly.

This should see price reductions to ISPs of between 10.75% and 14.75%. As part of the consultation Ofcom have also proposed changes to the cost of capital estimates for BT.

Stakeholders can respond on-line and the consultation closes on 31 March 2011 and Ofcom want to implement the changes after that.

Ofcom delegates PMSE to Arqiva

Ofcom (subject to terms) has awarded Arqiva the contract to handle all Program making and special events (PMSE) licensing following a tender process.

Ofcom has not yet set pricing or amended the Wireless Telegraphy Act (WTA) and has deferred the decision as even though the current pricing regime was due to change at the end of 2011.

Ofcom wants numbers to be easier to use

Ofcom the Super Regulator is holding a consultation on non-geiographic numbers and making them easier to understand and fixing the several issues that exist i.e. 0800 numbers not being free from mobiles (companies should also publish 03 numbers which are always local and can be included in call bundles).

The full ranges in question are 03, 05, 070/076, 080, 0845, 0870, 083/4, 0871, 09, 116 and 118.

Ofcom wants charges made clearer and so premium rate numbers would have to state something like "this call will cost £1.50 per minute plus your network operator's charges".

More information is available from the Ofcom site. The consultation closes on 10th March 2011 and stakeholders may respond on-line.

Ofcom reservers 2.6GHz for wireless cameras during Olympics

Ofcom the Super Regulator has published a statement on the 2.6GHz (2600MHz) band which is being reserved for use by wireless cameras during the London Olympic Games.

The 2.6GHz band has been contentious as Ofcom initially wanted to auction it in 2007 but were blocked by the mobile operators. The auction has now slipped until late 2012 at the earliest, especially now since the Olympics are taking place from 27 July until 9 September 2012.

There has been some worry about interference to Civil Aviation Authority radars that operate in 2.7GHz from wireless mobile camera, but Ofcom deemed that they only transmit at low power so interference issues are minimal.

Canon's EF lenses can suit everybody

Canon have a wide range of lenses available that can be used to suit every occasion and situation. All the EF lenses will fit every model of Canon EOS cameras and Canon have produced a video to show what's available.

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Canon probably produce the widest range of lenses from multipurpose cost-effective ones through extremely expensive dedicated lenses that professional photographers use.

Ofcom to start charging for number allocation

Ofcom, the super regulator is holding a consultation on the future of number in the UK. There's nothing too exciting about that, except that in certain areas numbers are running out and (there's 680 regional codes in the UK and 58 of those have less than 100 blocks available - numbers are allocated in blocks of 1,000).

Though many other countries have charged for number allocation, the UK has remained the exception. Now Ofcom intends to pilot charging in these number restricted areas and will charge 10p per number per year. That's above the European average of 7p pa (pricing varies from 0.06p to 27p).

Ofcom has seen a large rise in the allocation of number blocks with the likes of VoIP providers and other new entrants who can request numbers directly from Ofcom in-line with the Communications Act which allows anyone to become a Communications Provider.

Unfortunately Ofcom has to allocate 1,000 number blocks as the UK has not migrated to NGN's (next generation networks) as fast as Ofcom had hoped and old equipment can only take these large blocks (Ofcom used to allocate 10,000 number blocks, so there's some improvement).

If everyone had adopted ENUM then numbers could be allocated individually, but that's a long way off and unlikely to ever be adopted by everyone.

Though currently this is only a consultation, it's likely to be implemented and then there's no reason they wont expand this to all areas and even implement retrospective charges for existing number blocks, which could be expensive for providers holding large blocks of numbers.

The consultation is available from here, it ends on 18 February 2011 and it's possible to respond on-line.

Ofcom wants mobile phone license exempt on boats

Ofcom is holding a consultation to make mobile terminals (phone) license exempt when used on boats.

Generally the boat (like a cruise liner) will have one or more pico cells on-board and then connect back to a base station. Ofcom will license the mobile base-stations and then the phone licenses are part of that. This is in-line with harmonise European legislation on marine communication service on board vessels.

The consultation is available on Ofcom's site and runs from 19/11/10 to 22/12/10.

Stakeholders can respond on-line.

