Advanced Wireless Services
Encyclopedia
AWS-1 or UMTS band IV
, is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band used for mobile voice and data services, video, and messaging. AWS-1 is used in the United States
and Canada
. It replaces the spectrum formerly allocated to Multipoint Multichannel Distribution Service (MMDS), sometimes referred to as Wireless Cable.
The AWS band uses microwave
frequencies
in two segments: from 1710 to 1755 MHz for uplink, and from 2110 to 2155 MHz for downlink. The service is intended to be used by mobile devices such as wireless phones for mobile data, video, and messaging services.
, Industry Canada held the auction for AWS spectrum in 2008. Wind Mobile
has licensed AWS spectrum in every province aside from Quebec
, and began offering voice and data services on December 16, 2009. Mobilicity
also uses the AWS spectrum and began offering services in May 2010. Quebecor
licensed AWS spectrum throughout the province of Quebec and began offering service with its Videotron
brand on September 9, 2010.
Shaw Communications
licensed AWS spectrum in western Canada and northern Ontario, but has not yet launched its wireless services as of June 2011. Halifax-based EastLink
obtained licenses in eastern Canada, and has not yet launched services as of June 2011.
. Bidding for this new spectrum started on August 9, 2006 and the majority of the frequency blocks were sold to T-Mobile USA
to deploy their 3G wireless network in the United States. This move effectively kills the former MMDS and/or Wireless Cable service in the United States. Other networks that use the AWS band for services in the United States are i wireless
' UMTS 3g network, as well as Cricket's and MetroPCS' CDMA networks.
UMTS frequency bands
The UMTS frequency bands are radio frequencies used by third generation wireless Universal Mobile Telecommunications System networks.They were allocated by delegates to the World Administrative Radio Conference held in Málaga-Torremolinos, Spain between February 3, 1992 and March 3, 1992...
, is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band used for mobile voice and data services, video, and messaging. AWS-1 is used in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It replaces the spectrum formerly allocated to Multipoint Multichannel Distribution Service (MMDS), sometimes referred to as Wireless Cable.
The AWS band uses microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
frequencies
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
in two segments: from 1710 to 1755 MHz for uplink, and from 2110 to 2155 MHz for downlink. The service is intended to be used by mobile devices such as wireless phones for mobile data, video, and messaging services.
Canada
In CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Industry Canada held the auction for AWS spectrum in 2008. Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
has licensed AWS spectrum in every province aside from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and began offering voice and data services on December 16, 2009. Mobilicity
Mobilicity
Mobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
also uses the AWS spectrum and began offering services in May 2010. Quebecor
Quebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
licensed AWS spectrum throughout the province of Quebec and began offering service with its Videotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
brand on September 9, 2010.
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
licensed AWS spectrum in western Canada and northern Ontario, but has not yet launched its wireless services as of June 2011. Halifax-based EastLink
EastLink (company)
EastLink is a Canadian cable television and telecommunications company. In 1970, EastLink was established in Amherst, Nova Scotia, when it was issued one of the first cable licences granted by the CRTC...
obtained licenses in eastern Canada, and has not yet launched services as of June 2011.
United States
In the USA, the service is administered by the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. Bidding for this new spectrum started on August 9, 2006 and the majority of the frequency blocks were sold to T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
to deploy their 3G wireless network in the United States. This move effectively kills the former MMDS and/or Wireless Cable service in the United States. Other networks that use the AWS band for services in the United States are i wireless
I wireless
i wireless is a mobile network operator founded in 1997. Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa, i wireless is a partnership between T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Iowa Network Services Inc. i wireless owns licenses to operate GSM cellular networks in the PCS-1900 and AWS-1700 radio frequency bands covering...
' UMTS 3g network, as well as Cricket's and MetroPCS' CDMA networks.
Operators
The following mobile network operators are known to use AWS. Indicated in the list are the launch date and city.Canada
- Wind MobileWind MobileWind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
— December 16, 2009 in Toronto. - MobilicityMobilicityMobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
— May 15, 2010 in Toronto. - VideotronVidéotronVidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
— September 9, 2010 in Montreal and Québec City. - Public MobilePublic MobilePublic Mobile is a Canadian mobile phone company, operating in the Greater Toronto Area and Greater Montreal. It is one of several new cellphone providers which launched in 2010 in Canada. Public Mobile operates a CDMA network, and has partnered with Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility to provide...
— MayMayMay is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere...
, 2010 in Toronto. JuneJuneJune is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
, 2010 in Montreal. - RogersRogers WirelessRogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
- TelusTELUSTelus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
United States
- Cricket CommunicationsCricket CommunicationsCricket Communications, Inc. founded in 1999, also known as Cricket Wireless, provides wireless services to 7 million customers in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of Leap Wireless, utilizing its CDMA 1X and 1xEV-DO networks...
— April 8, 2008 in Oklahoma City. - T-Mobile USAT-Mobile USAT-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
— May 1, 2008 in New York City. - MetroPCSMetroPCSMetroPCS Communications, Inc. , formerly known as General Wireless, Inc., is an American mobile phone service provider. It operates the fifth largest mobile telecommunications network in the US, with 8.9 million subscribers as of May 2011...
- Cincinnati BellCincinnati BellCincinnati Bell is the dominant telephone company for Cincinnati, Ohio, and its nearby suburbs in the U.S. states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The parent company is named Cincinnati Bell Inc. Its incumbent local exchange carrier subsidiary uses the name Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company LLC,...
See also
- Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) - White Spaces Coalition
- UMTS frequency bandsUMTS frequency bandsThe UMTS frequency bands are radio frequencies used by third generation wireless Universal Mobile Telecommunications System networks.They were allocated by delegates to the World Administrative Radio Conference held in Málaga-Torremolinos, Spain between February 3, 1992 and March 3, 1992...
External links
- FCC: Advanced Wireless Services
- PhoneScoop's Visual Guide to AWS
- Wind MobileWind MobileWind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
FAQ on phone compatibility http://www.windmobile.ca/support/faq/phones-wind/#question-5 - T-Mobile cell phones comparison
- Videotron Mobile Handsets http://www.videotron.com/service/mobile/handsets
- GSM Arena: AWS equipment list http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkHSDPA1700=selected