Ofcom outlines UK position on spectrum allocation ahead of World Radiocommunication Conference

Next week the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) opens, with countries expected to debate how best to use available spectrum. The WRC is an event that occurs every three or four years and is expected to lead to the revision of the Radio Regulations (RR), an international treaty which provides "a global treaty governing the use of radio spectrum".

Ofcom has published the positions it intends to argue for on behalf of the UK government at the WRC (24-page / 565KB PDF), which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2 to 27 November.

The regulator said it supports moves to make the 694-790 MHz, 1427-1518 MHz and 3.4-3.8 GHz frequency bands available for mobile broadband services, but would be "opposing any proposal to make the 470-694 MHz band available for mobile broadband in Europe". It said that band is important "for the provision of digital terrestrial television in the UK and a number of other European countries".

Ofcom announced last year that it would be allocating the 694-790 MHz band for mobile data services in the UK and has similar plans to auction off frequency in the 3.4 GHz band for mobile broadband use. The allocation of frequency in the 1427-1518 MHz band and remaining 3.4-3.8 GHz bands for use for mobile broadband services is also in the pipeline in the UK, but Ofcom deemed those projects of lower priority in its 10 year spectrum management strategy paper issued in April 2014.

In its new position paper, Ofcom also said it intends to oppose moves to identify spectrum that can be used for facilitating "public protection and disaster relief" (PPDR) communications. It said the UK "favours a flexible solution which would enable national PPDR agencies (such as the emergency services) to choose the most appropriate solution to meet national needs".

Among the other issues it raised, Ofcom said it will lobby for there to be a debate about "the availability of spectrum above 6 GHz for mobile broadband" included on the agenda at the next WRC scheduled in 2019.

"Such spectrum is likely to be particularly useful for the next generation of mobile services (known as 5G)," it said.

The regulator said that the positions it has outlined might need to be altered in light of discussions that take place at the WRC this year.

"WRCs are complex negotiations and national positions can shift rapidly as the negotiations develop and compromises are agreed," Ofcom said. "As a result, Ofcom needs to be responsive and reactive and it is likely that the UK will have to adjust some of its positions as the Conference progresses."

Telecoms expert Dan O'Neill of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said: "Ofcom has a remit to represent the UK’s interests at the WRC. It seeks national flexibility to use spectrum for mobile broadband, WiFi and emergency services use. The UK is a very digitally connected society and Ofcom’s approach is consistent with the importance of digital services to its economy and to its public services."