With the advancement in 3G field, more and more concerns are given to the frequency allocation of 3G services, especially that of TD-SCDMA services. What people cared most is once TD-SCDMA is being commercialized, what frequency will it first be used? Then how to the PHS frequency band, which currently occupies the core TDD frequency band? To find the answers to these questions, we interviewed Mr. Xie Feibo – the deputy director-general of the Radio Frequency Administration Bureau of MII.

Mr Xie said, from the frequency point of view, in light of relevant allocations made by ITU, the frequencies currently used by 2G would evolve towards and finally be used by 3G services. TD-SCDMA is one of the 3G standards, so in the future, it is possible for TD-SCDMA to use the frequency band currently d to 2G. However, we do not have any arrangement regarding this issue. Xie said, the application of TD-SCDMA will definitely be started from 15MHZ core frequency band specified by ITU. This will greatly benefit the development of TD-SCDMA mobile communication. Firstly, using the core frequency band in 3G services will help to keep the consistency with the international practice to the greatest extension. Secondly, the consistency will benefit the development of international roaming and services based on TD-SCDMA. So, the TD-SCDMA core frequency band should be the earliest and most frequently used frequency band. Currently, the third generation mobile communication system based on TDD technology has not been put into commercial use. However, no changes have been made in the direction of using this frequency band all over the world.

Regarding the frequency band of PHS, Xie said, from the aspect of radio frequency planning and management of the State, the PHS frequency band will be definitely used for 3G mobile communication services in the future. So if the 3G licenses are issued and the 3G mobile communication network is constructed, the PHS frequency band will be handed over to 3G. Xie stated that the policy of the relevant frequency allocation was clear when operators constructed the PHS network. So any consequences or risks of PHS services due to the future development of PHS or 3G should all be borne by the operators. Xie Feibo believes that the operators can solve this problem well. Xie also said that the 3G services will be developed in a gradual way. The influence of PHS frequency band on 3G services will raise conflict in the beginning stage of developing 3G services.

Xie said that the State do not have any plan to further extend 3G frequency band. Though ITU suggested 2500MHz—2680MHz frequency band can be used for 3G frequency band extension, but this is not compulsory. Consensus has not yet to be reached all over the world on how and when this frequency band should be d.

Regarding the issue mostly concerned by the mass media last year that the Radio Administration Bureau was doing research on the relevant issues of 3G networking jointly with other networks, Xie said this is misunderstanding. He introduced that the Radio Monitoring Center of the State has once done research on a soft science subject. It was about the interference analysis of frequency allocation between networks when resorting to different 3G technologies. The objective of this research is to safeguard the bandwidth and do the interference analysis and to solve the electromagnetism compatibility problems in the frequency allocation. He went on to explain that this research is about how to arrange the frequency in reason used by different technologies resorted to by operators, not how different technologies should be integrated in one network. And this kind of research is not the focus of the Radio Administration Bureau. He said, what the Radio Administration Bureau concerned is the rational use and interference of radio frequency resources. It is meaningless to publicize the so-called “hybrid deployment”.

At last, Xie Feibo talked about the breakthrough advancement TD-SCDMA has made last year. He said that the development of TD-SCDMA was exciting. If we can keep this momentum, TD-SCDMA will surely have a very bright future. He said, so far it has been more than 20 years since 3G was first proposed. ITU has d the core frequency band for 3G in 1992. The foreign manufacturers and institutions have begun their relevant R&D from late 1980’s to early 1990’s. The start-up of TD-SCDMA is relatively late compared with its rivals. Though there is gap between the degree of maturity between TD-SCDMA products and that of FDD products, the speed of its maturity has surpassed any of its rivals from a holistic point of view. This is a great achievement.