Olongapo Telecom & Information Technology

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Telco to protect its network from unhealthy competition

By Paul Anthony A. Isla, Reporter

THE mobile-communications operator Next Mobile Inc. will invoke the “prior operator rule” to protect the heavy investment of public utilities from unwarranted, unhealthy and destructive competition. Next Mobile made this announcement as it confirmed its intentions of applying for an authority to operate 3G networks, which will allow enhanced voice, data and video capabilities on users’ cell phones.

In a statement, Next Mobile reiterated its support for the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) proactive approach in establishing the fundamentals for the country’s third generation (3G) mobile-communications deployment. Under the current NTC scheme, public telecommunication entities, which are operating second generation (2G) and 2.5G mobile networks will be given priority rights for assignment of 3G frequency bands.

Next Mobile supports the NTC initiatives in promoting 3G mobile services as a viable and efficient technology for mobile applications, as these would eventually benefit its subscribing public.

Besides holding a congressional telecommunications franchise, Next Mobile is a certified operator of state-of-the-art trunked radio dispatch communication system, namely Motorola Integrated Radio System, now Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) technology, the newest and most sophisticated wireless communications technology.

In using iDEN technology, along with its authorized voice and data services equivalent to 2.5G, Next Mobile uses certain portions of the 800 megahertz frequency band assigned to it by the NTC.

Next Mobile said portions assigned to them are not included in the 825 to 845 megahertz and 870 to 890 megahertz bands that have been proposed for reallocation for the use of the 3G mobile-telecommunications services. Next Mobile is not the occupant and actual user of frequencies nearest to those to be reallocated for the use of 3G telecommunications networks. Global Standard for Mobile Communications (GSM), which operates in the 800 megahertz bands, is compatible with Next Mobile’s iDEN, which are both cellular technologies that utilize a great number of base stations and reuse the same frequencies over and over to achieve sufficient traffic capacity.

Next Mobile explained that the only difference between the network architecture of iDEN and GSM is that iDEN is designed to integrate instant-connecting wide-area digital “walkie-talkie” service, with cellular capabilities, packet data services and short message service.

On the other hand, GSM technology is designed primarily for anyone-to-anyone voice communication, not for the secure closed-group communication of iDEN push-to-talk

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