Comments on: WLL: Market Overview and Trends in Pakistan http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/ A blog about telecommunication marketplace in Pakistan with news, information, analysis and trends Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:08:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Fahad http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-11799 Fahad Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:38:23 +0000 http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-11799 I want to know the up link and down link frequency of 479 MHZ CDMA Band I want to know the up link and down link frequency of 479 MHZ CDMA Band

]]> By: Babar Bhatti http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-871 Babar Bhatti Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:15:41 +0000 http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-871 TM, thanks for the detailed comment. I think that PTA has decided to issue a new ruling about the use of 3.5GHz -- thats why the chairman gave that statement. TM, thanks for the detailed comment. I think that PTA has decided to issue a new ruling about the use of 3.5GHz — thats why the chairman gave that statement.

]]> By: Tee Emm http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-868 Tee Emm Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:26:11 +0000 http://telecompk.net/2007/08/15/wll-market-overview-and-trends-in-pakistan/#comment-868 Frequency auction that took place mainly for the WLL players was generally dubbed as a financial success from a regulator's view point. It earned them billions of rupees from the competing parties that included both aspiring operator and frequency resellers. Worldcall did not just receive the 450 Mhz in Karachi - they did not offered a high enough bid in the open auction. This was more on a purpose. Between Telecard (stronghold/basecamp: Karachi) and Worldcall (stronghold/basecamp: Lahore), it was already given that each will focus on their main home grounds and wont intrude in the 'other territories'. Telecard took 450 MHz in Lahore, quite understandably. Finally, the WLL Wimax issue is often mixed up. In its original intent, PTA means 'voice and that too non-mobile' when it talks about a WLL operator using its earned-via-auction 3.5 GHz spectrum. The landmark referred to as the 'commencement certificate' is only achieved when an operator demonstrate to PTA that using this service, they are able to make and terminate a voice call on their network (and the incumbent) and provide the reconciled CDRs to the regulator. From PTA's perspective, 3.5 GHz is plain old voice business. I know of at least one company with some good money (generated from their core VLSI business in the Silocon Valley) who wanted to run a pure data network over this 3.5 GHz spectrum using a pre-wimax technology (this is back in early 2006) but they chickened out because the voice was mandatory on the network and the intricacies (mostly political) of the same (plus they lacked of apitite for voice services in general). Unless this has changed (I might need a correction here), PTA still needs to make some rules (expected in 2008 when the initial terms of the first liberal policy period expires) that will govern rules for data networks (that can have some voice services running atop of them but not as a core business). If you look closely, Wateen has been deliberately trumpeting the 'telephony' aspect of their recently announced-launched wimax network to make sure they are well within the prescribed regulatory limits. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that there were serious objections (see this url: http://tinyurl.com/26nwf8) raised against the way the lower frequency band was auctioned and allocated to the parties especially in the Central Punjab where TRs (defined Telecommunication Regions) were in close vicinity of each other and there is no way that the operators allocated these frequency could work smoothly without causing interfrerence problems with each other. Frequency auction that took place mainly for the WLL players was generally dubbed as a financial success from a regulator’s view point. It earned them billions of rupees from the competing parties that included both aspiring operator and frequency resellers.

Worldcall did not just receive the 450 Mhz in Karachi - they did not offered a high enough bid in the open auction. This was more on a purpose. Between Telecard (stronghold/basecamp: Karachi) and Worldcall (stronghold/basecamp: Lahore), it was already given that each will focus on their main home grounds and wont intrude in the ‘other territories’. Telecard took 450 MHz in Lahore, quite understandably.

Finally, the WLL Wimax issue is often mixed up. In its original intent, PTA means ‘voice and that too non-mobile’ when it talks about a WLL operator using its earned-via-auction 3.5 GHz spectrum. The landmark referred to as the ‘commencement certificate’ is only achieved when an operator demonstrate to PTA that using this service, they are able to make and terminate a voice call on their network (and the incumbent) and provide the reconciled CDRs to the regulator. From PTA’s perspective, 3.5 GHz is plain old voice business.

I know of at least one company with some good money (generated from their core VLSI business in the Silocon Valley) who wanted to run a pure data network over this 3.5 GHz spectrum using a pre-wimax technology (this is back in early 2006) but they chickened out because the voice was mandatory on the network and the intricacies (mostly political) of the same (plus they lacked of apitite for voice services in general).

Unless this has changed (I might need a correction here), PTA still needs to make some rules (expected in 2008 when the initial terms of the first liberal policy period expires) that will govern rules for data networks (that can have some voice services running atop of them but not as a core business). If you look closely, Wateen has been deliberately trumpeting the ‘telephony’ aspect of their recently announced-launched wimax network to make sure they are well within the prescribed regulatory limits.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning that there were serious objections (see this url: http://tinyurl.com/26nwf8) raised against the way the lower frequency band was auctioned and allocated to the parties especially in the Central Punjab where TRs (defined Telecommunication Regions) were in close vicinity of each other and there is no way that the operators allocated these frequency could work smoothly without causing interfrerence problems with each other.

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