In contrast, from 2009 to 2011, the number of 3G subscribers rose 3.16 million to 5.76 million, or 82%. It expected 2G demand to continue in the near term for voice, roaming voice user and M2M devices such as alarms and invited comments on how to phase out 2G networks in the longer term future.
The paper noted it was unlikely that the 700-MHz band (defined as 698-MHz to 862-MHz) would be made available for reallocation in the next few years. This would mean a lack of the high-band, low-band pair approach adopted by many European countries and will force the industry to take a closer look at how 900-MHz re-use progresses.
The paper noted that 900-MHz is not widely refarmed for 4G, but for 3G, and adopted a wait and see approach to see how the devices and networks across the world evolve.