The APT band plan A brief introduction

Transcription

1 The APT band plan A brief introduction Stefan Zehle, CEO, Coleago Consulting Ltd June 2013

2 APT 700MHz FDD Band 28 and TDD Band 44 FDD Mode 3GPP Band MHz MHz 45 MHz 45 MHz TDD Mode 3GPP Band MHz 100 MHz 2

3 The FDD band plan appears to be preferred Japan: APT FDD allocated in 2012 China: TDD adoption planned but not finalised Latin America: Widespread FDD adoption APT FDD auction: Australia in Feb 13, New Zealand in Q Middle East & Africa: Interest in APT FDD India: March 13, APT FDD adopted 3

4 Other digital dividend band plans USA, Canada and Caribbean US 700MHz band plan which consists of 3GPP bands 12, 13, 14, 17 Europe 3GPP Band 20 Russia Non-3GPP 2x30MHz 700MHz FDD 4

5 698MHz 716 MHz 728 MHz 746 MHz 756 MHz 768 MHz 777 MHz 788 MHz 798 MHz 8-6 MHz How not to do it: The US 700MHz band plan Lower 700 Upper 700 Band 12 Band 17 Band 12 Band 17 Band 13 Band 13 Band 13 Band 13 A B C D E A B C C D PS BB PC NB C D PS BB PC NB Mobile Tx TDD Base TX Base Tx Base Tx Mobile Tx Mobile Tx Early adoption: incorporated in all LTE handsets sold in North America Technology barriers to competition due to what are in effect the operator proprietary band 17 (AT&T) and band 13 (Verizon) Inefficient use of spectrum, today only 2x20MHz usable vs. 2x45 for APT 5

6 Europe: Only 2x30MHz available in band 20 3GPP Band MHz MHz 30 MHz 30 MHz Allocated in a number of European countries Handsets with band 20 are sold since x30MHz allocation poses problems in four player markets 6

7 Russia: Could it still move to APT? Russia APT Band Plan Mobile Transmit Centre Gap Mobile Receive 720 MHz to 750 MHz = 30 MHz 703 MHz to 748 MHz = 45 MHz 750 MHz to 761 MHz 748 MHz to 758 MHz 761 MHz to 791 MHz = 30 MHz 758 MHz to 803 MHz = 45 MHz The 2x30MHz 700MHz band plan is not harmonised Close to the 700MHz APT band plan apart from mobile transmit 7

8 Middle East and Africa United Arab Emirates adopted the APT band plan in May 2013, but using only part of the band The UAE is adopting the 2 x 30 MHz channel plan for the 700 MHz band, consisting of MHz (uplink) paired with MHz (downlink). Considerable interest in APT band plan in Africa. 8

9 Chipsets are not the problem, band combinations are Qualcomm s RF360 mobile chip announced at the MWC this year, supports: LTE-FDD, LTE-TDD, WCDMA, EV-DO, CDMA 1x, TD- SCDMA and GSM / EDGE In 40 different LTE bands However, this does not mean that all will be available in a single handset. Handset manufacturers and operators have to make choices Today the number of LTE bands that can be switched on is limited to 6 bands 9

10 What matters are band combinations within a region The 3GPP bands used in Region 2 and Region 3 are not the same Region 2 devices will not sell in Region 3 Region 3 has to generate its own economies of scale 10

11 Key LTE candidate bands differ between Regions 2 and 3 Region 3 Asia & Australia FDD Band 1 (2100 MHz) Band 3 (1800 MHz) Band 5 (850 MHz) Band 7 (2600 MHz) Band 8 (900 MHz) Band 28 (APT 700M Hz) TDD Band 34/a & Band 39/f Band 40 (3.5 GHz) Band 28 (3.6 GHz) Band 44 (APT 700 MHz) Region 2 South America FDD Band 2 (1900 MHz) Band 5 (850 MHz) Band 7 (2600 MHz) Band 10 (ext. AWS / 3G Americas) Band 25 (E1900 MHz) Band 26 (E850 MHz U) Band 27 (E850 MHz L) Band 28 (APT 700 MHz) 11

12 Band combinations in devices are market specific Samsung GALAXY S4 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps): up to 6 different band sets (dependent on market) 12

13 VoLTE is an important element of the APT band plan Today LTE does not support voice and requires CSFB. 700MHz is useful for rural coverage but without CSFB also requires presence of 900MHz GSM / HSPA in the RAN. Handset native CSFB will be available in early / mid 2014, i.e. in about the same time frame as handsets with APT 700MHz. Rural coverage could be built with 700MHz LTE only, but cost of LTE handsets may be a challenge in the short term. 13

14 700 MHz 2.6 GHz Mbps 700 MHz Band aggregation adds further complexity LTE band aggregation is already available. The benefits are: High maximum potential speeds Some capacity gains through trunking efficiency Which bands are aggregated and when is driven by regional market demand. 700MHz APT aggregation roadmap is yet to be defined. 14

15 Technology maker or technology taker? Technology makers Large markets are technology makers. Volumes are large enough to specify handsets with the desired band combinations Large operators can create their own device eco-system, such as AT&T, Verizon, China Mobile Technology takers Most countries fall into this category. The best strategy is to observe developments and be a fast follower. Produces the benefits of new bands and technology as early as possible Allows consumers to benefit from scale economies generated in larger markets Regulators should time a spectrum allocation or auction process accordingly, be ready to start the process but avoid rushing ahead. 15

16 Questions Stefan Zehle, MBA CEO, Coleago Consulting Ltd Tel: