3GPP Broadband Evolution to IMT-Advanced - 4G Americas

Europe are providing operators with wider deployment options. An increasing number ofoperators are also deploying UMTS at 900 MHz, a traditional GSM band.Figure 7 shows a Rysavy Research projection for the amount of spectrum that anoperator will require in their busiest markets to meet anticipated demand. Given thatmany operators in the U.S. have about 50 to 90 MHz of spectrum, it will not be that longbefore additional spectrum is essential.Figure 7: Operator Spectrum Requirement for Busiest Markets 26250Operator Spectrum RequirementBusiest Markets200MHz of Spectrum1501005002010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Rysavy Research 2010YearThe spectrum projection does not take into account that small-message traffic (e.g., e-mail queries) consumes a disproportionate amount of capacity, nor that operators needadditional radio channels for infill coverage or to separate voice and data traffic ondifferent channels.The spectrum situation varies by operator. Some may experience shortages well beforeothers depending on multiple factors such as the amount of spectrum they have, theircell site density relative to population, type of devices they offer, and their service plans.As the total amount of available spectrum does become available and as technologiessimultaneously become spectrally more efficient, total capacity rises rapidly, supportingmore subscribers and making many new types of applications feasible.Refer to the section “Spectrum Bands” in the appendix for further details on specificbands for UMTS and LTE.Different countries have regulated spectrum more loosely than others. For example,operators in the United States can use either 2G or 3G technologies in cellular, PersonalCommunications Service (PCS), or 3G bands, whereas in Europe there are greater26 Source: Rysavy Research, “Mobile Broadband Capacity Constraints And the Need for Optimization,”February 24, 2010.Transition to 4G: 3GPP Broadband Evolution to IMT-Advanced, Rysavy Research/3G Americas, Aug 2010 Page 21