Radio resources could be used much more efficiently, the European Commission said yesterday, setting out its plans to lower barriers and costs in accessing the radio spectrum in Europe, described as "the lifeblood of the Information Society."
Radio technologies use electromagnetic waves to send information in free space, and by using waves of a different frequency, many different radio applications can be used at the same time.
Broadcasting, transport systems and mobile phones all rely on the radio spectrum. But a growing number of new applications, such as GPS, weather satellites, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or even hearing aids, are jostling to use the technology.
The Commission also sees the availability of radio spectrum and its efficient use as a key factor for stimulating competitiveness, sustaining innovation and growth, and ultimately creating jobs.
But the traditional system of regulating the radio spectrum is under strain. Until now the radio spectrum, has been regulated separately by the 25 Member States, and this is preventing the resource from being efficiently exploited across Europe.
In a series of three Communications, the Commission has therefore set out a new EU strategy promoting a common approach to the regulation of the radio spectrum.
The strategy calls for a move away from traditionally rigid radio spectrum management approaches, where administrations tie usage rights of individual spectrum bands to specific transmission technologies and to narrow service definitions such as broadcasting or mobile communications.
A greater flexibility in access to spectrum will give market players more freedom to use radio resources as they choose, says the Commission. This is an essential condition for achieving the full potential of radio spectrum resources and for keeping pace with technological advances and convergence both of technology platforms and of services.
The Commission also proposes that, between now and 2010, the exclusive usage rights for significant parts of the radio spectrum ought to be made tradable according to common EU rules. Independent estimates indicate that significant net gains (around €8–9 billion a year) could be achieved by introducing market mechanisms that put spectrum to its most promising uses throughout the EU, it says.
Finally, as de-regulated access to spectrum can encourage the development and use of innovative technologies, the Commission’s new strategy foresees further investigations into making licence-free radio frequencies available to allow different users to share bands.
This is already the case for WiFi radio access, and will ultimately widen the choice of the wireless applications for the consumer, says the Commission.
In the Commission’s view, a better use of the spectrum can also be achieved by seeking actively to free up parts of the radio spectrum for new uses. For instance, the current transition from analogue to digital broadcasting may lead to a considerable “spectrum dividend”.
The Commission therefore wishes to begin a discussion with the Member States on the extent to which part of this spectrum could be made available for new pan-European services, including converged applications such as mobile TV and data services.
“Radio spectrum is fast becoming the lifeblood of the Information Society, whether you use a mobile phone or watch a TV broadcast,” said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.
“The direct economic contribution of industries using the radio spectrum is already considerable, between 1 and 2% of national GDP in the EU, but could be greatly increased if national regulators and all stakeholders can identify common approaches at EU level to create a single market for equipment and services using radio spectrum,” she added.
