TRAI has released its recommendations on advanced wireless broadband services in the 700MHz band. Key recommendations are,
- FDD to be used in 700Mhz.
- Spectrum available is 698-806Mhz.
- A 45x2MHz configuration recommended in the 700MHz band. This effectively implies that only one operator (new/old) can win the spectrum.
TRAI has recommended implementing a 45x2MHz configuration in the 700MHz band for FD-LTE, which essentially implies allotting the entire spectrum bandwidth to a single operator. Is this Possible ?
Overall, the 700MHz ecosystem and technology are much more favorable than the current 2.3GHz allotment (in India) for wireless broadband. FD-LTE is a much more commercial technology than TD-LTE given its wider implementation and equipment and device ecosystems. It has the ability to offer both voice and data services and that 700MHz will be more efficient in coverage than higher frequency bands. In addition, the spectrum in 700MHz will be highly concentrated, allowing higher bandwidth and supporting a larger subscriber base.
Given that the spectrum available in India’s case (698MHz-806MHz) is 108Mhz, the other known usage configuration is 18x2Mhz and 12x2MHz in the US. As such, atleast 2 operators should be accommodated in the 700MHz band, given the limitations of high bandwidth required and limited available spectrum.
I thought even under the APT700 FDD plan (45×2), the allocation can be for three 15×2 licenses, as is being done in Taiwan. Request you to please check and clarify.
I just re-checked. You can have multiple licenses (operators) under APT700 (TDD 2×45).
Last comment: I wrote TDD instead of FDD. My bad.