The CDMA based mobile operators are all set to start 3G trials in the 1900 Mhz band. The aim of this trial is to see if CDMA services in this band will interfere with mobile services offered by the GSM players. This move could lead to the next round of the 3G spectrum wars.
That's because the GSM-based operators have all along claimed that CDMA services in the 1900 Mhz band will interfere with 3G services in the 21.Ghz band. Within hours of the news being public, T.V. Ramachandran, director general of the Delhi-based Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has shot off a seven-page letter to telecom secretary D.S. Mathur.
So, the battle for 3G spectrum seems to have begun in earnest all over again. Ramachandran claims that the DoT has allowed a trial for the mixed band without involving the GSM industry.
Considering that the GSM camp has always opposed the mixed band plan, this move could result in the entire issue going to court. But, then that is not something new in the Indian telecom industry. With China planning to roll-out 3G services under the TD-SCDMA standard later this year, it is high time the government and the telecom companies come to a tacit understanding on 3G services. Or else, it will be one more case where India waits while the world goes way ahead.
4 comments:
Tell us a little more about how the interference works. You mean like crossed lines or congestion or what? Not understood.
Well, technically speaking the real problem with the mixed band is that the uplink of the 2.1 Ghz band overlaps with the downlink of the PCS 1900 band. Simply put, the signal strength from the base station is much stronger than the uplink from the mobile phone. So, that will cause interference problems for GSM users.
The CDMA operators have talked of setting up filters to counter this. However, that will mean a sharp increase in the capital expenditure that has to be incurred by GSM operators, making their 3G services quite expensive.
So PCS 1900 could result in congestion on the network. This will lead to bad quality services. Hope that clears it up.
Thanks for writing this.
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