700MHz band free for TIM, Vodafone and Iliad 5G

With the entry of the month of July 2022 officially comes the turning point for it development of 5G networks in Italy: le television broadcasters have indeed the release of the frequencies in the 700 MHz band was completedwhich are now therefore usable for 5G technology by mobile phone operators, in particular by TIM, Vodafone and Iliad.

The telephone operators in question were in fact waiting for the date of July 1, 2022 in order to officially have the possibility of using the so-called frequencies for 5G N28 band whose rights of use were acquired in the 2018 MISE auction.

The refarming of television frequencies has been completed
In these almost 4 years, operators have had to wait for the television broadcasters implemented the refarming plan of the 700 MHz frequency bandpreviously used by digital terrestrial TV, that is, the reassignment of the frequencies of this band to make sure that the TVs could release it no later than 30 June 2022 and transmit on a reduced frequency space (the so-called sub-700 band).

The national refarming of television frequencies had officially begun in November 2021 from Sardinia, and it is then progressively continued throughout Italy in recent monthsas far as ending in Campania on 28 June 2022.

In this way, the latest reorganization operations of television frequencies throughout Italy have taken place concluded by the deadline of 30 June 2022thus leaving space from 1 July 2022 to 5G of mobile phone operators.

Remember that even before doing this, from 20 October 2021 the discontinuation of MPEG-2 video encoding by television operators for some channelsin favor of the MPEG-4 encodingthe one usually used previously by the HD channels of digital terrestrial, remaining at the moment on the DVB-T standard. From 8 March 2022, all broadcasters started broadcasting in MPEG-4temporarily keeping the transmission of some channels even in MPEG-2.

Although the frequencies for 5G were released in time for the deadline of June 30, 2022, please note that the definitive transition to the so-called New Digital TV with the new technological standard of digital terrestrial transmission, the DVB-T2 (which could also be accompanied by coding in the future HEVC), is currently planned starting from January 1, 2023.

TIM, Vodafone and Iliad can now use the N28 band for 5G networks
Therefore, thanks to the liberation by TV of the frequencies in the 700 MHz band, since yesterday, 1 July 2022, the N28 band is officially available by mobile telephone operators for the provision of 5G services.

As already mentioned, the Italian auction has assigned the frequencies of the 700 MHz band only to Iliad, Vodafone and TIMwho can then officially begin to use them to increase their coverage 5G networkswhich in the meantime have been launched in some cities using the other frequencies acquired.

As for the N28 bandin particular, Iliad Italy the lot reserved for new entrants had been awarded, with a frequency block of 10 MHz FDD in 700 MHz bandwith an offer of 676,472,792 euros.

Vodafone Italy had instead got two generic batches in the 700 MHz bandfor a total 10 MHz FDDoffering 683,236,396 euros.

TO TIM i had gone two generic lots remaining in the band in question, again for a total of 10 MHz FDDwith a total amount of 680,200,000 euros.

This frequency band is essential as it will allow, especially in cities, to to better cross obstacles and to be able to bring 5G connectivity even inside buildings (which is more difficult with the other frequencies used by 5G), similar to what has already happened with the 800 MHz band for 4G networks.

Finally, it should be remembered that at the moment practically all operators, for their fifth generation mobile networks, use the standard 5G Non-Standalone (NSA)which literally means “Not autonomous”as it is still needed rely on existing 4G apparatusespending the spread of the Standalone (SA) standard, which will fully exploit the characteristics of 5G. Italy24 News