At a meeting held on 13 October, the State Radio Frequency Commission (SRFC) authorised the use of frequencies in the 403MHz-410MHz, 417MHz-422MHz, 433MHz-450MHz and 469MHz-470MHz bands for the development of fixed, cellular and land mobile radio use, ComNews reports.
The 450MHz band is ideal for deployment in rural areas as lower frequency bandwidths are able to serve a greater geographical area, meaning that a lower number of base stations are needed to be deployed to cover a much wider area. The use of the band is not limited to cellular providers; other users include ambulance, taxi and fire protection services. However, the decision will be of interest to a number of Russian cellular operators which currently use the 450MHz band such as the Tele2 Russia-Rostelecom joint venture T2 RTC Holding.
Irina Rybakov, a spokesperson for Tele2 Russia said that whilst the group welcomed the decision, it needs more details on the precise details before it can proceed. According to her, a lot will depend on the specific conditions of distribution and use of this spectrum.