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Mobile firm on rural net crusade

Posted by TerranceV | Technology | Posted on September 2nd, 2011

Mobile operator Three is giving away 3G broadband to rural areas struggling to get fixed line services.

But Jeremy Green, analyst with research firm Ovum takes a more sceptical view.

"It is not as if Three is concerned about lack of access. It wants to show off how good its network is and lobby for more spectrum," he said.

The mobile firm has made no secret of its desire to get its hands on lower-frequency spectrum, which can cover much larger areas and offers better indoor coverage than the high-frequency spectrum it currently owns.

Three's chief executive Dave Dyson argues that with enough spectrum, such as the 800Mhz band that is being auctioned next year, the firm can go a long way towards solving the UK's notspots.

Networks using lower frequency spectrum tend to fare better in rural areas as their signals propagate better, especially in hilly areas.

"We've built the UK's most extensive 3G network using high-frequency spectrum, if we gain access to low-frequency spectrum like 800Mhz we will be able to significantly improve both indoor and outdoor rural coverage for the UK's smartphone and mobile broadband users.

"Low-frequency spectrum on a network as big as ours is a real notspot-killer," he said.

But experts argue that current mobile technology cannot compete with fast fixed line connections such as fibre optics which offer speeds of up to 100Mbps.

By contrast, the system being offered for free by Three will deliver an average speed of just 2Mbps (megabits per second).

Three admits that, at busy times, the speed could be even slower.

Rural areas have recently received a government cash boost to help them build super-fast broadband networks.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here