Eircom makes bid for 3G licence: Although communications regulator ComReg confirmed it had received an expression of interest in the remaining ‘B’ licence, a spokesman for the regulator would not confirm the identity of the applicant, citing confidentiality. However, reports in Friday’s Irish Times named Eircom as the applicant for the remaining 3G licence. [source ENN]
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this makes the purchase of Meteor all the more relevant. If Eircom get Meteor they get access to quick roll out of masts for their 3G baby. While the 4th 3G licence is only for 20 years and the A licence was for 25 (won by H3G), H£G have spent nearly 5 years of the 25 off air. Due on air in July (2005, as it should have been 2003) H3G have hit the TV screens with adverts to build brand awareness. Expect 3Ireland to spend lots of their Hong Kong parents money building up a customer base, as they have done else where.
I read yesterday that 3ireland(H3G) were refused permission by an bord pleanala to site a mast at a football club in Sutton opposite a national school. Attempts are still ongoing by H3G to reverse a Local Government decision in Baldoyle that their installation is an unauthorized development above on the roof of the local football club with the national school 2 meters away.
The technology of 3G (UMTS) requires suburban masts to be in a ~1KM radius of each other cell. Expect 4G to be in ever third lamp post (a hint for Resident Associations, Local Council & the ESB). Before 4G however we may get to suffer BPL (Broadband Over Power-lines) this is RF carried over the High Voltage power lines running down your street and into your home. The RF spectrum in use will have a negative impact on the shortwave band and amateur radio. Just as shortwave was to be reborn with digital SW via DRM the chances of hearing anything will diminish if BPL is allowed to leak into our homes, even if we aren’t subscribed.
I just moved house and for the first time in my life have I lived in a home where the ESB comes in above ground. The room where the power lines anchor to the wall externally is a wash of noise from plain old EMR noise on MW & SW so my radio shack is located a good distance away from my office/studio.
How did I start this? Oh, 3G 4G UMTS BPL SW DRM EMR, more TLA?s than I care to explain. Technology’s advance is wonderful science, but its destruction of traditional physics must be halted at all cost. This is not a claim to go back to nature, electricity has its place in out lives, as does terrestrial radio waves from distant transmitters at acceptable signal levels, but allowing capitalist giants such as the phone companies blast us with their radiation for their shareholders profit must be stopped.
73’s bhg