Currently, the only country where 700MHz band WiMAX networks are deployed is India. This market alone represents a significant growing market that needs to be addresses by appropriate technology solutions. However, the 700 MHz WiMAX market is expected to grow significantly following the spectrum auctions conducted in the US by the FCC.

The 700 MHz band includes the spectrum occupied by UHF TV channels 52 through 69 (698 MHz - 806 MHz). As a result of the 1996 amendments to the Communications Act, this band was re-allocated for use by other communications services, including Public Safety and Public Commercial use.

What makes 700 MHz spectrum exceptionally attractive for wireless broadband operators is the cost effectiveness of system deployments: the lower the frequency of operation, the farther signals propagate and penetrate through trees and buildings and bend around obstacles. This has a dramatic impact on the cost of deployments compared to systems operating at higher frequencies. As a “ball park”, doubling of frequency at which a wireless system operates, equates to a doubling of deployment costs and at least a doubling of cell sites or halving of each cell's coverage area. Lower frequency band, provides unique competitive advantage compared to similar bandwidth at higher frequencies. Digital video broadcast and mobile broadband services can be made very cost effective despite relatively narrow spectrum bands.

Due to the propagation characteristics of signals in 700MHz, a given area can be covered with large cells, resulting in potentially fewer base stations. However, since each cell serves a large number of subscribers, capacity soon becomes the limiting factor. In many 700MHz systems where relatively small slices of spectrum are assigned to the operator, capacity becomes a bottleneck even sooner. In order to exploit the long range propagation of the 700MHz signal and enable large size cells incorporating spectral efficiency enhancers becomes crucial. Unfortunately, the MIMO - WiMAX leading spectral efficiency enhancer, exhibits poor performance in 700MHz WiMAX due to the high LOS (Line of Sight) or NLOS (Near Line of Sight), typical to such deployments. On top of that, the antenna arrays required for MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and AAS (Adaptive Antenna Systems) in the 700MHz band are, in many situations, too large to be a realistic option.