Originally Posted by d123:
“They can do a similar job with their 2600 and still retain capacity on 3G by not removing any 2100 spectrum from there.”
And if they're really short of spectrum (not that they will be anytime soon) then they can call on their 1800 for some more 4G spectrum. Alright, its only 2x 5.8MHz, so won't give breakneck speeds, but its there if it is needed!
Alternatively, a more complex scenario would be:
1) Refarm 2100 to 4G
2) Refarm 900 to 3G, so that 3G speeds/capacity doesn't suffer
3) Save 5MHz of 2G900 until 2G1800 is used everywhere (assuming that 1800 remains on 2G, rather than moved to 4G) - then have all of 900 as 3G
One day in the indeterminate future, when 2G is no longer a requirement, get the 1800 to 4G.
I still feel that 3G is more capable and more suitable than 2G - particularly when used on 900, so that it gives more range and coverage. (I tried EE's 2G a few minutes ago and it came up with network communication issues!)