By the end of this year, Ukraine will hold a 4G implementation tender.
Ukraine will hold a 4G tender in the band of 2.6 GHz at the end of 2017. This is featured by the “Novoye Vremya”, quoting Alexander Zhyvotovsky, Chairman of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Information (NCCIR).
The Chairman of the NCCIR explained that the building of 4G networks in the band of 2.6 GHz would allow covering only major city centers with the fourth-generation communication.
“At the first stage, 4G or LTE will be most in demand in large cities. The band of 2.6 GHz is particularly adapted for building 4G networks. It allows doing it quickly and simply possible”, as Mr. Zhyvotovsky specifies.
This opinion is shared by consultants of the British company Analysys Mason, who conducted a study in Ukraine and came to similar conclusions.
In the II-III quarters of present year, the NCCIR will put up for sale 80 MHz (2510-2545, 2565-2570, 2630-2665 and 2685-2690 MHz), belonging to the operator “MMDS Ukraine”. The company is ready to share these frequencies, subject to a compensation for giving back to the government its radio frequency resource (RFR) in the amount of about 25% of the starting price.
“The draft government decree, prepared by the NCCIR, suggests an estimated price of UAH 1.059 million for 1 MHz in the band of 2.6 GHz. Accordingly, if we multiply this fee by 80 MHz and the number of regions (27, including the ARC and Sevastopol), so the initial price we be UAH 2.288 billion”, as the “Novoye Vremya” calculates in its news item.
At the same time, this is not actually about building 4G networks in the bands of 800 MHz and 900 MHz. Despite the fact that the lower the frequency, the larger area may be covered by one base station, it is initially required to cut off analog TV broadcasting, as well as to convert frequencies designated for the military, as Alexander Zhyvotovsky says.
