August 2013

PolicyTracker
The spectrum management newsletter
PolicyTracker staff
Managing Director
Martin Sims
martin@policytracker.com
Contributing Editors
Jonathan Watson
jonathan.watson@policytracker.com
Toby Youell
toby@policytracker.com
Dugie Standeford
dugiestandeford@policytracker.com
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Contents
Leaked document suggests Brussels spectrum power grab 2
Kroes blames national governments for poor state of European 4G 3
Kroes says member states are too slow on 800 MHz band 3
Give 700 MHz to mobile, but provide an incentive for TV viewers 4
Germany to release 700 MHz band for mobile broadband 6
PMSE users worried about German plans for 700 MHz band 7
Spectrum usage study faces questions about methodology 8
ITU discussion paper raises concerns about long-term future of TVWS 10
Many potential TVWS applications still lack business models 11
FCC incentive auction task force issues progress report 14
UK operators can use 900 MHz, 1800 Mhz and 2.1 GHz for 4G 15
UK regulator to release spectrum for unlicensed use 15
Concerns raised over UKs short-term HDTV assignment 17
Chinese government to issue LTE licences by the end of this year 17
Mexican regulator launches international campaign on spectrum valuation 18
Cyprus to release ready-made spectrum package for new operator 19
Bulgaria to hold 2.6 GHz auction 20
Baltic states make 800 MHz progress 20
Myanmar awards two mobile licences 21
Consultations 22
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2 PolicyTracker
August 2013
Jul 19, 2013
Leaked document suggests
Brussels spectrum power
grab
The European Commission wants multi-
country spectrum access, more policy
harmonisation and greater European control
over member states assignment procedures
according to a document available on the
internet.
By Toby Youell
It wants to set up a co-
ordination mechanism
whereby the Commission and
other national regulators
can comment in advance on a
procedure by a member state
Leaked draft legislation that was planned to be pub-
lished in September reveals the Commissions ambitions
for a substantial competence grab.
The document calls for licences that cover several
member states; the synchronisation of spectrum auctions;
similar licence conditions across the European Union;
and a mechanism enabling the European Commission
to prevent member states holding spectrum auctions im-
properly. The document feshed out details of ideas that
Kroes laid out in a speech to the European Parliament on
9 July.
The proposals
Multi-country spectrum access
The proposal suggests that users could simultaneously
acquire usage rights in several or all member states. It
says that these licences could have a combination of
low and high frequencies for areas with different popula-
tion densities. The Commission believes that this would
introduce predictability to the industry. It is also hoped the
move would reduce costs. Deputy head of Neelie Kroess
cabinet, Pearse ODonohue has told PolicyTracker that
this measure is not another attempt to introduce pan-EU
licences. Previous attempts at pan-European licences
have been shut down by the European Council. A re-
cent study suggested that pan-European licences may
make the European telecoms market less competitive as
smaller frms are shut out.
Synchronised auctions
The proposal calls for conditions to be put in place to
synchronise the future cycles of reassignment or renewal
of individual rights of use of spectrum (See p7) in bands
that are used for wireless broadband communications. It
suggests that licences should be extended so that future
assignments can occur at a pan-European level.
Harmonised licence conditions
The proposals call for more explicit legislative guidance
on the criteria for spectrum allocations. This includes the
duration of licences, fees, the way fees are paid, auction
processes, obligations to provide wholesale access, set-
asides, capacity and coverage obligations, competition
policies, and even the size of the blocks. Although the
document says that these conditions should be harmo-
nised, it does not specify the details (p7).
Enforcement
A controversial aspect of the proposal is the way the
Commission is suggesting these measures should be
enforced. It wants to set up a co-ordination mechanism
whereby the Commission and other national regulators
can comment in advance on a procedure by a Member
State. The Commission then can forestall implementa-
tion of any proposal which appears to be non-compliant
with Union law.
The application of various
national policies creates
inconsistencies and
fragmentation of the internal
market which hamper the
roll-out of EU wide services
Ann La France, a partner at law frm Squire Sanders,
told PolicyTracker that this aspect of the proposal is likely
to have political problems. She said: There are quite a
few member states that are loathe to give up any pow-
ers at the national level and spectrum is a good money
maker for a lot of member states so I think theyre going
to jealously guard their rights in this regard.
Meeting digital agenda targets
The policy ties in with the Commissions so-called digi-
tal agenda which says all European citizens should have
access to broadband at a speed faster than 30 Mbps by
2020.
The proposal argues that the European Commission
should step in because the current system is so ineff-
cient. The application of various national policies creates
inconsistencies and fragmentation of the internal market
which hamper the roll-out of EU wide services and the
completion of the internal market for wireless broadband
communications, it says.
The proposal cites the failure of over half of EU member
states to allocate the 800 MHz band for wireless broad-
band by the radio spectrum policy programme (RSPP)
deadline of 1 January this year as proof that action from
3 PolicyTracker
August 2013
the European Commission is needed.
Action at Union level regarding certain aspects of spec-
trum assignment should accompany the development of
wide integrated coverage of advanced wireless broad-
band communications services throughout the Union, it
says.
Ann La France told PolicyTracker that these proposals
may provide a signifcant beneft. I think a lot of people
feel that the market is very fragmented in Europe as com-
pared to the United States, she said. I think the idea is
to try and make sure that some of the perceived disad-
vantages of the very Balkanised system in Europe would
be reduced but they certainly would not be eliminated....
this is a massive change and theres very little time
between now and October next year (when the current
Commissions term fnishes) to get this through so I think
it is a brave move, she added.
Kroes will have to guide the legislation through the EUs
co-decision process after the proposals are published in
September. She is likely to come up against frm opposi-
tion from national regulators who had previously resisted
attempts by the European Commission to create pan-
European spectrum licences.
The German telecommunications regulator, BNetzA said
they would not like to comment on the leak. A spokesper-
son for the UK regulator, Ofcom said it would not be ap-
propriate for us to comment on speculation and rumour;
however we look forward to contributing to the Commis-
sions work on these issues later in the year.
The report also promised guarantees for net neutrality
and an end to roaming charges. The leak was criticised
by Kroess spokesperson, who blamed it on vested
interests.
A spokesperson for Neelie Kroes told PolicyTracker that
Kroes is looking to the long term and at the overall picture
of the European economy.
The European Commission is expected to release more
information about its spectrum policy next week.
______________________________________________
Jul 25, 2013
Kroes blames national
governments for poor state
of European 4G
European Commissioner for the Digital
Agenda Neelie Kroes has accused national
governments of creating inconsistent and
expensive spectrum policy.
By Toby Youell
Kroes accused EU member states of making Europeans
who live outside cities second-class citizens by failing to
adopt a coherent spectrum policy.
Millions share my frustration
every day
She said that new data released by the Commission
underlines her argument that the current framework for
spectrum assignment in Europe is inadequate. The data
suggests Europe has fallen behind in rolling out 4G net-
works.
She argued that mobile operators have diffculty de-
veloping an EU-wide mobile strategy because there are
28 different regulators. According to the Commissions
fgures, spectrum rights are generally four times more
expensive in the EU than in the USA. And the variation
between EU states is so great that a company can end
up paying 50 times as much in one country as it does in
another for the same amount of spectrum.
Kroes also argued that the high costs of acquiring
spectrum rights was preventing telcos from being able to
invest the 27 billion that Brussels estimates is needed
for network upgrades.
The EU is teetering on the edge of network collapse,
she said. Global mobile traffc is predicted to grow 66 per
cent a year, smart devices are everywhere and people
want to watch video on those devices. Without more
spectrum being made available the whole thing falls
apart.
The Commissions fgures suggested that Europe ac-
counts for barely fve per cent of 4G connections globally
and that there is almost no access to 4G networks in rural
areas of Europe. She made a comparison between 4G
access in Europe and in the US. In the US, 90 per cent of
people have 4G access, whereas only 25 per cent of Eu-
ropean citizens have access to 4G in their home towns.
Im on the side of the citizens, the taxpayers, the voters,
who just want their phones and tablets to work, she said.
