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Friday, November 16, 2012

Ofcom plans to avoid capacity problems for 4G and 5G mobile services in the UK

Ofcom has published plans to ensure that UK mobile phone networks are able to support the ever-increasing demand for mobile data capacity. It’s also published new information that shows mobile data usage has more than doubled in the past 12 months; up from 9 million gigabytes last year to 20 million GB.

By 2030, it’s thought that demand for mobile data could be 80 times higher than today. To meet this requirement, the UK needs more mobile spectrum and more efficient usage.

Ofcom is planning to ensure additional radio spectrum can be made available for existing mobile technologies and for the potential introduction of fifth-generation ‘5G’ mobile services as well. It’s aiming to take advantage of the 700MHz frequency band, which is currently used for digital terrestrial television (DTT) and could be released to mobile networks without the need for another TV switchover.

Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Executive, said “Within the coming months we will hold the UK’s largest-ever auction of mobile spectrum for 4G. However, that may not be enough to meet consumers’ future data demands, which is why we are already making significant efforts to prepare to go beyond 4G. Our plans are designed to avoid a ‘capacity crunch’, ensuring that the UK’s mobile infrastructure can continue to support the inescapable growth in consumer demand and economic growth more generally.”

The new Ofcom plans would ensure that alternative frequencies - probably in the 600MHz band - are available for DTT towards the end of the decade. Most TV viewers would simply need to retune their TV equipment when this happens. These changes would require international agreement, which is expected to be finalised in 2015. Any frequency changes would be unlikely to happen before 2018.

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 10th October 2011

Mark Bridge takes a look back at last week’s mobile industry headlines.

Rest in peace, Steve. The death of Apple co-founder Steven Paul Jobs following several years of illness has seen the kind of public grieving usually reserved for pop stars and princesses. There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said; it’s hard to argue with Tim Cook’s statement that “Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

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India launches 'world's cheapest' tablet

Anjana Pasricha of voanews.com writes:

India hopes that the launch of what is being called “the world’s cheapest tablet computer” will help tens of thousands of low-income students connect to the digital world.

The $45 device with a seven-inch color touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and two USB ports is meant to bridge the digital divide in a country where only three percent of the population has computers.

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Mobile crime and mobile security at Over The Air

Mark Bridge writes:

Much of Bletchley Park’s history involves code-breaking and intercepting radio messages so - when Over The Air 2011 brought hundreds of mobile developers to the site - it seemed appropriate to explore the subject of mobile phone security.

In particular, there were a couple of sessions on the agenda that caught my eye. Detective Sergeant Andy Williams of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit started by talking about stolen phones... and asking if mobile applications could help with this problem.

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'Design for All goes Mobile' at Over The Air 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

One of the speakers providing inspiration for the mobile developers at Over The Air 2011 was Denise Stephens, co-founder of Enabled by Design. Her presentation, called ‘Design for All goes Mobile’, explored how good design could help mobile phone users live more independently than they would otherwise be able to.

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The other Apple announcements that shouldn't be ignored

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple’s evangelists will need to wait a little longer for the iPhone 5, it seems. Last night’s announcement of the Apple iPhone 4S by Apple CEO Tim Cook seems to have disappointed many people, although plenty of others had predicted the arrival of this faster and smarter sibling for the iPhone 4.

But that wasn’t the only news from Apple.

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