Lucent Technologies today said it is expanding its 3G trial project with O2 on the Isle of Man to include a field trial of UMTS and high-speed downlink packet access technology over 900 MHz spectrum, the standard European cellular band.

While most European carriers are launching UMTS over specially designated 3G bands at 2.1 GHz, 900 MHz is being examined as a viable alternative for both its spectral properties and its general availability. While only a handful of carriers received 3G licenses--which many paid European governments billions for--most mobile carriers operate their voice services in 900 MHz, making UMTS available to a much larger pool of providers.

In addition, 900 MHz has far greater range than 2.1 GHz and can mimic the same footprint of the standard cellular network. Many carriers launching in the 3G bands have effectively deployed entirely new networks to account for the much tighter cell radii of a 2.1 GHz footprint.

While Manx Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of O2, is technically conducting the trial, O2 has typically used the island as a test-bed for new technologies. Last year, Lucent launched its first commercial HSDPA trial with Manx, as well deployed its first IP multimedia subsystem architecture with the carrier.