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December 4, 2008 10:43:06 AM CST

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UN Agreement May Boost US Spectrum Bids

Posted Nov 19, 07 2:24 PM CST in Business,  Technology 

(Newser) – Thanks to an agreement at a month-long UN telecom conference in Geneva, the cost for rights to use new US wireless spectrum going on the block in January may have just increased. Google, Yahoo and Apple are among the companies expected to a battle for licenses to the 700 Mhz bandwith, and the UN deal could make products built for the US attractive in dozens of other markets worldwide.

The switch from analog to digital TV is freeing up these frequencies for alternate uses, but not all countries represented at the UN summit have agreed on how to allocate the space. European broadcasters, for example, worry that new products in the 700 Mhz space may interfere with digital TV signals. Countries in the Americas and Asia fashioned a compromise: open the spectrum, but let national regulators control the date of switchover.

Source New York Times

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Francois Rancy, Chairman of WRC-07, World Radio communication Conference, answers journalist's question about the World Radio communication Conference, during a press conference at the European headquarters...   (Associated Press)
Ambassador Richard M. Russell, Head of the U.S. Delegation to the World Radio communication Conference (WRC), answers journalist's questions about the World Radio communication Conference 2007, Geneva,...   (Associated Press)
Ambassador Richard M. Russell, Head of the U.S. Delegation to the World Radio communication Conference (WRC), answers journalist's questions about the World Radio communication Conference 2007, Geneva,...   (Associated Press)
Google will probably be one of the main contenders for control of wireless frequencies.   (Associated Press)
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Google • United Nations • FCC • satellite radio • spectrum auction • digital television • World Radiocommunication Conference • wireless frequencies


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