Wireless Boom Prompts Rethinking on Unlicensed and Licensed Spectrum Access
The European Commission (EC) this week freed unlicensed radio spectrum in advance of an expected wave of new Wi-Fi applications. The move to make 2 frequency bands available in all member states for wireless access requires use of “intelligent” techniques to avoid interference with other users, especially military radar and satellite services, in the frequencies. Some say problems of uneven quality and lingering shortages would be solved better by licensed spectrum made available by wireless access platforms for electronic communications services (WAPECS).
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The EC decision accounts for potential congestion in the 2.4 GHz band. It’s important for industry to have “the legal certainty that a substantial amount of spectrum will be made available for wireless access systems/radio local area networks (WAS/RLAN) through the European Union in a harmonized way,” the EC said. The move makes spectrum available in the 5150-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz to accommodate new equipment. Although the EC hopes to spark more innovative services, its main goal is to create a single market for Wi-Fi devices such as laptops. Systems using the new bands will be faster than existing Wi-Fi, officials said.
The Commission said it will protect other spectrum users by limiting prospects for bringing broadband to rural areas, where longer distances must be bridged for access. “This is where a technology like WiMax could come into play,” the EC said. Since there are no licenses, technology itself must avoid interference and service degradation. Among other conditions, the EC required WAS/RLAN makers to ensure their gear doesn’t cause harmful interference to other users of the spectrum. It also ordered mitigation techniques to ensure compatibility with radar systems.
Meanwhile, at the EC’s request, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) recently opened a consultation on the spectrum implications of WAPECS, defined as “the platforms used for radio access to electronic communications services, regardless of the bands in which they operate, or the technology they use.”
With fixed, mobile and broadcast service converging, demand for Internet and mobile services has “grown far beyond earlier predictions, and developments in radio technology have led to far more efficient methods of sharing spectrum amongst a wide range of users,” the RSPG said. Traditional methods don’t deliver fast enough access to spectrum, pointing up the need for more flexibility in spectrum management for wireless e- communications, it said. WAPECS, which would use licensed spectrum, can provide mobile, portable or fixed access over terrestrial and/or satellite platforms.
In the past, the ITU managed spectrum hierarchically, allocating chunks of spectrum to different functions, said Chris Woolford, senior advisor-international spectrum policy at the U.K. Office of Communications. But convergence complicates differentiation among applications, and manufacturers want to use spectrum for applications other than those for which it was allocated. The U.K. and other member states are looking at spectrum markets rather than having to go through the ITU, which can take years, Woolford said.
The U.K. already has made unlicensed spectrum available in the bands noted in the EC decision, Woolford said. Demand is relatively light for unlicensed spectrum for hot spots and other applications. But as demand grows, the supply will shrink, making it harder to guarantee service quality, he said. With WAPECS, operators wanting to launch innovative services could get access to licensed bands that use spectrum more efficiently.
Member states have until Oct. 31 to open the 2 frequency bands. The deadline for comments on the RSPG WAPECS consultation is Sept. 15.