UMTS development in Sweden comes to a hold
wn.com
Of HELMUT TAX
[ Translated from German ... ]
Fear of high radiation and errors in the building requests block the development of the portable radio standard UMTS in Sweden. Meanwhile all four licensees asked for a time extension.
STOCKHOLM. The former outrider country in things telecommunications, Sweden, comes with with the development of the UMTS net into the hintertreffen. Yesterday also Telia Sonera requested a delay for the development of the new portable radio net as the largest Telekom company of the region. It is the last one of the four Swedish UMTS licensee, who decides to this step.
Before Vodafone, orange and the consortium for Hutchison Whampoa for a time extension had already asked. The Swedish adjustment authority PTS rejected the first two applications for extension in the past year and threatened the licensees during default of the editions with punishments or lizenzentzug. An authority speaker did not want to commentate the Telia Sonera raid yesterday.
Telia Sonera justified the request for time extension with the sluggish treatment of building permits for transmitting poles as well as the absence of UMTS Handys in sufficient number. The company, which developed in the past year from the fusion of the Swedish Telia and the Finnish Sonera, assured however to reach to beginning next yearly a UMTS Netzabdeckung of approximately 70 % in Sweden. The originally demanded cover 99.9 % of the population is reached not before end of the yearly 2005, said a Telia speaker.
In Sweden end 2000 four UMTS licenses had been assigned. They were not spent over an auction, however all interested consortia had to assure to reach to at the end of of 2003 a complete net cover in the country populated thinly with only nine million inhabitants.
A principal reason for the delay in the UMTS development is the fear of many municipalities and cities before to high radiation values by the portable radio masts of the third generation. Past week rejected the town councillor von Trelleborg the building of Umts masts in one of the largest cities of South Sweden under reference to possible radiation risks. "Trelleborg will be no white mark on the Swedish UMTS map, but a city with clear sky", said Kjell Nilsson, chairman of the local board of works.
Trelleborg does not form an exception: After the investigation of the Swedish local authorities association until Decembers yearly passed had been granted a quarter to that only approximately altogether 4,300 requests for building permits for transmitting poles. Apart from the unknown radiation risk many cities and municipalities call incorrect building permit requests as reason for the delays. In addition would have to be belonged with mast heights of over 20 meters on the flight safety authority as well as the Swedish Air Force.
An acceleration of the Umts of development could bring if necessary a political decision: End this week submits the government a new telecommunications law. It authorizes the adjustment authority to demand a common use of UMTS transmitting poles from the portable radio operators to. By it, so experts, a broad net cover can be achieved faster.
TRADE PAPER, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 08:57 o'clock |
