Spectrum Allocation
Global Standards and Strategies
Peter Darling,
Network Insight
Spectrum Allocation
March 2001
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Spectrum Allocation
As you have already seen, Spectrum Allocation is a
fascinating mix of
 Science and technology
 Politics (national and international)
 Economics
 Negotiation
 Compromise(and sometimes people even look at end
user requirements!)
Spectrum is a resource, not an end in itself. It is
valuable based on the use that can be made.
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Not All Spectrum is the same
Taking into account
 The physical characteristics of different parts of the
spectrum
 The services and the technical standards developed to
deliver those services optimised for different parts of
the spectrum
 International arrangements
 International and national regulation
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Physical Characteristics of Spectrum

Frequency is the main defining parameter for the radio
spectrum. The spectrum is divided into bands by the ITU
 Very Low Frequency
(VLF) 3-30 kHz
 Low Frequency
(LF)
30-300 kHz
 Medium Frequency
(MF) 300-3000 kHz
 High Frequency
(HF)
3-30 MHz
 Very High Frequency
(VHF) 30-300 MHz
 Ultra High Frequency
(UHF) 300-3000 MHz
 Super High Frequency
(SHF) 3-30 GHz
 Extremely High Frequency
(EHF) 30-300 GHz
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Propagation
The uses of different parts of the spectrum are largely
determined by their propagation characteristics.
 VLF and LF travel long distances, following the earth’s
curvature.
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Propagation
The uses of different parts of the spectrum are largely
determined by their propagation characteristics.
 Some bands (MF, HF) are reflected by layers in the
ionosphere, bouncing back to earth thousands of
kilometres from the transmission site
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Propagation
The uses of different parts of the spectrum are largely
determined by their propagation characteristics.
 Very short wavelengths (SHF, EHF) are similar to light,
travelling only to the horizon, and blocked by “solid”
objects.
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Interference
Marconi’s original radio transmissions were low
power, but were able to be heard over transcontinental distances, because they only had to
compete with natural radio noise.
Multiple users of the same frequency increase noise,
and cause mutual interference. Planning at
international and national level is designed to
maximise usage by minimising interference.
(HF radio shows the alternative – the “cocktail party
effect” where no-one can hear despite everyone
shouting)
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International Issues
 Radio
waves do not stop neatly at political borders
 VLF, LF, MF and HF travel trans-continental distances
 VHF and UHF (as well as higher frequencies) overlap
national land borders
 There
is never enough spectrum to meet demand
 The (incomplete) answer – International Radio
Regulations, set at World Radio Conferences
 National spectrum plans are based on, and consistent
with, the International Regulations
 A binding treaty, but where is the policeman?
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Types of spectrum usage
 Spectrum
can be used for
 Point-to-point services (for example, microwave
communications links)
 Point-to-multipoint services (for example, radio and TV
broadcasting, mobile services)
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Point-to-Point Links
The one frequency can be reused multiple times in
the same area with careful planning to minimise
interference.
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Point-to-Multipoint Links
 The
traditional means of providing wide area service
has been to place a high-power transmitter on a high
tower to cover the service area.
(Sometimes the coverage is enhanced by using a
near-by mountain)
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Broad-area Coverage
 Because
of the likelihood
of interference, a
frequency cannot be
reused until a
considerable distance
beyond the service area
 (This
is the basis for TV
and radio band planning)
 [New
technology, such as
Digital TV, tries to
maximise re-use]
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Mobile Services
 The
first mobile services used VHF or UHF
frequencies and broad area coverage, to serve
several thousand customers
 Based
on traditional spectrum allocation, there was
not enough spectrum available for a mass-market
service.
 The
solution was to use low-power transmitters and
re-use frequencies in a cellular pattern.
 The
cost was very much greater complexity.
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Cellular Concepts
A user is connected to an available frequency in the cell
covering their location
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Cellular Concepts
When the user travels outside the cell, the user’s equipment and
the network switch the call to another frequency in a new cell
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Cellular Concepts
The same process continues as the user moves location
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Cellular Concepts
Frequencies can be reused multiple times in the one area
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Cellular Concepts
Cellular mobile
 Allows much greater use of spectrum. If microcells are
used, the potential number of users from a spectrum
allocation could be in the millions rather than
thousands
 Trades increased infrastructure (cell sites, control
equipment, etc) for maximum usage of spectrum
 Requires a very complicated set of standards, very
complex customer equipment and complex network
equipment
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Cellular Standards
A
cellular handset is a powerful computer, a versatile
radio transmitter, and a voice encoder/decoder
 Large
production runs, based on stable standards
and using very-large-scale integration, reduce a
cellular handset to a commodity item (indeed, a
fashion statement)
 This
requires very large markets, in major, affluent
nations (USA, Japan), regions (Europe), ideally global
markets.
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Cellular Standards – 1G
 The
first generation of cellular mobile systems were
analogue, and generally were based on national
standards with using different frequency allocations,
for example
 AMPS in the USA, using 800 MHz;
 Nordic Mobile using 450 MHz
 The
standards for these systems mainly covered the
air-interface and cellular control, not the supporting
network
 The
structure of first generation mobile networks was
strongly influenced by regulatory decisions e.g. US
service areas
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Cellular Standards – 2G
 Second
generation mobile networks
 were designed to use spectrum more efficiently
(support a larger number of users);
 used digital transmission for low bit-rate voice and
low-speed data
 The
European standard, GSM, used 900 MHz (and
later 1800 MHz), with a fully specified network
 USA
standards were designed to co-exist with 1G in
800 MHz and also use 1900 MHz
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Alternate Approaches
 Europe
combined resources (under CEPT and later
ETSI) to produce a single standard, with
encouragement at the European level for GSM as a
European champion in other markets
 The
USA decided to let the market determine, with an
initial eleven candidates reduced to three
incompatible standards, all now in service
 Some
countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific
region, have allocated spectrum for both GSM and US
standards
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The Move to 3G
 The
ITU’s World Radio Conference in 1992 allocated
230 MHz of spectrum for worldwide use for what is
now known as IMT-2000.
 The
obvious ITU aim was for a single air-interface. 2G
developments made this very unlikely
 The
ITU’s attempt to standardise 3G has highlighted
problems in their standards process. Much of the
work has been done at the regional level.
 IMT-2000
is now a family of air-interfaces. The extent
of interworking is still not clear
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The ITU’s Road to IMT-2000
Source: ITU Web Site
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Australian Licences for Spectrum Access


