WCA May 2009

With the horizon brightening for the industry, Barcelona 2009 called on governments to focus on mobile broadband stimulus

The GSMA Mobile World Congress, held 16 th -19 th February in Barcelona, generated news galore. Incorporating the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry, the huge event (formerly 3GSM World Congress) offered previews of an energy-saving Nokia phone with a sensor that detects and utilises natural light; from Samsung, the “Blue Earth” model with a solar panel on the back for charging; the Sony Ericsson “concept phone,” made from recycled biodegradable components; the entirely recyclable “Renew” phone from Motorola, made using plastic from discarded water bottles; and very much more. With their strong suggestion of a new market niche for environmental technologies, these are welcome developments for both the association’s membership (representing more than 3 billion GSM and 3GSM connections worldwide) and its burgeoning cadre of ecology-minded customers. But, for some 50,000 attendees from over 200 countries, as for a much larger world audience of interested parties, very likely the best news produced by Barcelona 2009 is summed up in the title of the opening day address at the GSMA Leadership Summit: “Mobile Communications Is Uniquely Placed to Drive Economy Growth.” Broadly, the thesis put forward by leading experts (from, among others, Ericsson, VimpelCom, Telecom Italia, Telenor, and China Mobile) is that, as the mobile industry is one of the few parts of the private sector currently capable of providing an economic stimulus, governments need to adopt policies that encourage more investment in mobile services and networks. Wherever possible, governments should seek to create a stable regulatory environment, while licensing spectrum on the right terms to encourage spending on network infrastructure and services. Specific projections and recommendations include these: The release of new spectrum for mobile broadband ✆ ✆ services in 2009 will ultimately add the equivalent of $211 billion to China’s GDP (gross domestic product), and could add the equivalent of $95 billion to that of India. The rollout of mobile broadband networks in the two countries will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, encourage new businesses across the value chain, improve productivity, and boost consumer spending It is important that governments allocate the same ✆ ✆ spectrum for mobile broadband services as those awarded by other governments in their regions. This harmonisation will allow the same devices to be used in several countries and enable manufacturers to achieve economies of scale that eventuate in lower prices for the end user The switchover to digital television presents a once- ✆ ✆ in-a-generation opportunity to make low-frequency spectrum, in which radio waves travel long distances and better penetrate the walls of buildings, available for mobile broadband services. Of the 400MHz of low-frequency spectrum freed up by the move out of analogue television, 100MHz should be used for the rollout of cost-effective mobile broadband networks.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2009