Cellphone makers want cheaper 3G wireless
updated 04:30 pm EDT, Mon June 25, 2007
900MHz 3G Wireless
Governments should open up frequencies for 3G cellular Internet, cellphone makers belonging to the GSM Association have said today. The group wants political bodies in various countries, particularly in developing countries, to allow use of technologies such as HSDPA and UMTS on the more common 900MHz frequency instead of 2.1GHz, allowing more countries to have access to faster Internet access through their cellphones. The network band often costs less to use and would get more subscribers in a given area, making it less expensive in the long run.
It would also help cover rural areas where 3G is simply too expensive to install in the first place, says Eetu Prieur from Elisa, which runs one of the first 900MHz 3G networks in Finland.
"We see 900MHz network as very important for us in the coming years, as it enables us to cover sparsely populated areas with a 3G network for a significantly lower price," he says.
Although widespread use of 900MHz 3G isn't expected for some time, Elisa has already launched commercial service for the technology and is supported by a handset maker in its home country. The Nokia 6121 already supports the new standard alongside the typically Europe-only 2.1GHz Internet access format.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2001
bad info -- 2.1ghz
2.1ghz is NOT EUROPE ONLY 3G. It is EVERYWHERE BUT THE US (maybe N.A) 3G. Same 2.1ghz 3G works fine in Asia (Japan and Korea at the least) as it does in Europe. I know, I've used it in Japan a few times. I make sure the phones I buy use the standard UMTS 2.1ghz band if it only supports one UMTS 3G band since that is the one in the rest of the world where I might travel and T-Mobile in the US won't have 3G anytime soon, at least in my market, anyway.