EC Proposes Radio Spectrum Sharing

  • PDF

The European Commission (EC) pushes for "more dynamic sharing" of licensed and unlicensed frequencies in the radio spectrum-- a proposal potentially bringing more capacity to wifi and other wireless technologies.

EU Parliament"Meeting the growing spectrum needs resulting from the exponential growth in wireless data traffic and the increasing importance of wireless connectivity in the economy is limited by the absence of vacant spectrum," the EC proposal says.

Wifi devices operate within the unlicensed 2.4GHz (802.11 b/g) and 5GHz (802.11a, 802.11n) space, which will get more capacity should the proposal be successful. Frequences in use by short range devices (such as 863-870MHz) might also be expanded.

The EC demands national EU regulators to encourage spectrum sharing, all while offering "guaranteed rights" and "investment incentives" to providers and incumbents sharing licensed frequencies.

The initiative kicks off once it goes through the European Council and Parliament, meaning it still has a long way to go-- but it should be an important step towards more harmony within European radio spectrum.

Go Digital Agenda: Maximising Radio Spectrum Efficiency by Sharing it