Home » 

UK ISP News Archives

 » 
Sponsored Links

European Parliament Adopts Plan to Harmonise Superfast 4G Mobile Broadband

Posted: 16th Feb, 2012 By: MarkJ
europe map digital agendauk lte 3g 4g ofcom mobile broadbandThe European Parliament (EP) has officially adopted the five-year Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP), which among other things sets out a common (harmonised) policy for how various radio spectrum frequencies (e.g. 800MHz [currently used for analogue TV] and 2.6GHz) should be should be freed up and reallocated for use by a new generation of 4G superfast Mobile Broadband services.

The policy is a crucial part of Europe's wider Digital Agenda, which seeks to bring basic broadband to 100% of Europeans by 2013 and superfast 30Mbps+ services by 2020 (with 50% or more using a 100Mbps product).

The European Parliament's Gunnar Hökmark said:

"The first EU policy on radio spectrum will enable the EU to regain world leadership in wireless communication. It will optimise the use of frequencies to the benefit of all users of smart phones and other mobile digital platforms. The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme is a crucial building block in creating a single digital European market."

European Commission Vice President, Neelie Kroes, said:

"Adoption of the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme will help reduce the digital divide, make Europe a connected and competitive continent and introduce more wireless broadband choices."

Overall the policy requires that at least 1200MHz of radio spectrum be allocated to mobile data traffic by 2015. The European Commission (EC) has also been tasked with investigating whether or not more spectrum can be found (e.g. between 400MHz and 6GHz) to help "manage the exponential growth in wireless data traffic" before 1st January 2015.
Key Radio Spectrum Policy Programme Goals

• By the end of 2012, Member States should have authorised the use of the harmonised 2.5-2.69 GHz, 3.4-3.8 GHz and 900/1800 MHz bands for use by wireless broadband communications, including 3rd & 4th generation mobile communication services.

• By 1 January 2013, all Member States (unless an individual exemption has been obtained before that date), should have authorised the use of the 800 MHz band for wireless broadband communications. One of the main objectives here is to cover sparsely populated areas.

• By mid-2013 at the latest, the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, will set out the details for an inventory to analyse efficient spectrum use, in the 400 MHz to 6 GHz range, in the EU. This will form the basis of possible further action on the coordinated allocation of spectrum bands to specific uses, such as wireless broadband.
So far the UK still appears to be broadly in line with this plan. O2 has already started using the 900MHz band for 3G services and potentially 4G in the not too distant future. Everything Everywhere ( Orange and T-Mobile ) has also put in a request to do the same with its related 1800MHz band.

Meanwhile the communications regulator, Ofcom UK, confirmed last year that its own auction of re-farmed radio spectrum (800MHz and 2.6GHz) had been significantly delayed (here) from Q1-2012 to Q4-2012 because of legal and technical problems. But the first Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) based 4G superfast Mobile Broadband services are still expected to surface in the UK between the end of 2013 and early 2014 as originally planned.

A final decision on Ofcom's auction design will be made in the summer of 2012, which will also include the newly agreed proposal to extend the UK coverage of related services (licenses) from 95% to "at least" 98% of the population. The UK governments Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has pledged £150 million (here) to support the new target.
Search ISP News
Search ISP Listings
Search ISP Reviews
Cheap BIG ISPs for 100Mbps+
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £23.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Virgin Media UK ISP Logo
Virgin Media £23.50
132Mbps
Gift: None
Youfibre UK ISP Logo
Youfibre £23.99
150Mbps
Gift: None
NOW UK ISP Logo
NOW £25.00
100Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Cheapest ISPs for 100Mbps+
BeFibre UK ISP Logo
BeFibre £19.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Gigaclear UK ISP Logo
Gigaclear £19.00
300Mbps
Gift: None
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
toob UK ISP Logo
toob £22.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £23.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Sponsored Links
The Top 15 Category Tags
  1. FTTP (6146)
  2. BT (3690)
  3. Politics (2773)
  4. Business (2478)
  5. Openreach (2445)
  6. Building Digital UK (2362)
  7. Mobile Broadband (2197)
  8. FTTC (2094)
  9. Statistics (1948)
  10. 4G (1854)
  11. Virgin Media (1810)
  12. Ofcom Regulation (1613)
  13. Fibre Optic (1489)
  14. Wireless Internet (1477)
  15. 5G (1451)
Sponsored

Copyright © 1999 to Present - ISPreview.co.uk - All Rights Reserved - Terms  ,  Privacy and Cookie Policy  ,  Links  ,  Website Rules