The GSM Association has used the looming global recession to call for the issue of more low-frequency spectrum to the mobile industry.



In a speech to the association's annual Asian conference, CEO Rob Conway said Tuesday that governments could stimulate infrastructure investment by allocating harmonized spectrum to cellcos for LTE.

"Governments everywhere should encourage infrastructure spending by the mobile sector," he said.

In particular, they should make available the "digital dividend" frequencies – analog TV spectrum that is soon to be vacated by broadcasters as they go digital. US broadcasters must exit their analog frequencies by February 2009.

Broadcasters had ample spectrum already, while the mobile sector could make far more efficient use of it, Conway said.

He also called on governments to back harmonized spectrum allocations for next-gen mobile standard LTE.

"If governments truly want to encourage network investment in these terrible times then they best make a harmonized part of the digital dividend available for wireless.

"LTE depends on harmonized spectrum and LTE is the future. You can talk about Wimax, you can talk about others, but these are sideshows to the main event."

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