UN agency urges use of 700 Mhz for mobile broadband

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations agency for information and communication technologies (ITU) is pushing for the utilization of the 700 Megahertz (Mhz) spectrum for mobile broadband to promote easier access to the Internet of more individuals and bridge the digital divide. 

In a statement, ITU said the use of the 700 Mhz frequency for mobile broadband would go a long way in addressing the digital divide and provide benefits to handsets, supply chain, roaming, rural coverage, and other aspects of mobile communications. 

The 700 Mhz is considered a valuable frequency range for 4G technology as it can easily penetrate buildings and walls and has greater coverage with less investments required compared to frequencies on higher bands.

During the 2015 World Radio Communication Conference (WRC-15) held in November, the ITU formally moved to globally harmonize the 700 Mhz band and allocate it for LTE use in Region 1 which covers Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.

The ITU’s move follows the decision made at WRC-07 for the allocation of the 700 Mhz spectrum in Regions II and III covering the Americas and Asia-Pacific. 

“The WRC-15 decision represents a landmark in the development of broadband mobile on a worldwide scale, regardless of location, network or terminal used,” ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said. 

The ITU decision is also expected to enable manufacturers and mobile operators to offer mobile broadband in underserved areas at more affordable rates.

In the Philippines, the 700 Mhz spectrum has been a hot topic in the telecommunications industry as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom are pushing for the reallocation of the frequency to get their fair share.

San Miguel Corp. holds the bulk of the 100 Mhz on the 700 band through Wi-Tribe Telecoms Inc.’s 80 Mhz and High Frequency Telecommunications Inc.’s 10 Mhz, while the 10 Mhz balance is assigned to New Century Telecommunications.

 Ray Espinosa, regulatory affairs and policy head at PLDT, said the group would seek President Aquino’s intervention on the issue and initiate a legal action against the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to push for the frequency’s reallocation to include all telco players.

For his part, Globe general legal counsel Froilan Castelo said access to the 700 Mhz spectrum would allow the existing players to provide broadband and data services at faster speeds and in a more cost-efficient manner.

 As early as 2005, Globe already sought for an allocation and assignment of frequencies within the 700 Mhz and 800 Mhz bands for its broadband wireless network with the NTC, but the agency did not act favorably on its request.

Earlier, the GSM Association (GSMA) which groups‘ mobile operators and related companies devoted to setting standards as well as deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system, said it supports the ITU’s move to globally harmonize and allocate the 700 Mhz spectrum given its benefits to the economy.

According to the GSMA, utilizing the 700 Mhz band could potentially increase the country’s gross domestic product by tenfold and create additional jobs.