As you have heard, Australian Legislation
provides for three sorts of licences
Apparatus Licence
 Best
for point-to-point services with many users in a
single area (e.g. microwave links)

Spectrum Licence
 Best
for point-to-multi-point services run by one user
(e.g. mobile services)

Class Licence
 Best
for mass market, low power, “non interfering”
applications (e.g. cordless telephones)
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Spectrum Licence Considerations
A
spectrum licence is issued for a fixed term
(normally fifteen years) with no provision for
automatic renewal (despite the comment in today’s
Financial Review).
 If traded the licence will only be valid for the remainder
of the original term.
 Investment in the last third of the licence term will often
be uneconomic
 In
theory, a spectrum licence can be used for any
purpose. In practice, the definition of the licence and
its core conditions often will provide severe limits to
multiple uses without major change to the licence
 The 2GHz auction has been optimised for 3G mobile
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Interference
How
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is interference to a spectrum right
defined?
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Interference
How
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is it enforced?
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The Boundary Problem (1)
Even
with land, there is a history of
boundary disputes
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The Boundary Problem (2)
Radio
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propagation does not follow simple
surveying rules
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The Boundary Problem (3)
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Other Points to be Considered




In deciding if an area of spectrum is suitable for
spectrum licensing, the ACA must consider
International agreements for radiocommunications, telecommunications
and broadcasting
Conversion of multi-party systems
Applicability with new techniques such as
spread spectrum, single frequency digital
systems, etc
Linkage between broadcasting, telecommunications and
radiocommunications regulation
Spectrum licensing is a tool, not the tool!
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