Its frustrating when my phone stops working in Brussels
because we only have 3G. Millions share my frustration
every day.
The new data and announcement comes shortly after
Kroes reluctantly decided to grant extensions to 11 of the
member states who had not assigned the 800 MHz band
to mobile carriers by the January 2014 deadline set by
the Commission. She has also launched enforcement ac-
tion against two of the countries.
The Commission will issue proposals in September for
changing the spectrum licensing framework; PolicyTrack-
er reported on a leaked version of these proposals last
week.
______________________________________________
Jul 23, 2013
Kroes says member states
are too slow on 800 MHz
band
4 PolicyTracker
August 2013
The European Commission has reluctantly
granted extensions to nine EU member
states who wanted more time to assign
spectrum in the 800 MHz band.
By Toby Youell
...the most common reasons
for missing the deadline
were border zone issues
and complications with
reallocating broadcasting
spectrum
European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes criti-
cised EU member states for failing to assign the 800 MHz
band for mobile broadband by January 2013.
She said: This is a pragmatic and fnal concession.
Every delay in releasing spectrum hurts our economy and
frustrates citizens.
A spokesperson added that it takes a lot of convincing
to get member states to coordinate on this issue because
they have traditionally been reluctant to coordinate on
what is considered a sovereignty issue.
Fourteen EU member states had not assigned the 800
MHz band for mobile broadband by January 2013, the
deadline laid down by a Commission decision from 2010.
Brussels has now granted an extension to nine of the
14 countries. So far, 11 others have managed to assign
spectrum in the band to mobile broadband operators.
The Commission refused to extend the deadline for
Slovenia and Slovakia, arguing that the delays in those
countries were due to the organisation of the authorisa-
tion process rather than exceptional circumstances that
would allow Brussels to grant a derogation. A spokesper-
son for Kroes told PolicyTracker that if there is no action
from the two countries then they risk court action and
ultimately fnes. He said that this would be a fair thing for
the 11 member states that did meet the deadline.
Belgium and Estonia did not meet the January deadline
but did not bother asking for a derogation while Greece,
Latvia and the Czech Republic require additional evalua-
tion by the Commission. Bulgaria has informed Brussels
of the continued use of the band for public security and
defence purposes.
Postponements have been agreed for Spain, Cyprus,
Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Poland, Romania and
Finland.
A spokesperson for Kroes told PolicyTracker that the
most common reasons for these EU member states miss-
ing the deadline were border zone issues and complica-
tions with reallocating broadcasting spectrum.
The Commission said that phones considered to be es-
sential devices by European citizens are not fully func-
tional in Europe because of the EUs failure to harmonise
its mobile broadband spectrum. The Commission argues
that the lack of harmonisation forces manufacturers to
leave out the appropriate radio chips.
A spokesperson said: the economic imperatives are
greater now than when the RSPP [radio spectrum policy
programme] was agreed and we are confdent that mem-
ber states will see the value of our single market propos-
als for further coordination.
This decision is the latest stage in the European Com-
missions efforts to harmonise mobile spectrum across
the EU. In a statement, Neelie Kroes said spectrum
reform would be a centrepiece of the Commissions
September proposal for a telecoms single market.
PolicyTracker reported on a leaked draft of the report last
Friday.
______________________________________________
Jul 30, 2013
Give 700 MHz to mobile, but
provide an incentive for TV
viewers
The PolicyTracker survey shows
overwhelming support for moving TV out
of the 700 MHz band, but also recognition
that viewers will need a reason to buy new
equipment.
By Martin Sims
The most obvious fnding from the PolicyTracker TV in
600 MHz survey is that 76 per cent of respondents said
yes, TV should be moved out of the 700 MHz band, free-
ing this up for mobile. Only two people answered no to
this question, and of the three others one called for TV
to be moved out of 600 as well.
Another said he lived in the US where we are already
moving away from over-the-air broadcasting and likely
will use the entire UHF band for broadband mobile.
In general, PolicyTracker
readers showed themselves
to be pragmatists rather than
futurologists
Here at PolicyTracker, what struck us about digital
switchover (DSO) was the lack of complaints. For many
years the political classes obsessed about the granny
factor whod want to be the politician who left grandma
without TV? But when DSO came around the problem
failed to materialise. In the Netherlands, UK, Finland and
Sweden we heard of very few viewer complaints, perhaps
because the enormous resources channelled into public
5 PolicyTracker
August 2013
information campaigns had made people buy new set-top
boxes or new TVs.
The benefts of DSO were also obvious more chan-
nels, but also more interactivity, and arguably better
picture quality. But moving TV to 600 is likely to require
equipment that runs DVB-T2 and MPEG4 to maintain the
same services. Any additional viewer benefts are far less
obvious: more HDTV perhaps, but maybe just the same
amount.
Our survey respondents seemed to have similar con-
cerns: 52 per cent thought this second switchover would
be more diffcult than the move from analogue to digital
TV, although the remainder thought it would be easier or
about the same level of diffculty.
Of course there is no problem if people have bought
sets which will run DVB-T2 and MPEG4 by the time this
second switchover happens. But only 14 per cent of peo-
ple thought almost all viewers would have these sets by
2018, so the consensus seems to be that a move to 600
MHz would inconvenience signifcant numbers.
The replacement cycles for TVs are falling, according to
the latest research, and the global average is now about
seven years. You might therefore expect that two thirds of
consumers would have replaced sets of their own accord
by 2018 and that many of these new sets would have
DVB-T2 and MPEG4, particularly as the deadline ap-
proached.
On the other hand the prevalence of 600 MHz-ready
sets would depend on the effectiveness of public aware-
ness campaigns and advance warning given to manu-
facturers. Uncertainty about these variables may explain
the wide range of answers given (see p5, top graph), with
most responses in the mid-range.
Even though there was widespread acceptance that
6 PolicyTracker
August 2013
many sets would have been replaced, the majority of re-
spondents still felt the process required an extra push. 71
per cent said viewers would need an incentive to move to
new sets.
What should this incentive be? There were two popular
answers, additional High Defnition programming and
subsidised equipment. Only eight per cent of those reply-
ing felt more Standard Defnition channels would tempt
the consumer. (see p5, bottom graph)
One reply suggested that the use of LTE Broadcast
could also be an incentive as it could allow viewers to
receive content on the move, in addition to the traditional
consumption of linear TV in homes and offces.
If equipment is to be subsidised, who should pay for it?
Over a ffth of respondents felt there should be no sub-
sidy, and the viewer should pay for the cost of the new
equipment. But as the graph above shows, 67 per cent
felt that either governments or mobile operators should
cover the consumers costs.
No gee-whizzery
In general, PolicyTracker readers showed themselves to
be pragmatists rather than futurologists, concerned with
the practicalities of re-allocating bands rather than looking
further ahead. One US respondent was the exception,
arguing that by 2018, there will be no television broad-
casting; people will download their choice of program-
ming from the Internet As tablets and e-readers multi-
ply, they will be the new TVs.
The lack of similar responses may refect the larger
number of Europeans among the sample, or perhaps it
is an example of what is sometimes called Amaras Law:
We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the
short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.
The TV in 600 MHz survey was flled in anonymously
by 21 people.
Jul 15, 2013
Germany to release 700 MHz
band for mobile broadband
Consultation documents from the German
regulator reveal its intention to carry out a
series of auctions for several bands, starting
in 2014.
by Toby Youell
Jochen Homann: underlying
our proposal is the desire
to provide the resources for
mobile broadband at the
earliest possible stage
BNetzA has released a consultation document and a
policy paper that set out its plans for Germanys future
use of spectrum. The document indicates the regulators
intention to have an early deployment of the 700 MHz
band for mobile broadband.
BNetzA plans to start auction procedures in 2014 for
spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands. This spectrum
is currently assigned to GSM operators but licences are
due to expire in 2016. The document proposes that after
those auctions, further spectrum should also be made
available to broadband in the 700 MHz and 1.5 GHz
bands, potentially holding an auction in 2015 for 1.5 GHz
and after 2015 for 700 MHz.
