The regulator organised an expert workshop to assess key issues and future developments.
Background: Ofcom’s last spectrum strategy dates back to 2014 when Ofcom set out an outlook for the following 10 years prioritising the growing demand for mobile data services and the development of IoT/M2M. Ofcom opted to continue using market mechanisms for spectrum awards, while exploring new forms of spectrum sharing across new bands.
Collecting new ideas: Recognising the fast-moving nature of the services depending on spectrum, and the pace at which wireless innovation is taking place, the regulator invited stakeholders and industry experts at a workshop on 20 September 2019. The workshop was organised in multiple roundtables, at which industry members discussed questions such as the change in spectrum demand in light of wireless innovation; the challenges faced by different players in developing wireless innovation; and the role of regulators, including things they could do differently in the future to facilitate innovation. Several stakeholders called for improvements to the framework for spectrum sharing, which could benefit from more transparency as to who is using a certain portion of spectrum at a given time. More broadly, it was suggested that the regulator could look at ways to create ‘playgrounds’ in which innovators could experiment safely, and find ways to reward innovative services.
What next? This week’s event was a very early brainstorming exercise, and shouldn’t be taken as any indication of the direction Ofcom will take with future spectrum strategies. However, it is worth noting that the regulator sought views on opening up new bands, including spectrum well above 100GHz.
