GSM

Just what I have been saying all along.

Spectrum fragmentation means pricier mobile handsets, customer lock-in by carrier, and reduce the ability for global roaming.

This is mostly a USA/Canada problem only, since the rest of the world do not auction spectrum to specific networks.

As the CBC is reporting, Mobilicity, a relative newcomer to the mobile market, is decrying the government auctioning off Long Term Evolution (LTE) "spectrum" to the bigger players (Rogers, Bell, and Telus).

This is the continuation of the industry lobbying for more balkanization.

Not surprisingly, a KPMG worldwide survey has shown that Canadians are behind the curve when it comes to more sophisticated use of mobile phones.

My viewpoint: the lack of standards, carrier locking, and the high cost are the main hindrances, stifling competition and dragging the market.

The study is published here.

Via the CBC.

The mobile market in North America is badly fragmented, due to
different carriers using different technologies (CDMA vs. GSM), different frequencies for different companies (AWS, 2100), and locking of phones to the carrier.

This fragmentation strengthens the stranglehold of the carrier on the customer, who has a higher barrier switching from one company to the other.

Industry lobbyists still call for more balkanization of the market, by adding more frequencies, against standardization.

This is misinformation, fearmongering and industry lobbying at its worst.

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) is alleging that carriers need more radio waves, because consumers are using more bandwidth and have more connected devices than ever before.