Zain Bahrain is Middle East pioneer with LTE-ready network

Bahrain looks likely to have the Middle East and North Africa region's first fourth-generation LTE network following the announcement that Zain Bahrain is rolling out a future-proof, flat-architecture IP-based network. 

Read the complete article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/zain-bahrain-is-middle-east-pioneer-with-lte-ready-network

November 2009 printed edition available for download

Our top stories this month relate to the digital dividend. The European Commission has just published its long-awaited recommendation on the subject but events this month highlight the complexities of policy decisions in this area. 

German's approach to auctioning the digital dividend spectrum is likely to face legal challenge and in the UK the government has just released its plans to  strike a balance between the release of former analogue TV spectrum, the refarming of the GSM bands and the auction of 2.6 GHz. 

The November 2009 is available for download here and the full contents list is below:

3

Government acts on UK refarming dispute

5

EU legalises 2G refarming 

Commission  publishes digital dividend recommendation  

6

CEPT re-organises; sector-wide reform mooted

7

François Rancy to be proposed as ITU-R director

FCC sets D-block timetable 

10

New NZ mobile operator says competition authority should regulate spectrum

11

Fears that WRC 2012 proposals could harm meteorological services

12

 WRC 2012:  more spectrum for Mobile satellite 

14

Olympics "biggest-ever" spectrum demand spike

15

Six technologies submitted for 4G standardization

Spectrum Usage Feeds could derail WiMAX in Philippines

16

Zain Bahrain is Middle East LTE pioneer 

17

Middle East operators hold advantage for LTE rollout

18

UK Spectrum trading proposals  welcomed

19

Current consultations

20

Civil use of unmanned aircraft systems faces regulatory hurdles 

Olympics “biggest-ever” spectrum demand spike but UK can cope, says Ofcom

UK regulator says digital switchover, access to public sector resources and increased efficiency will provide enough spectrum to meet demands at the London Olympic Games in 2012. 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/olympics-201cbiggest-ever201d-spectrum-demand-spike-but-uk-can-cope-says-ofcom

CEPT re-organises but members wonder if sector-wide reform is needed

The European regulators organisation, CEPT, is celebrating its fiftieth birthday by streamlining its organisation but does this need to extend to multi-agency regulatory structures? What would a little green man from mars make of the proliferation of bodies dealing with spectrum? 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/cept-re-organises-but-members-wonder-if-sector-wide-reform-is-needed

Government acts on UK refarming dispute

Trading for the mobile bands, with spectrum caps to ensure competition and nationwide roll-out requirements for mobile broadband look set to be the key features of the UK's approach to GSM refarming, which is the subject of a new consultation. 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/government-acts-on-uk-refarming-dispute

Fears that WRC 2012 proposals could harm meteorological services

The meteorological community is warning that plans to identify bands for in-car radar, mobile satellite service, unmanned aircraft and electronic newsgathering could cause interference to scientific services. 

Read the full story here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/fears-that-wrc-2012-proposals-could-damage-meteorological-services

Commission and mobile operators expected to challenge German digital dividend auction

The German regulator is being accused of favouring incumbents after the announcement of its plans to sell off former analogue TV frequencies. 

Read the full story here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/commission-and-mobile-operators-expected-to-challenge-german-digital-dividend-auction

FCC sets D-block timetable but gives no clear plans

The US regulator has given itself four months to come up with new proposals for D-block, the spectrum which failed to sell at last year's 700MHz auction. The FCC still favours a public/private partnership but the policy-making process is being hampered by a lack of consensus among the public safety community, commercial interests and politicians. 

Read the full story here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/fcc-sets-d-block-timetable-but-gives-no-clear-plans

François Rancy to be proposed as ITU-R director

The current head of the French frequency agency is to be a candidate for ITU's top job in spectrum management. 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/france-to-propose-francois-rancy-as-director-of-itu-radiocommunication-bureau

Opinion: Avoid the “L-word”?

Should we welcome European regulators' historic shift to talk about authorisations rather than licences? It may have benefits in Europe, argues Robert Horvitz of the Open Spectrum Foundation, but the advantages elsewhere are questionable. 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/opinion-avoid-the-201cl-word201d

Give spectrum regulation to competition authority says new NZ mobile operator

New Zealand has finally got a third mobile operator but the company has launched a scathing attack on the country's spectrum policy. 

Read the full article here:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/spectrum-should-be-regulated-by-competition-authority-says-nz-mobile-operator

Roland Coase: assessing the impact

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Roland Coase's seminal 1959 academic article which laid the groundwork for a liberalised approach to spectrum management. 

In two stories we first explain why his arguments were so ground-breaking:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/ronald-coase-a-historic-anniversary

we then talk to Professor Coase - now 98 - and get the views of leading thinkers on his continuing influence:

https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/ronald-coase-assessing-the-impact