ITU to provide Mobile broadband in 694-790 MHz globally

NEW DELHI: The The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said that it will provide enhanced capacity for mobile broadband in the 694-790 MHz frequency band in ITU Region-1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia) and a globally harmonized solution for the implementation of the digital dividend.

The 694-790 MHz frequency band was allocated to mobile broadband in the Americas and Asia-Pacific at the WRC in 2007. As a result of this agreement, this same band will be available for mobile broadband use worldwide. The decision was taken at ITU's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-2015) in Geneva this month.

“The decision allocates this band to the mobile service and identifies it for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in ITU Region-1, similarly to what was decided by the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2007 (WRC-07) for ITU Region-2 (Americas) and Region-3 (Asia-Pacific),” ITU said in a statement.

The ITU said that the provisions adopted by WRC-15 provide full protection to television broadcasting, as well as to the aeronautical radionavigation systems operating in this frequency band, specifically in countries of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC).

“The WRC-15 decision represents a landmark in the development of broadband mobile on a worldwide scale, regardless of location, network or terminal used,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

“It goes a long way in enabling bridging of the digital divide, while fully protecting the other services currently operated in the band,” said Zhao.

“The global harmonization of the 694-790 MHz frequency band that has been decided by WRC-15 paves the way for manufacturers and mobile operators to offer mobile broadband at an affordable price in currently underserved areas,” said François Rancy, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.