Virtua Team Talk

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has just launched a “consultation” on how best to sell off the rights to the next generation of mobile wireless networks. The auction of the fourth generation or “4G” spectrum is going to be the largest ever – equivalent to three quarters of the mobile spectrum that is in use today. The auction is planned to start in the first quarter of 2012.

The last time an auction was held was in 2000 for “3G” and it raised a staggering £22.5bn for the Treasury so there is already a lot of attention being paid to the launch of 4G. However, most carriers and observers believe that operators overpaid for those licences and were then unable to invest in the infrastructure as a result of paying such extortionate fees. The simple fact is though consumers are demanding more bandwidth to fuel their insatiable desire for information.

The additional spectrum to be sold off promises faster speeds for downloading data – such as movies and music to phones and similar devices as more capacity is made available for all the networks. Smartphones such as the iPhone, Google Android and other tablet devices are big users of bandwidth, which means there has been a squeeze on what is left.

The sections of the spectrum being sold, at the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bandwidths, will include parts of the wireless spectrum historically used by analogue TV which is being switched off as digital is rolled out.

According to Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards, “The auction is not only critical to the future of the UK mobile telecommunications market but it is also of significant importance to the wider economy. It will support a wide range of data services that are fast becoming essential features of the modern world.”

Ofcom has already allowed some mobile phone carriers like Vodafone and O2 to use parts of the old 2G network until more of the spectrum is made available leading to UK network making a complaint. ‘Three’, the country’s smallest mobile phone operator is understandably concerned that its rivals will outbid it at auction, buying up larger slices of the available bandwidth and potentially squeezing Three out of the market altogether. In response the regulator has said it would impose a cap on the amount of new airspace companies could win at the auction in order to ensure fair competition and give consumers more choice.

Interestingly Ofcom said it would make any successful bid conditional upon a licensee agreeing to extend their coverage to 95% of the UK population. Current mobile coverage, particularly 3G coverage, is less available in rural areas than in urban areas so Ofcom has made it clear that it wants more “uniformity of coverage” for 4G services.

For those of us who remember the fanfares for 3G the launch of 4G is just another example of ‘bigger, faster, more’ that describes our obsession with mobile data. What I’m beginning to wonder is ‘where will it all stop’? Some of us are already drowning in a deluge of electronic information and it shows no sign of stopping.

But the demand continues to grow and there is no stopping progress. For those of us who work in the mobile phone industry it’s actually good news because it brings great new opportunities to develop and grow our business – and that means jobs and more security of employment.

Surely it will be only a matter of time though before the Holiday Operators start to advertise ‘mobile phone free’ holidays for those of us drained by information overload? I hope so because I’m tempted to book up straight away – before the 4G orgy begins!

Please give a warm welcome to Radio Frequency Engineer Ian Jenkins the newest addition to the Virtua team at the Swindon Head Office.

Ian has been appointed Head of RF Design and is currently being kept busy as the ‘design authority’ for the Cable & Wireless FMC Programme.

Ian graduated from Plymouth University in 2000 with a degree in Electronics and Engineering and then joined the Cheltenham based Telecoms company Alan Dick & Co where he worked for 10 years as a “cellular design antenna engineer”.  This enabled Ian to build up a wealth of experience, particularly in relation to GSM, UMTS and site design and build.

During his time with Alan Dick & Co he also had the opportunity to grow his expertise in such areas as indoor networks and RF design engineering. This led to projects for Vodafone and 02 where he came to be considered the ‘design authority’, a very laudable achievement!

Ian’s knowledge of the telecoms industry and his wide network of contacts soon made him aware of Virtua who were recommended by a number of his colleagues. So when Ian was ready to further develop his career it was to Virtua he turned and Virtua, recognising his talents, brought him on board. Fortuitously, Ian is already familiar with some of the Virtua projects, and some of the people involved, through his background in the industry which he feels is a big plus.