A block of spectrum in the 900 MHz band would be
reserved for each of the four current operators to ensure
uninterrupted mobile broadband service in rural areas.
The president of BNetzA, Jochen Homann, said that un-
derlying our proposal is the desire to provide the resources
for mobile broadband at the earliest possible stage.
7 PolicyTracker
August 2013
The consultation paper, known as Project 2016, incorpo-
rates ideas from a discussion paper called Mobile Media
2020. It says 75 per cent of households should have ac-
cess to bandwidth of at least 50 Mbit/s by 2014 and there
should be full coverage by 2018. The European Commis-
sion, as part of its so-called digital agenda, wants down-
load rates of 30 Mbps for all European citizens by 2020.
The documents say that use of spectrum generally
should be effcient and interference-free and that fair
and reasonable compensation should be made available
for incumbent users of bands that are in high demand.
It estimates that 10 per cent of TV channels will have to
stop broadcasting because mobile broadband will occupy
spectrum currently allocated to broadcasting. The consul-
tation closes on October 4 this year.
Germanys frst auction of spectrum suitable for LTE,
in the 800 MHz band in 2010, raised 4.38 billion for
the German government. Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone,
Telefonica and KPN all secured spectrum.
A source close to one of the telcos told PolicyTracker
that they did not welcome the prospects of early auctions
because they want to invest their money elsewhere. The
body representing the mobile industry, the GSM Associa-
tion, did not comment.
______________________________________________
Jul 30, 2013
PMSE users worried about
German plans for 700 MHz
band
German plans to auction 700 MHz spectrum
as part of a second digital dividend
completely neglect the interests of the
programme-making and special events
(PMSE) community, according to Dr
Klaassen, co-president of the Association
of Professional Wireless Productions
Technologies (APWPT).
By Dugie Standeford
German regulator BNetzA has proposed setting aside
no more than 96 MHz for wireless microphones and has
suggested several alternate bands, but Klaassen said
most of those frequencies wont work for PMSE. Even
if they are combined, they wont amount to the 96 MHz
needed for just the daily PMSE productions.
PMSE sufers from a low
profle among spectrum
regulators
The PMSE community is also worried about the situa-
tion in France, which also plans to release the 700 MHz
band for mobile broadband services, he said.
PMSE users will potentially lose half of the spectrum
they currently have following the frst digital dividend, said
Klaassen, export sales manager and regulatory specialist
for equipment maker Audio-Technica. In general, the sec-
tors spectrum is diminishing, and compensation for the
cost of moving to new bands is minimal, with the industry
itself is expected to bear most expenses.
Moreover, most PMSE users are not aware of what is
happening because the spectrum discussion takes place
at CEPT or some other high level, Klaassen said. Most
wireless microphone users become aware of the problem
only when they encounter interference from 4G services.
German PMSE users held a general licence in the
790862 MHz digital dividend band but are now restricted
to 710790 MHz, Klaassen said. Plans in Germany and
other countries to auction the 700 band will leave PMSE
users high and dry. So far there is no information on
how wireless microphone users who invested in moving
to the 710-790 MHz band will be compensated, he said.
Disrespecting Lnder policy?
Germanys federal structure means its states (Lnder)
participate, through the Bundesrat, in Germanys na-
tional legislative and administrative process. At a meet-
ing in November 2012, the Bundesrat noted resolutions
adopted in 2009 and 2010 which limited Germanys
digital dividend to the 790862 MHz frequency range.
The legislative body decided on 6 June to change the
frequency regulation in favour of use by wireless micro-
phones, and compensated PMSE users for the spectrum
lost to the digital dividend by setting aside spectrum in
the 14521492 MHz range. The activities of the national
regulator BNetzAs, however, do not seem to respect the
policy decisions of the Bundesrat, APWPT said.
Wireless microphones could use 1.21.6 GHz frequen-
cies but the band must be globally accessible because
no equipment manufacturer will produce microphones for
just one country, Klaassen said.
Disaster for major events
BNetzAs strategy paper for the 700 MHz band lists
several alternative bands for PMSE, but Klaassen said
each one has problems, and together they wont make 96
MHz of spectrum available. The APWPT position is that
any further erosion of the UHF band will harm the PMSE
industry. BNetzA is completely neglecting our interest
and its proposal will be a disaster for sports, concerts,
cultural festivals and other events, he said.
France and Germany are rumoured to be in bilateral
talks on implementing the 700 MHz second digital divi-
dend as soon as possible, Klaassen said. (The French
government confrmed last month that it will allocate the
band to mobile broadband). He fears that doing so will
open debate at WRC-15 on reallocating the rest of the
UHF band.
8 PolicyTracker
August 2013
That wont be as much of a problem for TV distribution
in countries such as the Netherlands that are well-cabled
as it will for Mediterranean EU countries that are more
dependent on digital terrestrial TV (DTT), he said. DTT is
what most politicians use to get their messages out, and
theyre about to shut themselves off by making it impos-
sible for PMSE to cover elections and other major events
similar in scope to the London 2012 Olympics, he said.
Secondary status unhelpful
PMSE suffers from a low profle among spectrum
regulators, Klaassen said. Some are aware of it but do
not know how to deal with it. Some say that because its
a secondary status service which can use spectrum as
long as it does not interfere with primary users and must
solve interference problems itself there is no need to
take any action. PMSEs status is not helping to solve
the issue, he said.
Given their status, wireless microphone users are easy
to ignore, but that does not resolve the situation, Klaas-
sen said. Either PMSEs status or the conditions of its
secondary usage must be changed, or regulators must
come up with at least two frequency bands that dont
have technical drawbacks for wireless microphones. The
APWPT now plans to inform all the major sports associa-
tions, cultural festivals and others that under Germanys
plan their events will be impossible to produce, he added.
Asked at a European spectrum management confer-
ence in June what the future of PMSE might be if the
700 MHz band is given to wireless services, Brussels
regulator Roberto Viola said the European Commission
is not jumping to conclusions about the band because
its highly used by many communities in Europe, includ-
ing PMSE. The Radio Spectrum Policy Group is working
on the issue and the Commission will rely strongly on
its advice, he said. Viola, who is the deputy director of
DG Connect, said hes sure a solution will be found. The
Commission knows about the problem with current users
in the band and does not want to jeopardise their uses.
______________________________________________
Jul 17, 2013
Spectrum usage study
faces questions about
methodology
An eagerly-awaited Brussels-commissioned
study has concluded that demand for
spectrum will exceed supply in the main
mobile bands within 10 years, but more than
half of the other bands will not be fully used.
By Toby Youell
A study into demand for spectrum in Europe has found
that by 2022 there will not be enough supply to meet
growing demand in 45 per cent of available bandwidth.
However, this conclusion was tempered by the uncer-
tainty of the data it used.
... demand for 800 MHz
of beachfront spectrum
between 400 MHz and 1200
MHz is likely to exceed supply
by 2022
The fndings of the study, Analysis of technology trends,
future needs and demand for spectrum, were presented
by Analysys Mason in Brussels on 11 July. The study
forms part of an attempt to create a radio spectrum inven-
tory for EU member states, which is one of the objectives
of the European Commissions Radio Spectrum Policy
Programme (RSPP).
The presentation said that in the face of an increase
in demand for spectrum, it was best to plan spectrum
allocation carefully rather than putting off the debate.
However, the discussion after the presentation focussed
on the methodology of the study rather than its fndings.
The presentation stated that the 700 MHz band will be
widely used for broadcasting and that mobile broadband
use will increase, although this will be somewhat miti-
gated by Wi-Fi offoading. It noted that there are large
differences between separate countries.
It noted that demand for 800 MHz of beachfront spec-
trum between 400 MHz and 1200 MHz is likely to exceed
supply by 2022. In total, use of 2500 MHz of spectrum
between 400 MHz and 5850 MHz is likely to exceed its
designations.
The Analysys Mason consultants told delegates they
used their own data and data from a separate study un-
dertaken by WIK-Consult because of the alleged uncer-
tainty of the offcial source of European spectrum data,
EFIS (ECO Frequency Information System). As part of
the RSPP, WIK-Consult had undertaken a study in 2012
to determine the technical and socio-economic effciency
of spectrum use.
