Celllnex acquires BT high towers across UK

Celllnex has acquired the marketing and operation rights for 220 high towers from BT for the next 20 years. The deal was valued at £100 million.

Cellnex operates 45,000 wireless communications towers and sites in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and now the UK. The company closed the 2018 financial year with revenues of € 901 million (up 14%) and EBITDA of € 591 million (up 18%). Cellnex is based in Barcelona.

“For Cellnex, this deal is a landmark first step into the UK market and follows our recent successful acquisitions of 10,700 sites from Iliad and Salt as well as a strong set of Q1 results. This agreement demonstrates the Company’s commitment and confidence in the market as we look ahead to further opportunities in the UK,” stated Alex Mestre, Cellnex’s Global Business Managing Director.

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NSN Sees 5G Viability in Authorized Shared Access (ASA) with TD-LTE Spectrum

Nokia Solutions and Networks demonstrated the viability of Authorized Shared Access (ASA) -- a new technology that enables dynamic access to underutilized spectrum frequencies.

NSN describes ASA and spectrum sharing as enabling technology for 5G. The idea is for mobile operators to share frequency bands from other types of incumbent systems, such as government agencies or TV broadcast networks, while guaranteeing quality of service for both.

Earlier this year, NSN and CORE+ consortium took a giant leap forward with the worlds’ first spectrum sharing trial of ASA on a live 2.3GHz TD-LTE network. For the live trial, NSN deployed its network elements in three Finnish cities: commercial Single RAN Flexi MultiRadio 10 Base Stations in Ylivieska, commercial Core Network in Oulu and commercial NetAct network management system in Tampere.

“The benefit of ASA is that it provides both the technology and regulatory framework for sharing spectrum”, said Marc Rouanne, executive vice president, Mobile Broadband at NSN. “Our trial showed that operators can get up to 18% extra bandwidth for mobile broadband networks cost effectively. This technology works with existing LTE and TD-LTE networks and does not require specific software for the end-user devices, making it easy to deploy and transfer the benefit directly to the mobile customers.”

http://blogs.nsn.com/mobile-networks/2013/05/30/nokia-siemens-networks-accelerates-worlds-first-td-lte-spectrum-sharing-trial-of-asa/

Presentation here:
http://core.willab.fi/?q=node/69


In June 2013, a U.S. Spectrum Policy Team was formed to accelerate spectrum sharing policies and technologies. The Spectrum Policy Team will draft recommendations on how NTIA and FCC can incorporate spectrum sharing into their spectrum management practices to enable more productive uses of spectrum throughout our economy and society and protect the current and future mission capabilities of federal agencies. The team consists of the Chief Technology Officer and the Director of the National Economic Council, along with representatives from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the National Security Staff, and the Council of Economic Advisers.


In July 2012, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report identifying 1,000 MHz of federal spectrum for sharing with the private sector.

U.S. federal policy should shift in favor "Shared-Use Spectrum Superhighways" instead the current plan which is to first clear federal users from specific bands and then auction this spectrum for the exclusive use of the highest bidder, according to a new report issued by 

A Presidential memorandum issued in June 2010 requires that 500 MHz of spectrum to be made available for commercial use within 10 years.  However, a recent NTIA Study found that clearing just one 95 MHz band will take 10 years, cost $18 billion, and cause significant disruption. Moreover, the net revenue for the Treasury from the last successful auction of 45 MHz realized a net income of just a few hundred million a year ($5.3 billion total).

The PCAST report said its vision of shared spectrum is viable using existing technologies and is not dependent on cognitive or "smart" radios. Instead, a geo-location database could be used the share spectrum much like how the FCC is using managing TV bands. The TV Whitespaces system could be used as a model. Technical standards would need to be implemented for coexistence of transmitters and receivers to enable flexible sharing.

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Rogers and Videotron Announce LTE Network Sharing Deal in Québec and Ottawa

Videotron and Rogers announced a 20-year, LTE network sharing agreement in the province of Québec and the Ottawa region. The two companies will pool their efforts to quickly build out and operate a shared LTE wireless network.  The deal will deliver capital and operating savings, allowing both companies to reinvest in their customers and networks. Videotron and Rogers will maintain their business independence, including their product and service portfolios, billing systems and customer data.

In addition to the network sharing agreement, Videotron and Rogers have also come to an agreement regarding Videotron's unused AWS spectrum in the Greater Toronto Area. Videotron will have the option to transfer its Toronto spectrum licence to Rogers, subject to regulatory approvals, beginning January 1, 2014 for a price of $180 million.

Rogers said the deal builds on its extensive LTE footprint across Canada, including Montreal, Ottawa and Québec City. The fast-paced rollout of LTE infrastructure will position the two companies to meet the steadily growing needs of consumers and businesses, ensuring many more can enjoy incredibly fast speeds, throughput and take advantage of the latest and greatest LTE enabled devices.

Videotron serves 1,849,200 cable television customers in Québec, including 1,500,300 subscribers Digital TV. Videotron also has 1,397,300 subscribers to its cable Internet service, 420,900 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service, and 1,274,000 subscribers to its cable telephone service.

"This agreement will benefit businesses and consumers and is part of Rogers focused, strategic game plan," said Nadir Mohamed, President and CEO, Rogers Communications Inc. "This network and spectrum sharing agreement, combined with the expansion of our LTE footprint, will allow even more consumers to experience the superior connectivity and incredibly fast speeds that LTE delivers."

"This is excellent news for our customers and our shareholders. This agreement will enable us to go farther and to do it faster and is indicative of our determination to anticipate our customers' needs and to maintain the close relationship we have built with them." said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Quebecor Inc. and CEO of Videotron.

http://www.rogers.com
http://www.videotron.com

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