Project Ara, a nice idea

Google's next big thing, Project Ara - a modular phone with an exoskeleton that will last 5 years. That's their story and they're sticking to it.

Most people don't realise that there's a huge complex certification process that mobile phones have to undergo including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US, CE in Europe, and the Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs)/carriers etc.

Building a modular phone is all very well, but the phone as a WHOLE has to be certified. Mobile networks don't like users being able to change bits, they certify that a phone's compatible with their network and that's it, change something and the phone needs to be re-certified.

There's an opinion out there that operating systems are open source, and a lot of it is. The guts of it that talks GSM or GPRS or 3G isn't, in fact it's highly encumbered. Networks REALLY don't want you to mess with those bits as you can do nasty things to the network (in the good old days of TACS/ETACS you could REPROGRAM the network and set transmitter power levels etc.). That's why networks liked nice phones where you could only do certain things through the APIs and SDKs, there was no concept of 'root' and root couldn't play with those bits of code that operators didn't want you to mess with.

Google can afford the whole process, add a new module, certify the whole thing, it works. It all falls down when they allow 3rd parties to change things. The certification isn't for the module it's for the whole phone. Maybe Google have the clout to change the certification process, but as it stands it's not going to be easy to get carrier approval let alone regulator approval.

It's all well and good producing a modular phone, but is it going to work on real networks? Take your Ara with your custom modules, yes it may work (on a public network, but it's probably illegal), you might get away with it at Burning Man.

Yes Google 'could' certify every variation of the Ara that comes out, but it's unlikely.

Maybe the regulations need to change, but that's going to be a lengthy process and very expensive (well Google can sort out the second bit).

So though Ara may be the future of mobile phones, it's not going to be mainstream for a while and 3rd party modules even longer.

Ofcom consults on whitespace co-existance

Ofcom, the Super regulator that handles radio spectrum as part of its remit, is holding a consultation on the coexistence of whitespace devices.

Whitespace is the spectrum that is unused in certain areas due to geographic transmission systems that can not overlap and in this case relates to the UHF TV channels (470 MHz to 790 MHz). As there are multiple transmitters across the UK, adjacent transmitters can not operate in the same frequency bands (especially for digital TV) or the transmitters would interfere with each other.

This leads to large chunks of the UHF spectrum not being used in a particular geographic zone, which could be used for other purposes (as long as it was low power and didn't reach neighbouring areas).

Current plans are that whitespace devices will monitor what bands are in use (by listening to those frequencies) and thus not use them, in the UK they must also contact a central database, report their location and the database will specify what frequencies are available and what power they can transmit at.

There are other services that can also be interfered with such as program making and special events (PMSE) - things like outside broadcast units which can use some of the spectrum for remote TV cameras and such like, which also have to be catered for.

Ofcom have already said they will allow whitespace use on a license exempt basis, but they also must ensure that there will be no harmful interference to digital terrestrial television (DTT) and PMSE.

Whitespace technology is new and thus there is some uncertainty on how whitespace devices may interfere with DTT or PMSE services. However Ofcom doesn't want to overly constrain whitespace use such that large amounts of spectrum go unused, or that power levels/etc are so restrictive that reaching any sizeable population is unrealistic.

Ofcom will currently err on the side of caution and setting parameters that can be relaxed in future. Later this year there will be a set of pilot trials across the UK with a number of service providers where the increased power levels can be used for limited periods of time to ensure interference doesn't occur. The trials (and stakeholder consultations) will continue until Summer 2014 and will help Ofcom set the parameters for future national whitespace roll-outs starting in Q3 2014.

Ofcom has set the parameters and algorithms for use in trials to minimise the effects on

• Digital Terrestrial Television services
• licensed users of equipment for Programme Making and Special Events
• services above and below the UHF TV band.

Ofcom have also noted that whitespace availability will vary in areas across the UK i.e. London has relatively low DTT issues with whitespace use while Glasgow has much less spectrum available, however Glasgow has very little PMSE use while in central London (and areas like Wembley Stadium) there is a large amount of use.

Though it is yet early days, whitespace spectrum should allow high bandwidth services with good propagation characteristics (coverage) which could be used to provide mobile network operator capacity off-loading, broadband and machine-to-machine (M2M) services.

