Goals
The main goals of the Project are to verify the quality of GSM-only users, following the refarming of the 900 and 1800 MHz bands, and of UMTS users, following the refarming of the 2100 MHz band. In addition, it carries out an analysis of the mobile retail market, including the entire business customer base, in order to monitor the progressive evolution of 2G and 3G mobile networks towards advanced 4G and 5G technologies.
Impact
The impact of the project relates to the protection of the current quality of GSM-only users, following the refarming to 900 and 1800 MHz, and of UMTS users, following the refarming of the 2100 MHz band. Furthermore, analyses on the use of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies make it possible to provide the competent administrations (MIMIT, AGCOM) with useful elements to verify the need to maintain portions of frequencies in GSM and UMTS technology over time.
Description
The Project concerns the assessment of the impact on the quality of GSM voice service, following the refarming to 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, and the impact on the quality of UMTS voice service, following the refarming of the 2100 MHz band.
The activity is carried out within the framework of a special Technical Committee, set up by the MIMIT, in which, in addition to the MIMIT and FUB, the mobile radio operators that use the GSM bands also participate. The Communications Guarantee Authority and the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment are also invited to participate in the Technical Committee, as well as any other subjects identified by the committee on the basis of the topics it deals with.
The GSM and UMTS voice quality tests involve FUB carrying out an extensive measurement campaign to assess voice quality parameters (blocking and dropping) on 2G and 3G networks. The campaigns are implemented through continuous measurement cycles throughout the day consisting of alternating voice calls, in which connection is forced only to networks with 2G technology or 2G/3G technology.
Another topic of interest in the evolution of the use of cellular technologies is the analysis of the GSM Retail market. GSM retail data for both mobile and M2M networks are mainly provided by operators and supplemented with data from official sources available on the web (e.g. AGCOM data).
FUB performs aggregate data analysis using a model that enables current and future estimates of the development of the GSM retail market and on the use of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies, both for mobile and M2M devices.