The mobile and satellite industries, while complementary in many ways, have often been pitted against each other in the world of spectrum management. But with the emergence of 5G in the last few years there have been hopes, explored in a PolicyTracker Spectrum Research Service Dossier, that this relationship may… Read more...

The Netherlands' centuries-long taming of the North Sea has made its people expert at civil engineering and social cooperation. But while it may be able to build cities and airports below sea level, it has not been able to solve another problem: how to allow satellite and mobile services to… Read more...

A common cliche is that history repeats itself. Radio spectrum, of course, is no exception. A decade ago the digitisation of terrestrial television created a digital dividend: more low-band spectrum available for mobile broadband, particularly for emerging 4G services. This prompted a wave of 800 MHz band auctions. Many countries,… Read more...

PolicyTracker’s longest-running course, Understanding Modern Spectrum Management, boasts some of the leading thinkers in the field and the early bird price is available if you book this week. It is taught online in live and interactive three-hour sessions from 13 - 17th  September with trainers including Professors Martin Cave, William… Read more...

The C-Band (3.3 - 4.2 GHz) is almost universally acknowledged as the major mid-band 5G frequency. But despite this agreement, there are infinite shades of difference regarding how, and how much of the spectrum is made available. Some countries award the spectrum to mobile operators on a nationwide basis, but… Read more...

Unlike many countries, the head of the US regulator for commercial spectrum, the FCC, is directly appointed by the President. This means that each change of Administration results in a new Chair. The last Chair, Ajit Pai, took an energetic approach to spectrum management. He quickly implemented the 600 MHz… Read more...

The C-Band, comprising frequencies around 3.5 GHz, are widely considered crucial for 5G networks. Canada's nationwide operators, only able to bid on a limited portion of the 3450 - 3650 MHz, competed aggressively this Summer and ended up paying an average of $2.61/MHz/POP, a new record for the band. The… Read more...

Innovation often occurs in different places at roughly the same time. Electromagnetic induction, for example, was discovered in both Britain and the US independently in the early 19th century. Frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology was also developed separately by several engineers in the first half of the 20th century, including Austrian-born… Read more...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many holiday-makers to cancel foreign holidays and stick to domestic "staycations". But two billionaires in the last month have foregone foreign trips altogether and chosen "space tourism" instead. Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos trips to space are emblematic of wider excitement about the satellite industry. Back… Read more...

PolicyTracker’s longest-running course, Understanding Modern Spectrum Management, features some of the leading thinkers in the field and is being held online this year on 13 - 17th  September. It is taught in live and interactive three-hour sessions with trainers including Professors Martin Cave, William Webb and Gerard Pogorel, as well… Read more...