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December 02, 2013

Ofcom Looks for 7 Times More Mobile Spectrum Than 4G Auction Released

Ofcom, the U.K. communications regulator, is looking at ways to release perhaps seven times as much spectrum as was awarded as part of the Long Term Evolution 4G auctions, with initial thinking that the addition spectrum could be made available over about a 20 year period.

To be sure, there are a number of ways more effective spectrum can be created, ranging from smaller cells to mobile offload, more efficient coding techniques and retail pricing that encourages people to use more bandwidth off peak.

But additional spectrum has to be part of the solution as well, most would agree.

So it is that Ofcom believes a number of new spectrum bands are potential candidates for future mobile broadband use.

Ofcom estimates that this new spectrum could boost mobile data capacity by more than 25 times between now and 2030, when used in conjunction with more advanced mobile networks,

Among the candidates for redeployment are the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands. Currently licensed for use by the Ministry of Defense, Ofcom is working to make that spectrum available for auction between 2015 and 2016.

That shift of spectrum from public sector to private use is important since public entities use just over half of all U.K. spectrum.

Also being evaluated are some portions of the 700 MHz band, used for digital TV broadcasting. Ofcom believes at least some of that spectrum could be released for mobile broadband use sometime after 2018.

The TV white spaces spectrum also is under investigation.

In addition, the 2.7 GHz radar band potentially could represent up to 100 MHz of spectrum.

Additional spectrum could be found in the 3.6 GHz band, which is currently used for satellite links. Mobile services might be able to share the band with existing satellite users.

There is any number of implications beyond the immediate matter of creating more potential mobile broadband spectrum. Making some of that new spectrum available necessarily will involve new ways of sharing spectrum.

U.K. precedents should have implications for other regulatory authorities as well. 




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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