700 MHz band plan for UAE mobile broadband

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) today announced its plans for 700 MHz mobile broadband, and the release of increased spectrum in the 800 MHz band.

The TRA said it believes that allocating these bands to mobile broadband will best serve the UAE public interest, driving down costs and minimising interference along borders.

By combining the 800 MHz band plan for Europe, Middle East and Africa with the lower duplexer of the Asia Pacific (APT) 700 MHz band, the UAE will be the first country in the ITU Region 1 to reap the benefits of both bands, which will support affordable network rollout, benefiting more of the population with mobile broadband connectivity, according to the TRA.

"By maximising the spectrum for mobile broadband in harmony with the growing economies of scale for both bands, the TRA decision will enable nearly global interoperability and roaming," Majed Al Mesmar, TRA's Deputy Director General for telecommunications Sector, commented.

With mobile communications penetration already high in the UAE, future growth will depend on the development of mobile broadband. In order to achieve this, mobile operators will need to have access to additional spectrum, which should be released in a globally harmonised manner.

The announcement today confirms the UAE TRA’s industry leadership in allocating harmonised spectrum to mobile services. By maximising global scale and interoperability and creating a stable regulatory environment, this will ultimately encourage long-term investment and socio-economic growth in the UAE and across the region.

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