700 Mhz Spectrum Usage

clohamon

It does seem odd though that they went to the trouble of tracing the outlines of the buildings only to decide that there need be no coverage inside them.

https://www.comreg.ie/media/2019/12/Specific-Locations-Boundary-Files.zip (shapefiles)

...and Annex 4 in the Information Memorandum looks ambiguous (see page 250 of ComReg 21/40), maybe they clarified it later.

A 4.3 Table A4.2 below contains a list of public and private hospitals obtained from the Health Service Executive. Where a hospital is located in more than one location, the coverage obligations apply to each of these locations.

A 4.4 The coverage obligations apply to the hospital’s buildings, adjacent car parks and key thoroughfares.

The Cush

2100 MHz transition licensing, updated Monday

As I post this, within the last hour my local eir/GoMo mast has been ungraded from EARFCN 525 (LTE-A 15+15 MHz) to EARFCN 500 (LTE-A 20+15 MHz)

Connection was all over the place in the process 1800 MHz, 800 MHz, even down to 2G EDGE 900. Still a bit flaky.

The Cush

Since 2 April 2023 all MBSA2 spectrum rights have commenced.

• Spectrum rights in the 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands commenced on 20 January 2023; and
• Spectrum rights in the 700 MHz and 2.1 GHz bands commenced between 26 January 2023 and 2 April 2023.

Multi Band Spectrum Award 2022 (MBSA2) | Commission for Communications Regulation (comreg.ie)

heavydawson

You love to see it 👍👍

Power just went in my area so fibre down, but benefiting from the recent auction

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120469631#Comment_120469631

This spectrum has been available to Vodafone since early 2020 at a tiny licence fee prior to April 2nd, is it only available now at your local mast?

heavydawson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471515#Comment_120471515

Ah no, I had it in fits and starts during the pandemic, but it appears to have become my primary signal from my home office now.

clohamon

ComReg released some documents obtained by them for the court proceedings, now extensively redacted.

It seems expert witness Professor J. Peter Clinch (UCD) was checking the work of expert witness, Doctor Dan Maldoom (DotEcon)

On the key question of whether the 700MHz band was vital to the roll-out of 5g (itself also asserted to be vital), expert Professor Clinch revealed....

... While I do not claim to be an expert on the suitability of the spectrum for particular services, I understand that the 700 MHz band in the MBSA2 award is particularly suitable for rural 5G and there is a significant problem with rural broadband coverage which is an inhibitor to economic and social development in rural areas.

Nonetheless both experts brought their expertise to bear on the loss Ireland might suffer, and expertly (and frequently) referred to a big round number,

...in the order of €1 bn per annum, and potentially double that. [Maldoom]

On a different topic the quarterly summary of purchase orders made by ComReg to suppliers is now more than a year overdue.