8


NEWS


The winners of Discovering Start-Ups 2013 reflect the diversity of entrants – from Chirp that has developed a data sharing technology using electronic bird song, to WhiteSpace Water, looking to reduce water loss and save money using wireless sensors and White Space spectrum. The other winners were Ether Books, Simpalarm and SQR Systems.


“Any new business knows how difficult it is to get in front of investors and major industry players,” said Simon Bond, founder of Silicon SouthWest. “Discovering Start-Ups gives our finalists the chance to get in front of 20 of them all at the same time. We have a strong track record in wireless innovation in the UK and we expect this year’s entrants will continue this tradition and help drive the future of the global wireless and mobile industry.”


Five ultimate winners will each receive a £500 cash prize sponsored by Qualcomm Ventures along with a Discovering Start-Ups trophy and a further opportunity to pitch to 400 global wireless delegates in the Innovation Hothouse at The Future of Wireless International Conference 2015 run by CW. The winners will also get one year’s free virtual membership to CW – the leading not-for- profit, international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless and mobile technologies – and SETsquared, including a business MOT, networking and mentoring support, investor readiness training and the opportunity to be selected for various investor showcases in London and the US.


Details can be found at www. cambridgewireless.co.uk/dsu


ISSUE 05 2014


Benefits of AWS spectrum


Country


highlighted A new GSMA report, The AWS Situation in the Americas, has highlighted the positive economic impact of allocating the AWS spectrum band (Advanced Wireless Services – 1700/2100MHz) to 4G mobile services in the Americas. Accelerated allocation of the band to 4G mobile services will be key for extending the region’s existing 4G deployments and ensuring economies of scale and seamless connectivity across the region. The study reveals that the economic benefit of licensing the AWS band for mobile would equate to an additional $53 billion in countries where it has not been entirely licensed yet, including Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay.


“There were more than 234 million mobile broadband connections in Latin America as of March 2014, and this is forecast to grow by 30 per cent per annum over the


Argentina Ecuador


El Salvador Guatemala Nicaragua Panama Paraguay


Direct Benefits (US $ million)


14,569 6,294 1,716 3,152 1,017 1,815 333


next five years. Unlocking this valuable AWS spectrum band for mobile will be vital for 4G network development in the region,” said Tom Phillips, the GSMA’s chief regulatory officer. “Access to this band will result in many advantages for Latin American individuals and businesses alike, by delivering high quality service, boosting jobs and productivity and ensuring universal availability of Internet services through mobile broadband.”


Access to this band will result in many advantages for Latin American individuals and businesses alike


While 12 countries in the Americas have already licensed part of the full AWS spectrum band, there are still significant economic benefits to be gained by a number of other markets that have yet to do so. These include Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama, which have not yet decided to allocate new spectrum for 4G deployment; Argentina, which announced the decision to license AWS spectrum in May; El Salvador, whose AWS spectrum auction is suspended; and Ecuador and Paraguay, which still have band segments vacant.


Total economic benefit of licensing the band in these countries will be worth over $53 billion, which equates to direct impact of almost $30 billion from investments, the value chain dynamics


Indirect Benefits (US $ million)


9,913 5,882 1,495 2,810 1,305 1,727 646


of the mobile industry and growth in GDP and an indirect impact of $23 billion benefiting other industry sectors and productivity. Other major benefits include the creation of new jobs and increased opportunities for regional mobile app and content developers, as well as organisations in mHealth, mEducation and other vertical sectors.


“The availability of this additional spectrum for mobile will have a direct impact on mobile users in the Americas,” continued Mr Phillips. “There will be more bandwidth for current 2G and 3G mobile subscribers, since heavy users will be migrated to the AWS band, and digital inclusion will be boosted across the region through new offers for consumers including those at the bottom of the pyramid.”


The full report can be viewed at: www.gsma.com/ latinamerica/aws-americas


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52