Scott Marcus, a director of WIK-Consult, told Poli-
cyTracker that it was entirely appropriate for the Analysys
Mason study to draw on the WIK analysis because the
two studies are designed to complement each other.
However, he said that WIKs study concentrated on ana-
lysing the supply of spectrum, rather than demand.
After a question from a radio astronomy expert, and an
unclear response from Analysys Mason, Marcus ex-
plained to the workshop in Brussels that the WIK study
had treated passive services like radio astronomy differ-
ently from active ones. Technical effciency for a service
like radio astronomy cannot be measured in terms of the
amount of traffc transmitted in the band. For a passive
service like radio astronomy, if the band is quiet, it is be-
9 PolicyTracker
August 2013
ing used as it is supposed to be used.
Marcus said that the WIK analysis was careful not to ap-
ply a simplistic interpretation to the level of traffc in bands
allocated to services like the military and PPDR (public
protection and disaster relief). Analogously, services like
the military and PPDR can have very different levels of
usage depending on what is going on. The level of use
during a disaster, or during military exercises, can be
very different from the level of use during quiet times. For
the band to be lightly used during quiet periods does not
necessarily imply ineffciency.
EFIS is an extremely valuable
resource
WIKs study made extensive use of EFIS data. EFIS was
set up in 2002 to allow the public to research frequency
usage. Since January 2008, EU member states have been
required to submit information about their spectrum use to
EFIS. Analysys Mason argued that member states were
submitting inconsistent and incomplete information.
Marcus told PolicyTracker that he felt Analysys Mason
was unduly critical of EFIS. He accepted that EFIS does
not contain all the information the spectrum inventory will
ultimately need, and that there is a need to improve the
cross-country consistency of EFIS data. This is the rea-
son why the WIK study advocated a simple and straight-
forward mapping of the existing ITU-based categories of
use to fourteen categories for the purposes of analysis.
However, EFIS is an extremely valuable resource, Mar-
cus said, and stakeholders are right to insist that the new
spectrum inventory should avoid needless duplication of
good data already available on the system.
Thomas Weber, from the European Communications
Offce (ECO), argued that EFISs data was reasonably
good, although it could be improved. He said that An-
alysys Mason may have misunderstood how to interpret
the data.
Commenting on a slide with data about Germany, one
member of the delegation from the country said we
know that there are some inaccuracies (in the informa-
tion presented in the slide). The French regulator pointed
out that French law forbade them from disclosing certain
usages of spectrum and also questioned whether the
consultants used all of the available sources of data.
______________________________________________
Source: Analysys Mason
10 PolicyTracker
August 2013
Jul 09, 2013
ITU discussion paper raises
concerns about long-term
future of TVWS
But those in the TV white spaces (TVWS)
industry are confdent that changes in the
UHF bands will not leave them short of
spectrum.
By Toby Youell
Some of the fnest minds and deepest pockets on the
planet are banking on a TV white space revolution, but a
discussion paper presented by the ITU to its Global Sym-
posium for Regulators suggested that digital terrestrial
television (DTT) may stand in its way.
... there may be costly legal
battles between new non-
broadcasting primary users
and TVWS users
The discussion paper was prepared for the Global
Symposium for Regulators that was held at the beginning
of July in Warsaw, Poland. If regulators allow operators to
build fxed or mobile infrastructure to access unlicensed
white space spectrum before a programme for DTT has
been completed, the paper said, then there may be un-
certain levels of future availability of channels for TVWS
for their operations.
The UHF band is undergoing signifcant changes with
respect to the identifcation of additional allocations for
the mobile service, namely IMT, due to the steep increase
in demand for mobile broadband bandwidth, the ITU told
PolicyTracker. Such changes seek internationally har-
monized spectrum solutions for the long-term, from which
interoperability and economies of scales benefts can be
obtained, especially to provide wide area coverage in
large developing regions and rural areas.
The discussion paper covered a number of issues that a
reallocation of spectrum may raise for the TVWS industry.
For example, an infrastructure of base stations providing
a fxed (and in the future, a mobile) service to TVWS de-
vices may require a costly adaptation to move to another
part of the band. In addition, more TV channels would be
broadcast within a tighter band, so there would be less
white space available to fll, as a result of the allocation of
the digital dividend to the mobile service.
The discussion paper asked how a lack of security of
tenure in spectrum terms (for the proposed wide area
operation of TVWS) could have an impact on the future
scalability and reliability of a system facing growing
bandwidth demands and diminishing spectrum availabil-
ity. Furthermore, if a future re-allocation were to move
broadcasting from its current bands and the infrastructure
connecting TVWS devices is not able to follow it, then
there may be costly legal battles between new non-
broadcasting primary users and TVWS users.
11 PolicyTracker
August 2013
White space possibilities
Andrew Stirling, a spectrum consultant who helped or-
ganised the Cambridge white space trial and is currently
working for Microsoft, told PolicyTracker that the opposite
was true. He said that on the contrary, TVWS devices are
best placed to adapt to changing bandplans.
He believes the most effcient way of allocating increas-
ingly scarce spectrum is through dynamic spectrum ac-
cess (DSA). He envisions a system in which devices use
a database to determine which channels of spectrum are
available to use. The device could then log in to available
spectrum on a short term basis. The diagram below, pre-
sented at the recent Spectrum Management Conference
in Brussels by UK spectrum regulator Ofcom, shows how
this would work in practice.
Stirling said that if the channels that are available to use
changed because of replanning, it would be relatively
easy for the database to simply update that picture and
the devices would know which frequencies to use rela-
tively quickly.
Its relatively fast to propagate through changes, he
told PolicyTracker. It will have the potential for radical
innovation in the future when devices can automatically
detect that spectrum is available to use and get on with
using it without being involved with licensing auctions.
...we need spectrum sharing
to avoid the brute force of
clearance and the cost and
delay that goes with that
Everythings going to be alright
In order to be able to toggle freely between disparate
bands, devices will have to be equipped to deal with an
array of spectrum. Currently, it is thought that TVWS
devices will have to work between 470 and 790 MHz and
possibly 3.5 GHz. If regulators allocate a wider range of
spectrum, then these bands would need to be built in to
TVWS devices. Stirling told PolicyTracker that while this
would involve a certain cost, it would be mitigated by
economies of scale achieved through European harmoni-
sation. Any extra cost would be passed on to consumers.
A separate problem in the future could be that a smaller
and more congested broadcasting band will lead to a
shortage of white spaces for TVWS devices to exploit.
Stirling admits this is a possibility, but says that regulators
should address this by reserving a band below 1 GHz
for unlicensed spectrum. He compares such a move to
the current allocation for programme making and special
events (PMSE) devices.
For Stirling, these problems are overshadowed by the
opportunities TVWS present. It could remove entry bar-
riers to the telecommunications sector by allowing frms
to bypass the licensing process; enable the internet of
things to emerge; produce Super Wi-Fi for isolated com-
munities; and make sure that existing spectrum is used
effectively. He doesnt think that these benefts should be
jeopardised by speculation about a potential reallocation
that is several years away.
For example, digital TV was introduced into the UK
market in 1998, but the 4G auction that capitalised on
the digital dividend was only concluded this spring. His at-
titude is that it is best to improve internet connectivity for
the time being by using white spaces and then deal with
congestion from a second digital dividend whenever that
happens (if it does happen).
He told PolicyTracker: we need spectrum sharing to
avoid the brute force of clearance and the cost and delay
that goes with that.
Ofcom does not want to stand in the way of TVWS
Regulators who think they will have this problem in the
future can look to the UK. Its regulator, Ofcom, has been
a cheerleader for TVWS technology since its inception. It
helped organise a major test of TVWS in Cambridge last
year and has lobbied for a harmonised European regula-
tory approach to the technology.
Ofcoms director of spectrum markets Graham Louth
even went so far as to tell a conference in Brussels in late
June that dynamic spectrum access could be as trans-
formative for how devices use spectrum as the internet
protocol was for the development of the world wide web.
