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Telecoms, wireless—at-a-glance industry guide for commercial lawyers

Mobile networksThis Practice Note provides an introductory at-a-glance guide to the wireless telecoms industry for commercial lawyers.Mobile electronic communications networks are often known as cellular networks. This is because they are made up of a tessellation of cells, designed so that the network can use its allocated frequency spectrum in the most efficient way possible.A cell is defined as the area of coverage of a base station (BS), with adjacent cells using different frequencies to minimise channel interference. Cells in rural areas cover a larger area than in built-up areas, where more capacity is required.GSM networksGlobal System for Mobile communications (GSM—this is a backronym, as technically GSM is the Groupe Spécial Mobile) is the most ubiquitous network standard. GSM is known as 2G (second generation, the first being analogue mobile networks). 2G continues to develop from the system first deployed in 1991, with the introduction of packet data capability standard, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in 1997 (hence 2.5G) and with enhanced packet data possible from 1999 with the Enhanced...

Telecoms, fixed lines—at-a-glance industry guide for commercial lawyers

This Practice Note is an introductory at-a-glance guide to the fixed line telecoms industry for commercial lawyers.Fixed linesThe definition of ‘electronic communications network’ in section 32(1) of the Communications Act 2003 states:'(1) In this Act 'electronic communications network' means—(a) a transmission system for the conveyance, by the use of electrical, magnetic or electro-magnetic energy, of signals of any description; and(b) such of the following as are used, by the person providing the system and in association with it, for the conveyance of the signals—(i) apparatus comprised in the system;(ii) apparatus used for the switching or routing of the signals; and(iii) software and stored data, and (iv) (except for the purposes of sections 125 to 127) other resources, including network elements which are not active.' For fixed lines, this means either electrical energy in standard conducting cables, or wires and electro-magnetic energy for coaxial cables, which can be considered to be a form of waveguide, or light photons for the laser light used in fibre optics cables.The most common form of...