HTC Wildfire fired into the wild

HTC have released their new Wildfire phone running Android 2.1 (Eclair) and HTC Sense with a suite of social networking tools built in (Facebook, Twitter and Flickr) and many more on Android Marketplace.

The CPU isn't brilliant (only 528MHz) and the display is only QVGA (240 x 320) and os 3.2", but it does have a 5MP auto-focus camera with flash, 512MB ROM and 384MB RAM. It supports 3G, EDGE, GPRS and WiFi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 and an FM radio.

There's a multitude of sensors, including G-Sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.

Here's a video of what it can do

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More info can be found at the HTC site.

Qualcomm Snapdragons pack more byte for buck

Yesterday Qualcomm announced their new Snapdragon MSM8960™ chipset. Though based on the original (ARM) Snapdragon system, the new chip is dual core with the new micro-architecture that delivers 5 times the performance while using 75% less power.

The processor has a built-in mult-modem support all 3G modes as well as LTE, new graphics that operate at 4 times the speed and built-in support for WLAN, GPS, Bluetooth and FM.

The chip is based on a 28nm process and will be available in early 2011.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon is already used in many high-end smart-phones and tablets and the new chip should really give them a lead in the high end market against rivals such as Samsung and even Apple.

Ofcom consultation on "whitespace" use and Gelocation

There's lots of spectrum around, but it's a crowded space and so much of it is licensed by Ofcom i.e. in order to utilise equipment that transmits or receives data in that spectrum a "use" license is required. This is why a TV license is required. Mobile phones also require a license, but that's paid as part of the license that the mobile network operators have (and have paid for).

Various parts of the spectrum have been made license exempt such as 2.4GHz which is used by WiFi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth and other systems like Zigbee. Licenses exempt status means that a user doesn't need to get a specific license if they use the equipment in accordance with the rules that Ofcom have published (i.e. Ofcom publish a "blanket" license and as long as the equipment in use doesn't get used outside the licensing framework, then the use doesn't need to get a license themselves). Any WiFi or Bluetooth systems will comply with Ofcom's licensing regime.

In the past Ofcom has bowed to public pressure and made certain equipment license exempt such as low power FM transmitters than can connect to MP3 and other music devices and transmit a short range to a radio (usually in a car). As they're low power, they wont interfere with the commercial radio stations (at least to other users) who have paid a lot of money for the licenses to transmit in the commercial radio bands.

Another big chunk of spectrum is in the TV bands and some of this is reserved so that interference between bands doesn't happen. The TV bands have much better propagation characteristics than say 2.4GHz which is used by WiFi and Ofcom are looking at ways of using the "dead" space for short-range low power devices which could be used say to transmit video signals between systems in the home. The whitespace could also be used for higher power rural broadband access.

They would work by looking at the bands and finding these dead areas known as whitespace and then those frequencies would be potential candidates for local transmission. However this could rapidly lead to interference between neighbouring systems (say in a neighbours house), so Ofcom wants the systems to consult a geolocation database (hosted by Ofcom) that the system could register with and ensure the whitespace was suitable for use in that area.

There would be a "master" device that would communicate with Ofcom's database and report the power and frequencies it was using and any connected devices (slaves, that wouldn't need to connect to the database themselves). The whitespace devices will be license exempt. Though Ofcom will initially run any database required, they don't evisage running the database in the future as that is best left to commercial organisations and Ofcom would like interested parties to contact them.

Though Ofcom are consulting now (the consultation runs from 09/11/10 to 07/12/10) they don't expect whitespace devices to appear until 2014.

Interested parties can respond to the consultation on-line.

Ofcom issues new spectrum for Transportable Earth Stations

Due to the demand for extra capacity for Transportable Earth Stations (TES) i.e. mobile satellite systems, Ofcom has made available more spectrum for its use.

The following frequencies may be used for satellite uplinks

C band: 5925 - 7075 MHz

Ka band: 27.5 - 27.8185 GHz, 28.4545 - 28.8265 GHz, 29.4625 - 30 GHz

The pricing for licenses will be equivalent to those in the Ku band (13.78 - 14.5 GHz).

This follows a previous Ofcom consultation and though most responses were favourable, there were some objections from fixed earth station users, though Ofcom felt that opening up the C and Ka bands was more favourable than doing nothing with them.

The full statement may be seen on Ofcom's site