Ask Ian about what it’s like to be part of the Virtua team and he is very clear: “Virtua are a great bunch of people” he says “I like their dedication, efficiency, attention to detail and the opportunities they provide. I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

Ian lives in Bristol and has a passion for both music and sport. He is a self-taught guitarist and also plays classical piano. When he’s not making music Ian enjoys playing squash and yes, just like most of his Virtua colleagues, he is also another enthusiastic snowboarder!

Welcome to the team Ian!

Virtua UK Ltd, a leading supplier of expertise to the telecoms industry, achieved additional sales amounting to 20% of turnover in first four months of 2010.

To meet the demands of this growth, Virtua has employed industry heavyweights –Rob Davies and Ian Jenkins as well as Kevin Tillotson in a business development role.

Virtua, chief executive, Andy Watts:  “These are exciting times for Virtua, we are seeing fantastic growth in all areas of the business.  In particular, since the new year, we have made changes to our marketing and sales strategy.  These have directly affected our new-business activity but we want to carry on expanding for the benefit of our team, clients and the industry as a whole.  To achieve this we are investing in some of the best people available, people with a passion and in-depth knowledge of the industry, the technology and our client’s needs.”

•    Rob Davies takes on the role of senior systems architect.  After five years working for Ferranti and then twenty years in Motorola as a systems engineer Rob has a wealth of experience within the Telecoms industry specialising in cellular development.

•    Ian Jenkins takes on the role of head of RF systems design.  After 10 years at Alan Dick & Co as a “cellular design antenna engineer” he focused on projects for Vodafone and 02 where he came to be considered the ‘design authority’.

•    Kevin Tillotson takes on the role of Business Development Director.  With 20 years experience across a variety of sectors, he has grown businesses both organically and through acquisition.

Watts continues: “Virtua is a fast moving company going through exciting changes and performing at the top level of the telecoms and mobile telecoms industries.  To move forward we need to work with the best.  Rob, Ian and Kevin have the right attitude and are already working closely with both long-term and new clients”.

It is a legal requirement that no radio equipment is installed or used in the UK except under the authority of a licence granted by Ofcom.  Today, all mobile phones operate in either the 900, 1800 Mhz and 2Gig bands and that part of the spectrum is owned by the dominant mobile operators (O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3.) Until recently the spectrum was considered fully allocated and no-one else could enter the market other than by partnering with one of these operators.

However, in 2006 Ofcom released some additional spectrum in an area that had traditionally been reserved. An auction was held to assign these and the winners were duly awarded their specific allocation. That’s where the similarity to previous auctions ended!

In this instance the spectrum had certain constraints attached – most notably that it could be used to transmit at a very low power.  Ofcom’s intention was that this release of spectrum would be used to provide “in-building solutions” rather than traditional nationwide network coverage. Because of this constraint Ofcom felt that they could award the spectrum to many operators – twelve in all. For the successful applicants there are a number of different reasons and business models that make it worthwhile to own this asset. (For more information click here. While development plans have been mostly kept under wraps, several of the licensees have been busy preparing and launching products to offer solutions in this lucrative market.

A customer of one of these licensees can therefore operate a dedicated in-building GSM network with all the functionality and cost benefits compared to existing DECT systems, or the use of mobiles on the main national networks. Those buildings simply have a small (about A4 size) stylish box on the wall connected to the network.

This appears to be the ideal solution for large organisations who want to retain control of their communication costs and facilities but it does need careful planning. For example, it is quite possible that if two companies are using the same frequencies, and are also in close proximity geographically, there may well be interference. At best this could just be an irritation but at worst it could undermine the rationale for purchasing the frequency in the first place.

The “Mobile 200” Group was formed by the licensees that successfully bid for the spectrum. As well as all signing up to an agreement on engineering practices, each of the licensees is also required to register the spectrum they have used in specific physical locations so that other licensees can make the necessary adjustments to remove interference.

Here at Virtua we are involved in designing and installing the in-building networks for the most active license winner. Currently, major roll-outs are underway for this solution: which has the potential to fundamentally change the way businesses use mobile phone technology.