A global association of mobile operators asked regulators in Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines, to allocate the 700-megahertz band for mobile broadband use immediately to take advantage of its socio-economic benefits.
The GSM Association said further delays in the use of the spectrum could result in billions of dollars worth of losses in incremental gross domestic product growth.
Utilizing the 700 MHZ spectrum, which is well suited to providing mobile broadband coverage indoors and over large areas, can potentially increase countries’ GDP impact by tenfold, according to GSMA.
GSMA said the Mobile Economy Asia study found that the spectrum use could create 2.1 million additional jobs for the region by 2020.
The ITU reinforced GSMA’s findings by globally harmonizing the 700-MHz band and allocating it for LTE use in ITU Region 1, which covers Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
“The global harmonization of the 700 MHz frequency band that has been decided by WRC-15 paves the way for manufacturers and mobile operators to offer mobile broadband at an affordable price in currently underserved areas,” François Rancy, director of the ITU Radio-communication Bureau said.