A new report from 3G mobile industry body The UMTS Forum provides mobile operators and regulators in Central and South America with valuable information relating to the implementation of UMTS/IMT-2000 in the region.

Titled "A harmonised frequency solution for early implementation of UMTS/IMT-2000 in Central and South American countries", the new Report (No. 23) includes detailed information on current usage of the frequency bands in the region for public mobile networks below 3 GHz.

The Forum encourages operators to benefit from global harmonisation of frequency arrangements for UMTS/IMT-2000 as resolved at the WARC-92 conference as a key element in reducing cost and complexity of IMT-2000 implementation, as well as to facilitate global roaming.

Wile most Central and South American countries have already made or could soon make WARC-92 bands available for UMTS/IMT-2000, some other countries in the region are using parts of the WARC-92 allocation for second generation networks: these frequency plans are assumed to continue with the arrival of third generation networks.

The report encourages operators in the region to select UMTS/W-CDMA technology thanks to the benefits of global roaming and economies of scale that it offers, and also recommends that parts of the 1800MHz band can provide a longer-term path to global harmonisation for countries where WARC-92 frequencies are not available.

A harmonized frequency solution for early implementation of UMTS/IMT-2000 in Central and South American countries
UMTS Forum Report 23