Monday, April 30, 2007

Hong Kong backs spectrum trading but rejects full liberalisation

Hong Kong endorses a market based approach to spectrum management but raises eyebrows with the expected announcement of a technology specific mobile licence.

The Hong Kong government started reviewing its approach to spectrum back in October 2006 by inviting responses to a specially commissioned consultants' report. Predictably the response from the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau doesn't go as far as the consultants suggested, but it continues current moves away from the command and control approach and will also increase transparency for spectrum users.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=552

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Australia leads the way with first cellphones on aircraft trial

Regulators, mobile operators and airlines from around the world will be watching with great interest a test being launched in Australia by national flag carrier Qantas.

It will be the first time passengers on a commercial airline will be able to use their own mobile phones onboard an aircraft – in this case a Boeing 767 flying domestic routes.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=551

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Cognitive radio: we’re entering new territory…metaphorically speaking

We get a grasp on the ephemeral world of wireless communications through familiar metaphors. New research says this spells trouble for technologies like cognitive radio which don't fit into existing frameworks.

Many scientists argue that we can only see the world as a series of metaphors. We understand new things by comparing them to our existing understanding or experience. When we're sad we say we're feeling down. Of course it's our mental state not our altitude which has changed, but does it make any difference? We're miserable just the same. And more to the point for PolicyTracker readers, does this need to understand the world metaphorically make any difference to the development of spectrum policy?

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=550

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Opinion: licence exempt studies holds global lessons

Research commissioned by the UK regulator demonstrates the economic value of the unlicensed approach, says Robert Horvitz of the Open Spectrum Foundation

Since the adoption of the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has had a statutory obligation to exempt from licensing radio equipment whose use is unlikely to cause undue interference. No legal limit is set on the amount of spectrum used by such equipment, yet the 2005 Spectrum Framework Review (SFR) asserted that: "little additional spectrum will be needed in the foreseeable future [for license exempt use], growing to 7 per cent of the total spectrum... As a maximum, then, an additional 250MHz or so of spectrum might be needed for license-exempt use... Expanding beyond [this amount] would result in unused spectrum..."

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=549

Monday, April 23, 2007

Cognitive radio: momentum grows but blockages remain

Regulatory scepticism, opposition from legacy industries and a challenging business case make the whitespace proceedings in the US a crucial test for cognitive radio.

A recent gathering of the world's leading experts in cognitive radio was notable for two things. Firstly, the level of interest from the commercial sector and secondly the regulatory, commercial and business obstacles which are still to be overcome.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=548

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Critics applaud Ofcom’s proposals for licence-exempt spectrum

The UK's regulator's blueprint for unlicensed frequencies has received a more positive response than previous proposals. However, some campaigners are concerned about the legal basis for regulating this type of spectrum usage.

Ofcom's new proposal document and consultation, the Licence-Exemption Framework Review (LEFR), has been welcomed by consultants and stakeholders as a forward-looking and well-thought-out exercise which will provide a lead for spectrum licence exemption in Europe and around the world.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=547

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

First ‘real world’ smart radio trials being held in Ireland

The world's first simulation of how dynamic spectrum access technologies might work on a commercial basis is underway in Dublin.

The trial coincides with an IEEE conference being held in Dublin and is unique because several different types of cognitive radio and software defined radio systems are sharing a limited range of frequencies. The simulation is also breaking new ground by using commericial frequencies under a special 'test and trial' licence granted by the Irish regulator, ComReg.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=546

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Consultation: Dynamic Spectrum Access - Briefing Note

The Irish regulator, ComReg, is inviting views on a discussion paper drawn up by a panel of experts which examines dynamic spectrum access. The concept is defined as accessing frequencies assigned to another user who isn't using them at a particular time or in a particular place. The paper examines developments such as 'smart' and 'polite' radios as well as decentralised networks. The experts argue that while dynamic spectrum access could increase efficiency it could also devalue existing spectum. They consider whether different regulatory approaches may be needed.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=545

Public up in arms over UK Digital Dividend proposals

Hundreds of responses from ordinary citizens show how far Ofcom has to go in convincing the public of the benefits of taking a market approach to reallocating released analogue TV spectrum.

Of the more than 600 responses Ofcom received to its Digital Dividend consultation, the majority came from concerned consumers, bodies representing individuals such as churches and student unions, and small businesses in the programme making and special events (PMSE) sector.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=544

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Consultation: Licence-Exemption Framework Review

UK regulator Ofcom has published a consultation designed to set a framework for licence exempt spectrum for the next 20 years. It is based on two principles. Firstly, that spectrum use should be licence-exempt if this is expected to derive greater value than a licensed approach. Secondly, where demand for spectrum is less than supply, harmful interference is unlikely and licensing may present an unnecessary overhead.

Specific proposals include:
• Where possible, licence-exempt spectrum should be released on the spectrum commons model, where multiple applications share the same frequencies.
• Multiple classes of spectrum commons should be considered, with regulator-defined rules restricting the diversity of applications within each class.
• All spectrum in the 275 - 1000 GHz range, should be considered for licence-exemption
• 94 GHz of unused spectrum in the 105 - 275 GHz range should be considered for licence-exempt usage and 40 GHz of unused spectrum should be considered for light-licensed usage.
• In 40 -105 GHz the 59 -64 GHz band and the 102 -105 GHz band should be considered for use by licence-exempt devices.
• Devices transmitting at sufficiently low power spectral densities should be exempted from licensing.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=543

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Consultation: Interest survey and consultation regarding licensing in 1900-1905 and 2500-2690 MHz

PTS intends to award these licenses in spring 2008 and wants to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to notify their interest. It is also seeking views about the approach to licensing these bands to help in designing a potential auction.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=542

Digital Dividend Focus: UK TV industry looks enviously across the channel

While the UK agonises about the viability of digital terrestrial without HDTV France has brought in a new law which provides an enviable roadmap for the future.

In France from December 1 2008 all new TVs must have digital terrestrial receivers built in and if they are high definition (HD) sets they have to have an internal MPEG-4 decoder which enables them to receive HD signals. This MPEG-4 decoder could be for the terrestrial, cable or satellite platforms but essentially the law means that all new HD sets have to have the capability to receive the signal.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=541

Monday, April 02, 2007

April printed issue available for download

Our themes this month are the Commission's call to mandate DVB-H as the European mobile TV technology and a comparision of the approaches to analoge switch-off in the UK and France.

We also examine the preparations for WRC-07; the controversy over the use of broadcasting "white space" in the US and the debate on updating the R&TTE Directive.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=540

ITU produces report on spectrum management around the world

The International Telecommunications Union has carried out a survey of spectrum management in 189 countries.

The report gives the relevant authority dealing with spectrum issues and contains a brief summary of the principles underlying each country's approach.

Read the full details at:

http://www.policytracker.com/alerts.php?tact=539