The rolling out of 3G services in the 900MHz spectrum band, traditionally reserved for 2G operations, is making headway. This week, the world’s first HSPA+ commercial network in the 900MHz band launched in Poland.

Polish fixed wireless operator, Sferia, which has been offering services based on EV-DO Rev-A. since 2007, teamed up with local 900MHz E-GSM licensee Aero2 to deploy the network, using kit supplied by Huawei.

Due to its better penetration than traditional 3G frequencies lie 2.1GHz, the 900MHz spectrum will allow Sferia to improve its network coverage while reducing energy consumption by deploying less base stations. The lower latency and higher speeds of UMTS900, or HSPA+900 as it is probably known, will also allow Sferia/Aero2 to offer improved mobile broadband services promising downlink peak data rates of up to 21.6 Mbps per user and over 60 Mbps per base station.

Meanwhile, the EU’s recent ratification of the updated GSM Directive is good news for operators across the region. The move means that governments will now be obliged to allow them to use 2G spectrum to roll out 3G and other high-speed technologies in the 900MHz band.

Ultimately, the new rules will give operators a more efficient and cheaper way to expand their networks than higher frequencies would. These factors will increase in importance as operators move toward higher-speed technologies, such as LTE.

The decision to update the GSM Directive is not new in itself, because the European Parliament and European Council had already approved a Commission proposal to do so earlier in the year. And the lack of a revised directive has not actually stopped some member states, such as Finland, from starting to allow UMTS900.