age afforded by a lower fre- quency band. CDMA450 provides a larger cell size compared to other bands, which translates to fewer cell sites and significantly lower capital and operating expendi- tures to service vast coverage areas. CDMA450 offers IMT-2000 services, such as high-quality voice and high-speed data access, and it represents an evolution path to advanced 3G services, allowing for a phased evolution. CDMA450 requires only a small amount of spectrum (1.25MHz), which is a significant consideration for NMT operators who have 4MHz to 5MHz allocated to them. CDMA450 offers a solution for multiple markets. A number of operators in eastern and central European countries, Russia, and southeast Asia are using the 450MHz band to provide wireless services with first-generation analog equipment, based on the NMT standard. CDMA450 is the only technology commercially avail- able to those operators that allows direct transition from a first-generation system to next-generation services. CDMA450 is also one of the few technologies that fits into 4MHz to 5MHz of spectrum (it requires 2 X 1.25MHz for a single channel and can fit three or four CDMA450 carriers, depending on the size of guard bands). Providing access to communication services (voice and Internet access) is a key priority for governments and regulators around the world, especially in devel- oping countries. Using lower-frequency bands offers a cost-effective solution for meeting these goals. Due to the favorable propagation characteristics of lower fre- quencies and their associated coverage benefits, there may be significant cost advantages associated with deploying a wireless system in the 450MHz band. The 450MHz band can be used to provide broadband access for mobile or fixed data users. Many countries have indicated a need to provide their public safety communication markets with group communication, high-speed data access, push-to-talk, video streaming, and dispatch services. Some countries are also investigating the use of a high-speed data network 