Hutchison 3G (H3G)

The forthcoming auction of 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum, and the associated licence conditions, will have a profound impact on the mobile industry in the UK. In its latest consultation and proposals, Ofcom highlights that the auction is “likely to be the last significant opportunity to obtain prime mobile spectrum for many years” and that the… Read more

Contrary to the view from some analysts, recent results from Three UK show that there is little prospect of halting the tide of mobile data. Since the heady days of early all-you-can-eat mobile data tariffs, in the last couple of years we have reported on a trend of UK mobile network operators limiting mobile data usage… Read more

Despite the current economic environment, there may be significant opportunities for new entrants with LTE. New entrants have played an important role in stimulating the market for mobile broadband services, and could be equally important in developing the market for LTE services. New entrants have already played a vital part in driving the market for… Read more

Mark Heath of Unwired Insight provides analysis of 3UK’s 3G traffic. While many mobile network operators remain tight-lipped about the growth in data traffic on their 3G networks, 3UK has been relatively open about it. It has also been open about the traffic shaping that it has had to apply. This is despite 3UK having… Read more

Mobile data pricing for traffic-intensive services is becoming more affordable for consumers, with a proliferation of flat-rate tariffs for smartphones and flat-rate mobile broadband bundles, with generous monthly usage allocations (for example, 5GB or more). Flat-rate pricing for smartphones is becoming increasingly prevalent, to give mobile users the freedom to access a broadening range of… Read more

While some industry observers pointed to the underutilisation of 3G networks following their launch as a sign that 3G networks were not needed, there have been many developments that have kick-started the take-up and usage of 3G services, which include the: launch of mobile broadband services (using USB modems and datacards), at affordable prices launch… Read more

3G operators may choose to use dedicated broadcasting networks, or 3G broadcasting solutions, to deliver mobile TV and radio services. Some 3G operators could build their own networks, while others could share. In Europe, some 3G operators are interested in DVB-H, particularly now that mainstream mobile handset vendors such as Nokia are planning to offer a… Read more

While total network capacity is an important metric for 3G operators, they should be more interested in the network capacity per 3G device, which indicates the total average monthly traffic per 3G device that their networks can realistically support. 3G operators with relatively small customer bases (for example, new-entrant 3G operators) will generally be able… Read more

HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution) adopts an even higher-order modulation than HSPA (64QAM compared with 16QAM) to boost peak rates further. Performance is further enhanced through the adoption of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology. With MIMO, more than one transmit antenna is used at the base station and more than one receive… Read more