A spokesman for the regulator told PolicyTracker: While
any potential release of the 700 MHz band would reduce
the total size of the TV white space band, it is too early to
estimate accurately what the impact could be on the pos-
sible availability of white space.
He also said that no fnal decision has yet been made
on the 700 MHz band and that TVWS devices could use
the band throughout the clearance process right up until
the spectrum is released for new uses.
As it does not need to be a primary user, TVWS technol-
ogy is fexible and dynamic in the way it accesses spec-
trum. Today that seems like its greatest attribute; but as it
also makes TVWS vulnerable to regulatory decisions on
spectrum reallocation, in the future that may seem like its
greatest weakness.
______________________________________________
Jul 08, 2013
Many potential TVWS
applications still lack
business models
Last summer, PolicyTrackers major
industry survey on TV white spaces (TVWS)
found there was a lack of clarity about
the business models for many potential
applications in TVWS. A year on, rural
broadband, machine communications and
long-range WiFi are still among the most-
12 PolicyTracker
August 2013
discussed opportunities, but while the case
for TVWS-based broadband is starting to
be made, business models for several other
potential uses remain uncertain.
By Catherine Viola
Rural broadband one of first commercial applications
Rural broadband has long been touted as a key ap-
plication for TVWS, and it is of no surprise that it is one
of the frst services to move towards commercialisation.
TVWS offers several benefts for rural broadband service,
especially:
Excellent signal propagation, which supports cover-
age of large areas and non-line-of-sight operation in
challenging terrain, such as mountains, forests, or
over water
Typically, a high availability of TVWS in rural and
remote areas
TVWS broadband has the potential to revitalise the
economy of small communities and sustain their
future existence in a technologically advanced world
The business case for deploying rural broadband is well
understood, hinging on factors such as population density
and customers willingness to pay for the service pro-
vided. Taking the cost of bandwidth out of the equation by
using unlicensed TVWS helps the business case, which
is notoriously challenging using licensed spectrum.
An alternative such as LTE has an expensive, reoccur-
ring cost model that compromises the value of a network
and can limit the extent of deployment, according to
Carlson Wireless, a specialist in broadband services for
underserved communities.
With TVWS, businesses can own their networks
through one-time equipment purchases which, in most
cases, can be less than the initial cost of an LTE installa-
tion before recurring costs, says the companys presi-
dent and chief executive Jim Carlson. This means that
businesses can deploy to more locations as needed,
which adds even more value.
PolicyTrackers report identifed a huge potential for
TVWS-based broadband to help bridge the digital divide
in developing regions, such as Africa, Latin America and
south-east Asia. Somewhere around fve billion people
globally are unable to access existing forms of broadband
Internet, said Carlson. These include underserved loca-
tions in high-density areas that lack telephony resources
(i.e. copper wiring, fbre cables, etc), as well as rural and
remote markets.
Both types of communities are ideal candidates for
TV white space broadband, said Carlson. Access to the
Internet could beneft these communities in many areas,
including healthcare, education, and business, he added.
In the past year, sub-Saharan Africa has become a hot-
bed of TVWS activity, with trials ongoing or under discus-
sion in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sen-
egal, South Africa and Tanzania. IT giants Google and
Microsoft are both sponsoring trials , most of which centre
on rural broadband applications (see table overleaf).
In Kenya, Microsoft has teamed up with the govern-
ment and Indigo Telecom to launch a TVWS pilot target-
ing communities without access to either broadband or
electricity. The trial uses solar-powered base stations to
deliver broadband access to support commerce, educa-
tion, healthcare and the delivery of government services.
Adaptrum supplies the white space radios.
African TVWS broadband pilots
Country Trial scope Project partners
Kenya
Broadband connectivity for
communities without electric-
ity or broadband, targeting
applications in commerce,
education, healthcare, and
government services
Microsoft, Adap-
trum, Indigo
Telecom, TENET
Malawi
Moving towards trial of
Carlson Wireless Rural Con-
nect TVWS solution, after
initial studies. Afordable rural
broadband a key issue, as
Malawi population predomi-
nately rural (85%)
University of
Malawi, Malawi
regulator MACRA,
International Cen-
tre for Theoretical
Physics in Trieste,
Carlson Wireless
Nigeria
WaveTek planning trial based
on Carlson Wireless technol-
ogy, for which it has distribu-
tion rights
WaveTek
South
Africa
Six-month trial to demon-
strate afordable wireless
broadband using TVWS for
ten schools in Western Cape
area
Google, Carlson
Wireless/Neul
South
Africa
Trial being planned to test
rural broadband using TVWS
in Limpopo
Microsoft, Council
for Scientifc and
Industrial Research
(CSIR)
Tanzania
Pilot to provide afordable
wireless broadband access
to students and staf at the
University of Dar es Salaam
Microsoft, IS Uhu-
ruOne, COSTECH
Source: PolicyTracker
Our white spaces initiative in Kenya is a great example
of a specifc business model in action and has served
to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of delivering
broadband access using white spaces, Microsoft told
PolicyTracker.
The potential benefts of TVWS for rural broadband are
not just limited to the developing world. In California, Carl-
son Wireless and local wireless ISP Cal.net have started
rolling out a TVWS network to bring broadband connec-
tivity to unserved customers in El Dorado County.
The project comprises multiple base stations and
aims to demonstrate the potential of TVWS for delivering
broadband to rural Americans. Carlson Wirelesss Rural
Connect solution is currently based on Neuls white space
13 PolicyTracker
August 2013
radio technology, but will in future support the emerging
IEEE white space standards for rural broadband (802.22)
and extended-range WiFi (802.11af, also known as
Super-WiFi or White-Fi).
TVWS broadband has the potential to revitalise the
economy of these small communities and sustain their
future existence in a technologically advanced world,
explained Carlson. And because TVWS networks require
minimal infrastructure, this can all be done without harm-
ing the natural environment.
Business models less clear for other applications
Beyond TVWS-based broadband access, there is no
shortage of potential applications for TVWS but their
business models are, at least for now, somewhat less
transparent.
Microsoft doesnt expect this to remain the case for too
long. We believe that a number of different business
models will emerge in this space over the next few years,
as companies developing in this space introduce new
products and services, the company said. In the upcom-
ing year, we foresee additional commercial pilot projects
that seek to validate other types of business models and
scenarios.
... it is too early to say which
will be the most attractive
and sustainable TVWS
business cases
A case in point could be Super-WiFi based on
802.11af, which can enable wireless broadband hotspots
large enough to cover whole campuses or even towns
as well as being deployed for rural broadband. Thanks to
the superior propagation of TVWS signals, the technology
can also boost indoor coverage compared to WiFi at 2.4
GHz.
But although there is now prototype equipment based
on the draft 802.11af standard (which is due to be rati-
fed in 2014), there are still question marks over how this
technology can best be used for commercial services.
The business models are not so well understood for
Super-WiFi as for rural broadband, said William Webb,
the co-founder of Neul.
Webb, who is now chief executive of the Weightless
Special Interest Group (SIG) which is harmonising Neuls
Weightless technology as a global standard, said it was
unclear whether the technology would be deployed to
improve in-home wireless coverage or provide urban
hotspots.
Peter Stanforth, co-founder and CTO of TVWS data-
base administrator Spectrum Bridge sees in-home cover-
age and rural broadband as the main potential uses for
802.11af, but said it is uncertain which will prevail. Until
the 802.11af chipsets are commercially available, it is
unclear how this will play out, he remarked.
For Neul, TVWS are ideally suited to providing low-cost,
low-data-rate communications for the billions of con-
nected devices that are predicted to emerge over the next
decade. The company has been a leading force behind
the development of the Weightless M2M (machine-to-
machine) standard for TVWS, version 1.0 of which was
ratifed in April 2013.
The technology has been deployed in several trials,
including in Cambridge, UK, where it demonstrated smart
refuse management. Neul has also showcased the use
of Weightless for smart meter connectivity. Webb expects
Weightless chips to start becoming available in volume by
the end of this year, which he said will open the way for
larger-scale trials of M2M applications.
