3G Spectrum: GSM, CDMA can co-exist in 1900 Mhz band

NEW DELHI: CDMA players on Tuesday claimed to have got a boost to their demand of getting spectrum on 1900 Mhz band for Third Generation mobile services as field trials showed this band could co-exist with another band of 2.1 Ghz offered to GSM operators.

Extensive field trials conducted in Hyderabad by CDMA lobby Association of Unified Service Providers of India on behalf of Department of Telecommunications proved that the 1900 MHz (CDMA) and 2100 MHz (GSM) bands is possible, AUSPI said in a statement.

The demonstration, which took place in a real-life situation, were conducted over a period of several weeks.

COAI, the GSM operators' association, has been opposing the use of mixed band while allocating 3G spectrum on 1900 Mhz band saying it would result in interference.

"The demonstration has laid to rest the longstanding debate on interference-related issues between the two technologies at the boundary of the 1900 MHz band. The results of the field demo showed that both systems CDMA and WCDMA systems in PCS and UMTS bands, respectively can co-exist," AUSPI said.

Given the spectrum crunch in India and to meet the ever growing subscriber needs, this outcome will aide the DoT in making the right spectrum allocation decisions. This translates into huge savings in the spectrum being used by telecom service providers, it said.