EU opens up 900MHz, 1,800MHz for 4G phone data
updated 01:40 pm EDT, Mon April 18, 2011
EU rules 900MHz and 1,800MHz clear for 4G
The European Commission on Monday put out a ruling (PDF) ordering that EU member countries had to open up the 900MHz and 1,800MHz bands for 4G mobile data. The decision would require allowing carriers to use LTE and WiMAX on the existing frequencies before the end of the year. The faster speeds aren't expected to clash with GSM, HSPA, or other 2G and 3G technologies that already use the airspace.
Its call follows earlier pushes for wider cellular access and other plans to expand the reach of Internet access in Europe. In November, the EU launched a broadband satellite that would give Internet access to many whose rural areas prevented them from getting fast online links.
Commissioner Neelie Kroes said the expansion was crucial to giving 4G the room to breathe and would both fuel plans for fast Internet access as well as spur on more competition by giving more companies access to LTE and other fast access.
LTE is expected to reach Europe in earnest within the next one to two years and has been held back compared to the US mostly due to the wireless spectrum needed to make it work. In the US, the FCC had already sold off the 700MHz band to carriers, mostly AT&T and Verizon, but it hadn't been matched by a European equivalent. The new frequencies won't be as long-range as in the US but should help speed up rollouts by giving European carriers an idea of what to expect and would require a minimum of change.
