ComReg & Three provide more comedy

cgarvey

In their latest publication 13/43, ComReg have exposed how mind-numbing it must be to have to deal with them.

I challenge you to read the letter/email exchange in the appendix of that publication and not either swear, gasp, or question the meaning of life.

From how I interpret the request, Three want to have a continuous allocation of frequency slots between the two time slots ('13-'15 and '15-'30). They need to use combiners to combine their allocation and Vodafone's allocation (in their network share). Those combiners cost money (undisclosed) and are frequency-dependent. Vodafone have the same frequency allocations, but Three don't. So Three will have to pay for new combiners come 2015.

Think of it in terms of WiFi channels. If Vodafone have channels 1-4 in TS1 (time slot) and 1-6 in TS2, then they can use 1-6 equipment and be ready for TS2. Three, however, get 7-9 in TS1 and 9-11 in TS2, so need to swap equipment out.

So, on the face of it, Three's request makes sense. However, the gem is that Vodafone bid specifically for their choice of frequency slots (or WiFi channels in my analogy), as did others; a bid which was higher to allow for that specific allocation. Three did not. Now they want ComReg to give it to them anyway.

After weeks of to-and-fro (the gist of which is ComReg saying we haven't looked at your request, Three, nor have are we saying we won't; however, we'd like more, unspecified, details), I can only presume that the Three CTO has lost hair, and left blood stains on his desk.

Included in that exchange is ComReg asking Three why certain bits in a given letter were deemed (by Three) to be confidential. The response to which was an other letter where Three say they should have marked more of it confidential (as it affects their competitiveness, apparently), so provide the same letter again (more or less) with even more confidential bits (which get blacked out before publishing). So, there are 2 almost identical letters, the second one with more blackouts, but the first one has that detail exposed anyway.

Quite the hilarity. Entertaining, were it not so depressing.

bealtine

cgarvey wrote: »

ComReg have exposed how mind-numbing it must be to have to deal with them.



Quite the hilarity. Entertaining, were it not so depressing.

It's depressingly funny indeed

watty

Meanwhile is Three's new "all you can eat free" if you sign up to Mobile Pre-pay honest?
Even if misleading (because if really true it would destroy network performance as the ONLY way to have a modicum of 3G/HSPA+ performance is small caps or nearly no subscribers, evenly spreads) would ASAI do anything anyway?

Is Sky's new Broadband Advert totally honest and without weasel content?

Seems to me:
1) Three have what they have, the combiners ARE expensive.
2) A single Wholesale network would on average double or triple performance and would have been dramatically cheaper.
3) Comreg mainly care about about auctioning spectrum and seem incapable of Spectrum management, Spectrum Protection or what is good for the nation or Consumer.

clohamon

It looks like the other three networks are unsympathetic to Three's difficulty.

As such we firmly believe that the outcome of the Assignment stage, determined in accordance with the MBSA rules stands and ComReg should therefore reject H3G’s request. - Meteor

Telefonica believes it would be possible to amend H3GI’s licence with effect from the first anniversary of the completion of the Award Process (February 2014), but not before then as to do so would amount to a change to the rules under which all other assignments were made in the MBSA. - O2

Accordingly, it is Vodafone’s view that it is important in the interests of providing efficient incentives through the regulatory framework that H3GI’s licence amendment application be declined by ComReg. - Vodafone

http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg1357.pdf


Maybe ComReg should estimate the extra cost of purchasing and fitting the combiners and then offer Three a suitable discount on that to make the assignment changes requested. Suggestions please on what that discount should be.

watty

Ireland Small Country.

The Competition mantra is good for Consumer only applies to Beer, Bread, cars etc not a service depending on a fixed limited supply of spectrum.

The only sensible efficient solution is a SINGLE wholesale operator who is forbidden to have retail operator sharers to operate ALL Mobile spectrum.

Slicing & Dicing Mobile spectrum immediately makes it nearly 1/4 as efficient.