| WiMAX Wars - IMT designation |
| Posted: January 2009 | ||||||
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Page 2 of 8 1. What is the meaning of the IMT designation?First we need to look at the ITU Table of Frequency Allocations.ITU Table of Frequency Allocations The ITU Table of Frequency Allocations (see Annex 1 for excerpt) lists ranges of frequencies allocated to the various radiocommunication services (eg. fixed-satellite service, mobile service, broadcasting service etc.) In order to make efficient use of the scarce radio spectrum, services that do not co-exist well without special sharing constraints are often allocated to the same frequency bands. Such frequency allocations are made either on a primary or secondary basis. A secondary service cannot cause interference into or claim protection from a primary service. Primary services must coordinate between themselves or share based on some pre-defined constraints. Sometimes primary service allocations are not compatible and administrations favour one or the other service in their national Table of Frequency Allocations. For example, both before and after WRC-07 the FIXED, MOBILE and the FIXED-SATELLITE services (capital letters indicate a primary allocation) in ITU Region 3 (Asia and Oceania) were allocated in the frequency range 3.5 – 4.2 GHz (see Annex 1). Broadband wireless Access (BWA) can be deployed under either the FIXED or MOBILE service depending on whether the service is fixed or mobile. Historically, the FIXED allocation co-existed well with FSS since the FIXED service was point-to-point (usually radio relay) and frequency coordination was feasible. However, fixed BWA is often point-to-multi-point and this service does not coexist well with FSS. Significance of IMT Designation Under WRC-07 agenda item 1.4 many administrations made proposals to have at least some of the C-band designated for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT). The footnotes adopted designating bands for IMT are for mobile allocations and all contain words to the effect that “This identification does not preclude the use of this band by any application of the services to which it is allocated and does not establish priority in the Radio Regulations.” In spite of this wording, administrations in such a footnote are likely to show a preference for IMT technologies when issuing licenses. Actually, the IMT designation is a restriction since it gives some preference to the IMT technologies. Restrictions are more appropriate in the national table of frequency allocations. In addition, the IMT designation is not technology neutral. Most administrations have a policy of allocating spectrum on a “technology neutral” basis and therefore there is some doubt that the IMT designation should be used even in a national table of frequency allocations, certainly not in the ITU Table of Frequency Allocations. Fourteen (14) Region 2 (Americas) countries wanted to deploy BWA technologies on a primary basis in the band 3.4 – 3.5 GHz and upgraded the existing mobile service from a secondary allocation to a primary allocation but without the IMT designation. These countries did not want to give preference to IMT technologies in the way that was done in Regions 1 and 3 by the IMT designation. The IMT designation is heavily promoted by some European and Asian equipment manufacturers and cellular network operators.
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