But while the M2M concept is well understood, it is hard
to predict the volumes, according to Webb. Nor is it clear
who will deploy the Weightless networks. It is still open
whether there will be one national network on which all
applications reside or multiple private systems, covering
smart cities, oil refneries and so on, said Webb.
While Weightless technology has been optimised for
machine communications, it is not the only TVWS tech-
nology that can support M2M uses. Spectrum Bridges
trial and subsequent commercial deployment in Wilming-
ton, US includes various smart city applications, including
remote water and wetland monitoring and management.
Stanforth explained that the TVWS network eliminated
the costs associated with driving or boating to the moni-
toring stations to collect the data required by the environ-
mental protection agency.
The frst generation white space radios are more
expensive than the alternatives, but the total cost of
ownership is still better, said Stanforth. All equipment
has been bought by Wilmington County and justifed on
a return on investment (ROI) in no more than 12 months.
Some applications have an ROI in weeks or months,
and these are repeatable in towns and cities across the
country, he added.
Spectrum Bridge is also supporting a technology for low-
power broadcast content distribution in TVWS from Meld
Technology. The application uses a cellular-like broadcast
distribution system to enable content to be localised in a
very granular fashion. This allows, for example, specifc
TV broadcast in a stadium, or a shopping mall, or even in
a school or church, explained Stanforth.
Still early days
While it is too early to say which will be the most at-
tractive and sustainable TVWS business cases, a timely
completion of TVWS technology standards, coupled with
an emergence (as seems likely) of multi-regional regula-
tion harmonised around database-controlled dynamic
spectrum access, should create the right conditions for
attractive TVWS business models to develop and mature.
I dont think the business models are proven yet and it
may take another 12-18 months, said Stanforth. Avail-
ability of spectrum in more countries is key. The radios
are relatively expensive today, so they are not economi-
14 PolicyTracker
August 2013
cal enough for some business models. As second and
third generation radios get out there with more silicon
and fewer discrete components, the cost will come down,
making more business models work.
______________________________________________
Jul 08, 2013
FCC incentive auction task
force issues progress report
The FCCs Incentive Auction Task Force is
working steadily towards a 2014 auction,
according to task force chief Gary Epstein.
By Dugie Standeford
Among other things, the FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) is grappling with the band plan and how to
move broadcasters who choose to remain on-air to new
channels, he said in the groups frst progress report.
Next steps include developments in channel repacking,
further coordination talks with Canada and Mexico, and
efforts to persuade broadcasters to pilot-test sharing
projects, he said.
Commissioner Rosenworcel
said the FCC should hold a
series of public hearings on
incentive auctions
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, however, said
the agency should engage more with stakeholders and
broadcasters, get a 600 MHz band plan in place by the
end of September and reach a conclusion on undisputed
auction issues.
Since the Spectrum Act authorising the incentive auc-
tion was enacted, FCC commissioners and staff have
taken part in over 150 related events, Epstein said.
Among those were channel-sharing and reimbursement
fund workshops, a conference exploring auction design
principles, a band plan workshop and numerous industry
conferences. In February, the team sought public com-
ment on new TV study software for evaluating coverage
and interference, and is now evaluating the responses,
he said.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the incentive
auction proposed multiple band plans, and there are now
over a dozen proposals in the public domain, Epstein
said. On broadcaster transition, the agency has sought
a preliminary review of a range of unit costs for replacing
equipment; where such equipment might come from and
when; and the logistical challenges of having a limited
number of tower crews.
The FCC is gathering internal data on the installed base
of equipment to gauge replacement costs and evaluating
whether broadcasters should receive payments before or
after transition and how to deal with public TV stations, he
said. Its also exploring the tax implications of the various
reimbursement approaches.
Next steps
The FCC will release data and details of an approach for
determining which channel assignments will be permis-
sible in the repacking process that will take place after
broadcasters vacate some channels, Epstein said. The
agency is trying to encourage broadcasters to test chan-
nel sharing.
Staff-level meetings with Canadian and Mexican regula-
tors will continue, as will high-level talks between acting
FCC chairwoman Mignon Clyburn and offcials in those
countries, Epstein said. The FCC will also increase con-
sultation with US industry.
The task force is working steadily to give the FCC
options for the auction design and rules, Epstein said.
The goal is to create a record of input from the public and
interested parties to allow the Commission to approve an
auction order this year and hold the broadcast incentive
auction in 2014.
We need to make progress
The report made clear that the FCC is at the early
stages of the complex but critical task of conducting
wireless incentive auctions, said Rosenworcel. While it
would be better to have a full complement of commission-
ers only three of the fve seats are flled now we have
a mandate from Congress and cannot delay, she said.
We need to make progress.
...the FCC appears ready to
assign prices for the reverse
auction based on what staf
believe a station is worth
Rosenworcel urged the agency to focus on several ac-
tivities in the near term. The FCC should hold a series of
public hearings on incentive auctions. Those events can
explore major aspects such as the reverse auction, chan-
nel repacking, the forward auction and the transition pro-
cess, she said. We could ask the hard questions. Whats
the right balance of licensed and unlicensed spectrum
under the law? How do the forward and reverse auctions
ft together? How will we determine initial bids?
FCC outreach to broadcasters must also be targeted as
well as broad, Rosenworcel said. The task force should di-
rectly reach out to every broadcaster in the top 30 US mar-
kets, where mobile broadband needs are greatest. There
also needs to be progress on the band plan, she said.
All good deliberations must come to an end and the 600
MHz band plan should be in place by the end of the third
quarter. Finally, she said, those auction aspects that arent
in dispute should be dealt with and taken off the table.
15 PolicyTracker
August 2013
Broadcaster buy-in key
The FCCs most important job is to bring broadcasters
through the door, said Preston Padden, executive director
of the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coali-
tion. If it fails, there will be no spectrum to reallocate, he
told PolicyTracker.
The coalition includes 70 TV stations, all potentially will-
ing to take part in the incentive auction, and at least one
interested in trialling channel sharing, Padden said. But a
key concern for his organisation is that the FCC appears
ready to assign prices for the reverse auction based on
what staff believe a station is worth rather than letting the
market set competitive prices.
On another issue under consideration, the variation
between broadcast markets with few TV channels and
major markets, theres a split between the National As-
sociation of Broadcasters (NAB) on one hand and the
coalition and the wireless sector on the other, Padden
said. The NAB wants the FCC to fnd the market where
it can clear the least amount of broadcast spectrum and
use that as the nationwide plan, while the coalition and
wireless industry are seeking a variable plan in which the
agency gets larger spectrum amounts where it can and
theres no lowest common denominator.
Scott Bergmann, vice president of regulatory affairs for
industry body CTIA-The Wireless Association, applauded
the FCCs continued commitment to holding the auction
next year.
The FCC has also approved the auction, possibly late
this year or early next, of the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-
2000 MHz bands known as the H Block for mobile broad-
band services. Proceeds will help fund an interoperable,
nationwide public safety network.
______________________________________________
Jul 16, 2013
UK operators can use 900
MHz, 1800 Mhz and 2.1 GHz
for 4G
The UKs spectrum regulator has decided to
allow UK operators to use these bands for
4G technologies.
By Toby Youell
Ofcom has decided to change the regulations governing
these bands, including increasing power limits by 3dB in
the 900 MHz band, in order to allow spectrum that is cur-
rently used for UMTS and GSM technologies to be used
for LTE networks. The amended regulations are more
closely aligned to the current terms and conditions for the
800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands that were recently licensed
for LTE use.
Ofcoms statement is the regulators response to a con-
sultation on the issue earlier this year that was prompted
by a request from three operators that currently use the
spectrum in the UK.
Ofcom has decided to allow the 2.1 GHz band to be
used for LTE technology by changing the licence condi-
tions to a block edge mask that would permit the use of
3G and 4G technologies in the paired frequency ranges.
The decision also adds LTE and WiMAX to the list of per-
mitted technologies to the 900 and 1800 MHz bands.
