Fast Net News, DSL Prime, DOCSIS Report

Massive spectrum waste in small blocks. Combining the spectrum of AT&T and T-Mobile will result in more efficient use of spectrum, AT&T tells Sascha Sagan of PCMAG. The result would be "improved network utilization, channel pooling, the elimination of redundant control channels, and other efficiencies that effectively provide the functional equivalent of new spectrum."

    Using spectrum in contiguous larger blocks is significantly more efficient and emerging as a key factor in spectrum discussions. Currently, the most advanced spectrum policy in the world is coming from Kenya, where they are creating a 100 MHz network run by a private company but open to other carriers. That increases the effective spectrum by 30-70% and perhaps more. Merging spectrum into large blocks is the natural policy in countries counting on wireless for broadband where they need as much capacity as possible.

     To the extent spectrum is short, the first step is using it efficiently. At Columbia October 14, I'll be speaking of obligatory network design for efficiency. That includes the number of towers, of course, but especially small cells for offload. 

   Almost every carrier in the world is expanding WIFi/Femto/small cell use to get more throughput for the spectrum they have, the Bottoms-Up approach. Verizon is the great dissenter on this, convinced putting money into towers is a better idea. LTE Advanced uses up to 8 non-interfering carriers in the same spectrum, an approach working well in WiFi MIMO.

     During the Broadband Plan, there was active debate whether to emphasize auctioning more spectrum or improving efficiency. The technical folks wanted more efficiency but the political decision was made to emphasize auctions.

     (Regular readers know I believe allowing the merger is a major error. But when AT&T is right, they are right.)