You probably know by now that broadcast TV is going digital in February 2009—but you may not know why. The main goal of the transition is to free up some of the frequency spectrum currently used by TV signals for other purposes—like cell phone signals.Frequencies for sale
The frequencies being opened up in the 700MHz range were put up for auction on January 24th. (The auction is still ongoing at the time of this writing.) It’s unlikely that this kind of frequency space will be made available again for another 50 years, and as expected, all of the major wireless carriers and other telephone/cable companies are eager to get their hands on new frequency space. What happens after the auction ends will depend on the winner.
But before you start worrying about your least favorite wireless carrier winning everything, take heart—the frequency space has been divided up into five “blocks,” and the different blocks come with different stipulations regarding their use. (For example, part of the D block must be made available for public safety usage should the need arise.) So it’s highly unlikely that one carrier will control all the blocks.
New freedoms for the cellular customer
Now for the good news—Google managed to persuade the FCC to add the stipulation that whoever wins the C block (the largest one) must make it open to any device designed to work in that frequency range. If that doesn’t make you giddy, here’s why it should. If your carrier wins the C block, you’ll be able to use any mobile device you want, assuming the manufacturer has programmed it to work with your carrier. It also means that the carriers will have to allow all third-party applications and services, like video-on-demand.
Better reception—not just for TVs
Another advantage of opening up the 700MHz spectrum involves reception. Voice signals travel farther in this range, so you can expect a phone operating on these frequencies to have a stronger signal than you might currently have. It also means that fewer cell towers can serve more people, which could be a boon for rural areas or cramped cities with lots of tall buildings.
Can you hear me now?
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