Three and Everything
Everywhere want power
limits to be relaxed in the 800
and 1800 MHz bands as well
The in-band power limit for 3G in the 900 MHz band
will be increased from 62 dBm e.i.r.p per carrier to 65
dBm e.i.r.p and to 65 dBm e.i.r.p. per 5 MHz for LTE and
WiMAX. Out of band power limits remain unchanged.
Three and Everything Everywhere objected to the re-
laxed power limits for the 900 MHz band because they ar-
gued the power limits on 800 MHz and 1800 MHz bands
should also be relaxed at the same time as 900 MHz
band. Ofcom plans to hold another consultation later this
year on whether to increase the in-band power limits for
the 800 MHz and 1800 MHz bands.
The decision also removes the 80 per cent coverage
obligation from the 2.1 GHz band in the light of recent
regulations that require operators to provide 90 per
cent coverage, but by using any frequencies they have
licences for.
Prior to the decision, spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz
bands that is assigned to Vodafone and Telefonica was
only for use by GSM and UMTS and 2.1 GHz licences
were only for UMTS use. However, spectrum in the 1800
MHz band that is held by EE and H3G can be used for
4G.
______________________________________________
Jul 25, 2013
UK regulator to release
spectrum for unlicensed use
Ofcom has decided that newly released
spectrum in the 870-876 MHz and 915-921
MHz bands should be released for licence
exempt users.
By Toby Youell
In a move that has been broadly welcomed by unli-
censed users, the UKs spectrum regulator Ofcom has
decided to release UHF spectrum for licence exempt
users. This new policy will give security of tenure to smart
metering devices and other devices involved with the
internet of things.
16 PolicyTracker
August 2013
...SRD manufacturers
recognise they should make
manufacturing equipment
which is reasonably robust
to any residual interference
that might be coming into
the band
Ofcom said that it made this decision because it wanted
to allocate spectrum for licence exempt devices ahead of
the expected rollout of smart metering technology in late
2014 and because it expected European harmonisation
of the 870-876 MHz and 915-921 MHz bands for licence
exempt spectrum in the medium term.
However, it will wait until two technical reports on
unlicensed spectrum and devices are issued by the
European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications
Administrations (CEPT) at the end of this year before it
makes a fnal decision.
Ofcom expects the regulations covering use of the
spectrum to be issued in spring 2014. Until that point, the
bands will remain non-operational but will be available
for scientifc testing.
Ofcom reports that most respondents to the consulta-
tion it launched in January showed support for spectrum
to be allocated to licence exempt services. For example,
industry group Intellect cited research suggesting smart
metering will have a 6.7 billion NPV (net present value)
beneft to the UK.
Silver Spring Networks is a company that manufactures
smart meters. Its European roll-out manager, Simon
Dunkley told PolicyTracker that his company was delight-
ed by Ofcoms decision.
Big opportunities have been missed throughout Europe
over the past 15 years so were very glad about the deci-
sion, he said. Were very pleased that Ofcom is on the
trajectory that it is now on.
Interference from LTE?
However, there are fears that the 915-921 MHz band
will be vulnerable to interference from future adjacent LTE
networks. Robert Horvitz, director at the Open Spectrum
Foundation, told PolicyTracker that 4G networks are likely
to cause interference for non-licensed devices because of
lax interface standards.
He said that LTE handsets should have better transmit
flters and that the planned power limits for licence ex-
empt use of bands adjacent to LTE networks may not be
enough to overcome radio frequency noise spillover from
mobile phones.
The impact of this noise on hearing assist systems,
social alarms for people in fragile health, car safety com-
munications, smart metering and smart grid services is
likely to grow over time, he said.
Given the social and economic value of these unli-
censed systems, it is not enough to say they have no
right of non-interference, even though that is true. It is
equally true that cellular licences do not convey the right
to pollute other nearby bands.
Dunkley said he was not worried about this phenome-
non because his companys smart meters have very high
noise immunity.
He told PolicyTracker: SRD [short range device] manu-
facturers recognise that they should make manufacturing
equipment which is reasonably robust to any residual
interference that might be coming into the band.
The trouble is that the standard for the LTE equipment
is written in such a way that it is reasonably loose... (but)
there is now a pragmatic dialogue going on between the
telecoms operators and manufacturers of these devices
so it is looking as if what probably will happen is that the
LTE standard will be tightened.
A Vodafone spokesman told PolicyTracker that the
company was not expecting Ofcoms move to create in-
terference problems. Were monitoring both the trial and
development of technical parameters in Europe closely
and are confdent that the eventual parameters will en-
sure suitable protection of the mobile spectrum bands,
he said.
Railways currently use GSM-R technology in 4 MHz
bands immediately above the 870-876 and 915-921 MHz.
Dunkley told PolicyTracker that he had undertaken tests
with Siemens and Deutsche Bahn in Germany that the
conditions under which potential interference between
SRDs and GSM-R could occur are now understood.
However, the risk of interference does mean that, in
countries that roll out the extended band, SRDs will have
to blank out channels near busy railway stations and
shunting yards. Horvitz told PolicyTracker that the need
for spectrum to be allocated to future ER-GSM technol-
ogy is limited geographically and in any case has an
uncertain future. ER-GSM refers to the small expansion
bands that are currently being proposed for use on high
speed lines and large switching centres.
The 915-921 MHz band is currently used by the UKs
national weather service the Met Offce for wind profl-
ing radar (WPR). Ofcom has said it will prevent interfer-
ence to this use by implementing exclusion zones for
unlicensed devices around WPR devices. Dunkley told
PolicyTracker that there are only three WPR locations in
the UK, and one of them is on the Isle of Man.
Both Arqiva and JRC lobbied for 870-876 MHz to be
allocated for Home Area Networks (HAN), but Ofcom de-
cided against this. Dunkley said that there is a European
trend against specifying types of applications that can
go into a particular band because doing so would make
spectrum use ineffcient.
______________________________________________
17 PolicyTracker
August 2013
Jul 22, 2013
Concerns raised over UKs
short-term HDTV assignment
Ofcom has decided to award part of the 600
MHz band for terrestrial HDTV, but this is
only guaranteed for the next fve years.
By Toby Youell
The UK regulator has been accused of not being open
about a future HD spectrum crunch following its decision
to assign the 550-606 MHz band to Arqiva to provide high
defnition TV (HDTV).
The public will doubtless
want faster, better mobile
services as well as lots of free
TV, but will they sacrifce
their TV for mobile?
The licence runs until 2026 but can be revoked with
24 months notice. The minimum duration of the licence
is from now until December 2018. It is possible that the
licence will be revoked before 2026 in order to make
room in the 600 MHz band for DTT services that will have
been displaced from the 700 MHz band to provide more
spectrum for mobile broadband services.
The licences will allow DTT viewers to receive up to 10
additional HD channels using DVB-T2 and MPEG4 tech-
nology, which Ofcom says will deliver greater choice and
quality for consumers.
Gordon Drury, an independent broadcast media profes-
sional and consumer rights advocate, told PolicyTracker
that there needs to be an open debate about a possible
loss of HDTV in the medium term. What happens to all
of the then current DTT services when they have to be
moved out of 700 MHz? he said. There is a signifcant
loss of spectrum that will constrict Freeview where is
there room for them all? Ofcom are not really being open
about this or perhaps they dont know either.
He also told PolicyTracker that consumers should be
informed about the need to have MPEG4/DVB-T2 de-
vices in order to receive the new HD channels and that it
was good that Arqiva had staked a claim for DTT in the
spectrum despite the risks of its availability in the future.
This illustrates Arqivas and Freeviews confdence in this
platform, Drury said. The concern is not for the present
but the future.
Drury is an advisor to UK consumer group Voice of the
Listener and Viewer, but spoke to us in a personal capacity.
The future is uncertain
Neither Arqiva nor Ofcom were sure as to whether the
new HDTV services will be moved to another band or
potentially cancelled altogether.
Arqiva told PolicyTracker that they did not have much
to say on the matter and that a decision on what would
happen after a future 700 MHz band re-allocation had
not been made. The company emphasised that HDTV
has a future. We believe DTT will play an important role
in delivering TV for some time to come and to remain
competitive will need to deliver a suite of HD channels, a
spokesperson said. The 600 MHz announcement is an
important step in this direction.
