AFRALTI with the support of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) will be running a five day course on Spectrum Utilization and Harmonization, the course will take place at  Golden Peacock Villa Hotel, Mutare, Zimbabwe starting from 23rd to 27th February 2015.

Course Overview

Spectrum is the blood of the mobile and wireless industry. But unfortunately spectrum is a limited and scarce resource that requires careful global, regional and national planning and regulation. To continue to offer benefits to the users and societies, the mobile communication industry requires continued availability of radio spectrum in sufficient quantity within suitable bands and arranged in a consistent and harmonized manner. This will facilitate global roaming and enable economies of scale that produce high cost efficiencies.
At the same time, except the introduction of the new spectrum, we also need to focus on another important direction such as how to increase spectral efficiency and how to make full use of fragment spectrum.
Allocating spectrum for mobile telecommunications according to internationally harmonized band plans minimizes radio interference along borders, facilitates international roaming and reduces the cost of mobile devices. Spectrum harmonisation is a major objective of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), national regulators and the whole of the mobile industry. It refers to the uniform allocation of radio frequency bands across entire regions — not just individual countries. Spectrum harmonization is key to broadband uptake.

Target Audience

Telecom regulators, operators, and government representatives who are responsible for national policies on growth and development.
The workshop is aimed at people who either work for regulators or a commercial organisation which needs to understand the principles of spectrum utilization and harmonization. The programme is particularly relevant for the following fields: mobile; broadcasting; wireless broadband; and public sector spectrum users.
The content is well suited to three groups of people:
– Staff wanting a solid grounding in all aspects of spectrum management
–  Those experienced in one aspect of spectrum management seeking to broaden their knowledge
–  Staff wanting to familiarise themselves with the latest thinking in the field

Pre-requisite/s

Basic understanding of radio frequency and spectrum utilization

Pain Points

Spectrum is an extremely scarce but valuable resource. It needs to be carefully planned. New services and applications are always being introduced as technology evolves. Allocation of frequency bands to various uses can be very challenging as issues such as availability, cost, affordability and flexibility are important parameters that need to be considered. Future frequency requirements need to be thoroughly considered and reserved in order not to be taken by surprise by the dynamic nature of the evolving technology and its impact on the spectrum requirements.
With the rapid development of Mobile Broadband (MBB) and quick adaptation of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) in the practical applications, mobile networks capacity is expected to face great challenges because existing spectrum resources cannot meet the exponentially growing demand of MBB services. According to forecast, at least additional 500MHz of spectrum would be needed to be added by the end of 2020.

Value Proposition

This course will help participants appreciate the intricacies and difficulties in ensuring efficient spectrum utilization and harmonization in the face of advancing technologies and the challenges they pose for accommodating new services and applications that come with it. Participants will get a useful insight into the available frequency bands and their relative advantages and disadvantages that go with it for various applications and services.

Course Outline

Registration Form

Upcoming course

TV White Spaces

Selected pictures during the training workshop