Companies such as Neul (a CSR - now Samsung spin-off) are betting their futures on whitespace.

The consultation closes on 15 November 2013 and stakeholders can respond on-line.

Ofcom extends deadline to EE consultation

Ofcom has extended the deadline for stakeholders to respond to the consultation on whether to allow the variance on Everything Everywhere's (EE) 1800MHz license to allow WiMAX and LTE technologies. EE already have to give back some of the 1800MHz spectrum as part of the merger between T-Mobile and Orange and this could be used by another licensee for LTE/WiMAX services. There have been vocal complaints from other Mobile Network Operators (MNO) that this would give EE an unfair advantage by them being able to launch LTE services ahead of all the other UK MNOs. The deadline for respondents has been extended to May 8th 2012 and can be seen here.

Ofcom wants to allow 3G operators to up power levels

Ofcom the super regulator is proposing to up the in-band power lever from 62dBm to 65dBm eirp per carrier in the FDD part of the 3G spectrum (and future 2 GHz MSS/CGC licenses).

Vodafone originally requested a license variance and the other 4 MNOs supported it, Ofcom then proposed to raise the level to 68dBm eirp, but there were objections, so Ofcom are now supporting the 65dBm eirp power levels.

The statement from Ofcom may be found here.

Ofcom sets mobile termination rates

Ofcom has published mobile termination rates for the mobile networks

The rates below are for Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4
Vodafone and O2 5.40 5.09 4.71 TBC
T-Mobile and Orange 5.90 5.39 4.84 TBC
H3G 9.10 7.29 5.83 TBC

The mobile networks are having there revenues reduces severely (but this is in-line with a recent dispute with UK01 a new mobile entrant who also have a rate set which was 3.3p) but it's good for the consumer. Mobile rates have reduced significantly from a few years ago when they were charging 33p per minute.

Why Android is scary

Android is an open source operating system based on Linux that runs on phones, mobile internet devices etc. It comes under the auspices of the Open Handset Alliance, but it's really Google.

Android of course isn't completely open source, it cant be (more on that later). Lots of Android is open source including the application layer bits and a lot of the core too. Google do try and make the open bits easily available and those bits can be accessed via source code.

The bits that will not be open sourced are the low level drivers, the bits that "talk" GSM (or CDMA or 3G), the baseband bits. They cant be. In order for a phone to be certified it has to go through an approval process (which in the US means going through FCC approval). Part of the approval is ensuring the network bits are certified and that means users cant play with them. It's amazing what a handset can do to a basestation or network if you know what stuff to send it. Mobile Network Operators don't want users being able to reconfigure bits of the network.

The big issue for operators and Android is people hacking it and accessing the bits they shouldn't. Most of the low level stuff is protected, but if a user can become "root" or the superuser they have access to most of the operating system and potentially have the ability to modify parts of the OS they normally wouldn't be able to. The G1 has already been hacked giving people a root shell.

Having access to the low level parts of the OS is scary, not for the users but for the operators. They don't want you messing with the network or playing with the network protocols. It's really a big issue for them.

Most phone operating systems offer the same control, Symbian only exposes the upper layers as does Windows Mobile. This is even more apparent in the iPhone where the SDK just lets you develop application on top of the OS.

Android's open sourceness may actually be it's downfall in terms of slow adoption by MNOs.

Ofcom tries to ensure the future of Sitefinder

Sitefinder is Ofcom's database of mobile cell sites. The mobile network operators (MNOs) used to supply data on a voluntary basis which contained the location of cells.

Ofcom was forced to make extra data available that showed cell sectors and transmitter power etc. after a freedom of information request, though Ofcom resisted it went to the Information Tribunal and Ofcom lost.

Since Sitefinder is populated voluntarily, the MNOs felt they were giving away competetively sensitive information and have stopped providing new information.

Ofcom is urging the MNOs to continue populating Sitefinder and is also appealing the Information Tribunal’s decision so that in future sensitive information does not need to be released.

Sitefinder is an important database as it helps Ofcom conduct its duties as a regulator, having stale data reduces that usefulness.