Ofcom told PolicyTracker that the new multiplexes would
operate at least until the end of 2018. At some point after
that, the DTT platform could be reorganised and the new
HD channels could be incorporated into the platform, but
this is not clear at this stage, a spokesperson said.
Drury told PolicyTracker that it was important to have an
open debate about the issue. He said that the public may
prefer free HDTV over additional mobile services and that
it is the job of Ofcom and the UK government to balance
the needs of public and commercial services.
He also suggested that an open public debate would
be the best way to fnd out what that balance should be.
The public will doubtless want faster, better mobile ser-
vices as well as lots of free TV, but will they sacrifce their
TV for mobile? Some will, some wont, he said.
______________________________________________
Jul 29, 2013
Chinese government to issue
LTE licences by the end of
this year
The governments move could help to boost
the growth of TD-LTE technology, but this
growth may be restricted to China.
By Toby Youell
The Premier of Chinas state council, Li Keqiang, has
announced that China is working towards its goal of
having a broadband China by issuing licences for 4G
technology, expanding the countrys 3G coverage and
encouraging private capital to set up joint ventures with
state-owned frms.
TDD networks and TDD
handsets when integrated
with FDD networks and FDD
user devices do not work that
well
18 PolicyTracker
August 2013
The state council is Chinas cabinet and Li Keqiang is
the second most powerful man in the country. The com-
mitment to 4G may generate a boost for Chinas handset
manufacturing sector, particularly for devices based on
TD-LTE technology.
A source in the Chinese mobile phone industry told
PolicyTracker they believe the government has reserved
190 MHz in the 2.6 GHz band for TD-LTE technology and
a further 120 MHz in the 2.1 GHz and 1800 MHz bands
for FD-LTE technology.
False economy of scale?
The vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Infor-
mation Technology (MIIT), Shang Bing, said at a recent
conference that the development of TD-LTE had entered
a fast track phase.
The Chinese government will frmly support TD-LTE
industry development, and help create a favourable policy
and market environment, he said.
More widespread use of LTE could bring down the price
of producing LTE handsets. China Mobile, the countrys
biggest mobile phone company, has invested heavily in
TD-LTE technology. It has already built more than 22,000
4G base stations across 15 Chinese cities and aims to
expand its network to 200,000 base stations in 100 cities
by the end of this year. The company has 703 million
subscribers, making it the biggest mobile phone company
in the world.
However, Geoff Varrall, director of the frequency tech-
nology consultancy RTT, doubts that this will have much
of an impact outside China.
Opening up the spectrum for 4G might result in lower
cost handsets that are locally designed and sourced in
China but I dont see the potential scale benefts translat-
ing across into other markets, he told PolicyTracker.
He said that the emergence of a Chinese 4G market is
unlikely to disrupt global 4G manufacturing because the
US market is still dominant. Although it is a small mar-
ket by volume (about four per cent of the world market)
and getting relatively smaller over time it remains high
by value (about 10 per cent of the world market) with the
value share staying remarkably constant, he said.
He added that although the Chinese market has a high
volume, it is perceived as high risk and low value with
expensive sales and support costs.
He drew a comparison with Japanese Personal Digital
Cellular (PDC) devices that used 1.5 GHz. Although al-
locating spectrum to this technology did protect value for
local vendors, the technology was little used outside of
Japan and local vendors lost out on international markets.
Harmony for FD-LTE and TD-LTE?
The Chinese government is also releasing spectrum for
FD-LTE technology. China Mobiles two largest competi-
tors, China Telecom and China Unicom, have said they
are planning to build a converged network based on both
standards. China Telecoms chairman told Chinas offcial
news agency that his company is stepping up efforts for
its LTE network trials. It is believed that the company will
implement an integrated operation of both FD-LTE and
TD-LTE technologies.
However, Varrall said that this may not work well. He
told PolicyTracker: TDD networks and TDD handsets
when integrated with FDD networks and FDD user
devices do not work that well all that you have done
with TDD is move coexistence issues from the frequency
domain to the time domain and in many ways getting
time domain coexistence to work is much harder than you
might expect, particularly in higher data rate networks.
Chinas state council also announced measures to
save energy consumption and increase internet access.
MIIT estimates that consumption of ICT related products
increased by 29 per cent in the last year. The market is
expected to be worth 3.2 trillion yuan ($522 billion) by
2015.
The Chinese cabinet says it is taking action in order to
achieve an annual average increase of information con-
sumption of 20 per cent between 2013 and 2015.
______________________________________________
Jul 02, 2013
Mexican regulator launches
international campaign on
spectrum valuation
Muddled and unpredictable spectrum
auctions could become a thing of the past if
other nations sign up to a Memorandum of
Understanding being drawn up by Mexican
regulator Cofetel.
By Toby Youell
Luis Lucatero, the head of regulatory policy at Cofetel,
told PolicyTracker that he had a long term plan to pre-
vent money being sucked out of the telecoms industry by
excessive spectrum valuations.
Ruprecht Niepold said he
gets frustrated when he
hears politicians making
promises about the revenue
they expect from spectrum
auctions
Lucatero said countries that are very similar still tend to
have very different ways of valuing spectrum. It would be
good if spectrum valuation was a little bit more consist-
ent, he said. We think it is very important to fnd the right
balance between spectrum valuation and investment in
19 PolicyTracker
August 2013
ments want to raise revenue.
The advisor to the director general on spectrum policy
at the European Commission, Ruprecht Niepold, told
delegates at the Spectrum Management Conference in
Brussels last week that he still gets frustrated when he
hears politicians making promises about the revenue
they expect to raise from spectrum auctions. This was
recently the topic of public controversy in the UK and was
the subject of a recent announcement by the Pakistani
government.
______________________________________________
infrastructure. We want to make sure that the spectrum
prices do not go out of control.
Beyond economic valuation?
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will support
a Cofetel research project to examine which valuation
strategies can maximise the greater good. Lucatero said
the issues this might address include whether there was
any beneft in having international licences and how spec-
trum can be valued in non-economic terms.
Around ten countries have so far shown an interest in
the MoU. Lucatero is optimistic that he can recruit large
and infuential countries and said he would be making fur-
ther efforts at the ITUs Global Symposium for Regulators
in Warsaw this week. He emphasised that the campaign
was at an early stage and that more details will emerge
as the process develops towards the end of this year.
Amit Nagpal and Lee Sanders, partners at Aetha Con-
sulting, told PolicyTracker that a desirable outcome from
the research would be a similar method for valuation to
the one they advised UK and Belgian regulators to adopt.
They suggest calculating an international benchmark
from global auction outcomes and reserve prices and
then scaling them for specifc circumstances.
This would be validated by estimating the value of spec-
trum to potential auction participants. They said it was
absolutely vital to evaluate the wider benefts of spectrum
when considering alternative uses of it rather than just
comparing frms offering the same type of service.
They said that setting up sensible reserve prices makes
complete sense in order to avoid being left with unsold
spectrum, as has happened in recent auctions in Roma-
nia and Australia.
The beginning of the end for spectrum auctions?
Graham Friend, managing director at Coleago Con-
sulting, told PolicyTracker that auctions were becoming
increasingly less useful and that a standard approach to
charging for spectrum - as opposed to valuing it - would
have benefts.
He said that seeing as spectrum is a valuable resource,
governments should still charge for its use so that op-
erators have an incentive to do something with it. He
said that a standard approach to determining the charge
would need to:
encourage the ongoing effcient use of spectrum;
ensure spectrum is not left unused;
provide transparency; and
be simple, quick and low cost to implement.
The choice of appropriate technique may well need to
vary from market to market and the specifc implementa-
tion may well also need to be market specifc, he said. A
single international standard is likely to be impractical but
some principles could probably be established. He said
that regulators already value spectrum without using auc-
tions by using Administered Incentive Pricing.
He said that regulators use auctions despite the fact that
they are not competitive because their masters govern-
20 PolicyTracker
August 2013
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