LATIN REGULATORS FOCUS ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE, 3G HARMONIZATION

In next 3 months, Argentina will define bands for 3rd generation services, with dissemination of spectrum scheduled for Oct., Aguiar told day-long Latin American Conference at CTIA show. Argentine govt. has implemented unified licensing plan for telecom services, applying it to wireless operators so that licensees potentially can offer range of services, he said. Operators must provide service covered under license, but also can offer others as long as interference doesn’t occur, Aguiar said. In next year, Argentina also will focus more on how entrepreneurs can bring content to new wireless services, he said. Concern is that unless content is part of focus, routes laid by new telecom regulations “will be empty,” he said.

Clovis Baptista Neto, exec. secy.-Interamerican Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), emphasized importance of harmonizing bands chosen for 3G services across Latin America. He said multiple band approach agreed to at last year’s World Radio Conference in Istanbul provided flexibility to each ITU member to make spectrum choice among 1.7 GHz, 2.5 GHz and other bands. At CITEL meeting earlier this month in Panama, associate members of group, who represent private industry, considered 3 band options.

Speaking through translator, Baptista Neto said first option included 1755-1805 MHz and 2010-2170 MHz; 2nd option, similar pairings that include 1.7-1.8 GHz; 3rd option, for which he appeared to indicate preference, for 1.7 and 1.9 GHz. Last may be preferable because many countries in region have implemented PCS services in 1.9 GHz, he said. Besides regional harmonization of 3G bands, Baptista said pairing of 1.7 and 1.9 GHz could be basis for global harmonization. U.S. is evaluating potential of both 1.7 GHz, occupied mostly by military users, and 2.5 GHz, home to MMDS services, for use by advanced wireless services such as 3G.

Brazilian telecom deregulation efforts have emphasized universal access to service, said Antonio Carlos Valente da Silva, counselor of Brazilian regulator Anatel. He projected that by end of 2001 telecom interests “will have resolved all of the problems in relation to basic telephone services.” Fixed lines in homes are expected to grow to 50 million by year-end, which would be increase of 10 million from Dec. 2000, Valente da Silva said. Cellular services, which now have 24 million subscribers, have contributed to greater access through popularity of prepaid calling plans, he said. He estimated that 60% of subscribers in first 2 cellular bands that govt. auctioned were using prepaid calling plans, which provide greater access to lower socioeconomic groups than postpaid plans, he said. Cellular subscriber growth is expected to hit 29.2 million by year-end and 58.1 million by 2005, he said.

In Mexico, new President Vicente Fox is focusing on competitive market for telecom services, said Enrique Cervantes of Mexico’s Comision Federal de Telecomunicacions (COFETEL). “We believe we are closing a very important cycle,” he said, although he provided few details in formal presentation of Fox administration’s telecom plans. “There is no doubt we have to increase teledensity with an emphasis on universal service.” Cervantes said that in “near future” govt. would revisit need to re-auction licenses for PCS spectrum in 1855-1990 MHz and wireless local loop licenses in 3.4-3.6 GHz. Re-auction is under consideration for areas where no license allocation was made after auction or where winning bidder hadn’t been able to meet financial obligations, he said.

Latin America conference was held one day before start today (Tues.) of CTIA Wireless 2001 conference that runs through Thurs. FCC Chmn. Powell is among Tues. keynote speakers, along with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Intel CEO Craig Barrett, Dell Chmn. Michael Dell, VoiceStream Chmn. John Stanton and Yahoo Co-founder Jerry Yang.