Camera and 3G

[Al Johnson]

On Friday 06 February 2009, cruz wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 6, 2009 at 1:12 AM, Al Johnson
>
> <openmoko at mazikeen.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> > reason 3G is unlikely in the near future. 3G will have to come at some
> > point though, as telcos in some countries are hoping to turn off 2G.
>
> The 2G frequency is a licensed band, telcos lease it from the
> authority, which means once the contract is expired, telcos will no
> longer be entitled to use the Frequency anymore.

The details vary by according to the local licensing regime. In the UK the 
license currently specifies the usage, and there is no guarantee that you can 
renew your license when it expires. The government are looking at changing 
this to encourage the telcos to invest in extending the 3G network as coverage 
is currently not as good as 2G. Have a look at Lord Carter's interim report, 
or suggestions over the last few years from Ofcom, and the positive reaction 
to the suggestion from the telcos here.

> Why would a 2G/3G
> operator want to dismantle its 2G network? Big money was invested on
> building the 2G infrastructure, it is still generating revenue, unless
> the OPEX for the 2G network is too high, but as far as I know most 2G
> networks are still performing better than the 3G network. 2G also acts
> (IRAT) as a backup role for 3G CS service when the 3G capacity is
> reached maximum...

Switching from 2G to 3G in the current 2G bands gives them more 3G capacity so 
they need the backup less, and gives better building penetration so 3G is less 
likely to drop out. We have a saturated market, so the only way for them to 
grow is to get more cash out of each user, and 3G gives them more chance of 
that than 2G. Presumably they think the potential increase in revenue is worth 
the investment in switching over, assuming long term licensing is guaranteed.

> The only people who wish to see 2G being turned off are the people
> like myself who hate being radiated by so many frequencies, I live in
> Taipei, we have three 2G(GSM)/3G(WCDMA) operators, one CDMA operator,
> one PHS, one Public Wi-Fi, many unlicensed home wi-fi...
>
> Thanks,
> cruz
>
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