Ofcom Consults on Future UK Spectrum Management Strategy

Ofcom UK has today launched a new consultation to help define their future spectrum management strategy for the 2020s, which among other things aims to boost support for localised spectrum access (e.g. creating local wireless networks via 5G etc.) and promote greater sharing of existing spectrum in higher frequencies.

Radio spectrum is of course a finite resource and thus the telecoms regulator is constantly trying to make the most efficient use of it, which every few years requires them to re-examine the market and see whether improvements can be made. Such decisions can have a big impact on all sorts of different sectors, such as TV, satellite, fixed wireless links, home WiFi and mobile broadband (4G, 5G) etc.

The latest consultation similarly seeks to support innovation in new wireless technologies, as well as to boost spectrum sharing and to grow the diversity of wireless services and providers by considering further options for localised spectrum access (we’ve already seen some of this at work).

For example, one enabler of greater spectrum sharing will be the continued development and use of automated spectrum management tools where appropriate. These can allow Ofcom to authorise and modify spectrum use in near real-time by a utilising a direct interface between devices and a spectrum management database. “We plan to use this capability in a number of shared bands, including the 3.8-4.2 GHz band,” said Ofcom.

The consultation closes on 26th February 2021 and the regulator then expects to publish their conclusions in Q2 2021/22.