Watch this space for spectrum sharing – but which space?

The plans are currently at the “watch this space” stage, he said, but more details are due to be made available in a consultation later this year.

The sharing techniques being honed in the UK’s TV white space trials have long been heralded as a possibly revolutionary way of looking at spectrum access in a wide range of spectrum bands. In 2013, Ofcom’s former spectrum policy director Graham Louth told a conference that sharing could be as transformative as the internet protocol was for the development of the world wide web.

An official from the government department responsible for spectrum policy in the UK, the DCMS, has also suggested that spectrum sharing could be used in many bands. “Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) will be underpinning 5G,” he said at last autumn’s 5G “huddle”, without giving more details.

As ever, finding spectrum to use these new techniques in is difficult, as revealed by Ofcom’s priorities, outlined by Jenne at the consultation meeting. These include an auction of 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands by the end of this year; preparation for a 700 MHz band auction, probably in 2020; and WRC-15.

An auction of the 2.3 GHz band closes off one obvious opportunity for spectrum sharing: licensed shared access. Technical arrangements for the technology in the band have already been finalised by Europe’s technical authority, the ECC, and Europe’s club of national regulators has recommended its “active promotion”.

Similarly, the 3.4 GHz band will host the three-tier Spectrum Access System being prepared by Ofcom’s US counterpart the FCC.

Which bands Ofcom has in mind for sharing remains a mystery. My personal theory is that Ofcom may share the 5.4 GHz and 5.9 GHz bands, as suggested by a FCC official at a conference last year. These bands are used in the UK for short range devices, defence radiolocation services, fixed satellite services and some PMSE applications.

Whatever the consultation contains, we shall be watching this space intently!

Toby Youell, PolicyTracker

14/1/2015