[3GScottishUser]

From Unstrung (28/04/2006):

Ofcom today announced the results of the low-power GSM auction. The successful bidders are British Telecommunications PLC, Cable & Wireless, COLT Mobile Telecommunications Ltd , Cyberpress Ltd, FMS Solutions Ltd, Mapesbury Communications Ltd, O2 (UK) Ltd, Opal Telecom Ltd, PLDT (UK) Ltd, Shyam Telecom UK Ltd, Spring Mobil AB and Private Mobile Networks (Teleware PLC) - all with the same opportunity to offer exciting new innovative and bespoke solutions within the UK.

The UK regulator has enabled a world first, auctioning a small prime piece of GSM spectrum for concurrent use in a technology neutral way. The Spectrum is 3.3MHz at the top end of the GSM 1800MHz band and with the vast majority of handsets capable of working in this spectrum, the opportunity to offer niche (and mass market) mobile services is open wide.

Full article: http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=93583

Further Information: www.lowpowergsm.com

[Ben]

Wow, what does this mean for BT? Is there enough spectrum there for them to actually offer some mobile services in certain areas? Would they even want to?

C&W is another interesting one... could they use this to create a service to complement their Bulldog broadband offering?

[3GScottishUser]

Doubt if it'll be anything on that scale but just imagine that you could roam onto an alternative network in places like stations, coffee shops, airports etc. Some larger companies may choose to use this type of service to cover large plants.

Now all Ofcom have to do is tackle the issue of handset locking because as long as that applies new services like the ones planned will have a very limited market.

[Hands0n]

This one interested me from the lowpowergsm website



UNROAMING”

Target usage by communities of international users
Managed services for cheap outbound international calls
Assist venues in offering value-adds for international visitors
What does this mean? As recent commentary from consumer organisations, regulators and the EU Commission have indicated, the existing situation for international cellular roaming is far from satisfactory. Costs are often too high, too unclear, and introduce difficulties for audiences such as prepay users.

As a result, outbound international calls are only rarely made by cellular phone users – and even then, often only when they are reimbursed by an employer. For long calls to friends, families or even clients, people tend to rely on landline telephony, or, increasingly, PC-based VoIP services like Skype.

The new low-power GSM licensees have an opportunity to participate in this market. By creating local in-building networks that are, effectively, “extensions” of an overseas operator’s coverage, they can “unroam” subscribers within targeted communities of international users. Unlike PC or fixed-line alternatives, they can exploit customers’ existing ordinary GSM handsets.

‘Unroaming Hotspots:

Internet cafes or existing calling-booth sites
Hotels and conference centres
Universities and foreign language colleges
Foreign businesses with UK offices
Tourist sites and entry ports
Using tactically-placed and inexpensive picocells, the new breed of low-power GSM operators could capture significant numbers of international roamers.

Dedicated local switching platforms can also offer local service managers the ability to manage the service they offer to their own clients, and permit operators to provide true partnerships with venue owners or other distributors.

Coupled with clever use of international roaming agreements or VoIP gateways, low-power GSM operators stand to be important players in enabling greater international use of standard cellular devices.