The GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade body for the mobile industry, has welcomed Switzerlands decision to allocate part of the Digital Dividend Ultra High Frequency (UHF) spectrum that will be freed up by the switch to digital TV, to mobile broadband services.
The spectrum is in the 470MHz to 806/862 MHz band, in which radio waves can travel further and deeper within buildings than is the case in existing mobile spectrum bands. These characteristics would help operators to achieve much broader and more cost-effective mobile broadband coverage, particularly in rural areas.
The Swiss government said the use of this spectrum will enable excellent mobile broadband coverage of rural areas, while offering good penetration into buildings. As radio waves travel long distances in the low-frequency bands, using this spectrum enables operators to provide mobile broadband coverage far more cost-effectively than in the high frequency bands.
Following the decision of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 to identify the 790-862 MHz frequency band for mobile services in European and African countries, the Finnish, French, Swedish and Swiss governments have now decided to allocate this band for mobile broadband services. The GSMA believes the growing support among European governments for the provision of mobile broadband services using this spectrum will further encourage equipment makers to develop handsets and base stations for this frequency band, strengthening Europes role as a leader in the global mobile market.
It is vitally important that other European governments follow in the footsteps of these four pioneering countries and also commit this spectrum band to mobile broadband services, says the GSMAs  Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer, Tom Phillips. Harmonisation of spectrum across countries provides manufacturers with the economies of scale necessary to drive down the price of mobile devices and network equipment and makes it easier for people to continue using their handsets and laptops while travelling abroad. The extraordinary global success of GSM is partly due to the harmonized allocation of spectrum by European governments.