Demand for wireless services in South Africa is forcing policymakers to rethink the way radio spectrum is allocated but strong government intervention is likely to continue until the market is sufficiently competitive. Read more...

Nearly $800 million has been put on the table in just the first round of bidding for eagerly awaited prime mobile spectrum. The auction is expected to last months with analysts predicting a total yield of up to $15 billion. Read more...

The Chinese authorities have agreed not to make WAPI a mandatory market access requirement for the time being but that is not to say that the country’s industrial policy is no longer of concern for Europe’s policy makers. Read more...

Mobile satellite service (MSS) operators could have their hands on prime spectrum by September providing agreement can be reached on what constitutes 'objective justification' for exclusive use. Read more...

Our printed edition this month focuses on the European Commission’s proposals for making spectrum liberalisation part of the EU Regulatory Framework. Their approach seems radical but masks fundamental differences between member states. Read more...

Today the UK communications regulator Ofcom acknowledged that more work is needed on the question of Spectrum Usage Rights. Is there anything Europe can learn from the recent furore over rights in New Zealand? Read more...

Liberalising the IMT-2000 expansion band will fragment the 3G market says the GSMA. No, says Brussels and the WiMAX lobby – UMTS is big enough to look after itself. Here PolicyTracker analyses the key issues. Read more...

Plenty of energy has been expended in recent months investigating the possibilities for licence-exempt spectrum. While studies in Europe reveal that there is no significant demand for it, does it follow that regulation should remain unchanged? Read more...

Tardy decision making processes are delaying the arrival of UWB products on Europe’s shores. However, with the success of low power transmitters like iTrip perhaps regulators will eventually have to accept that the consumer is king. Read more...

It has taken over a year but UK super-regulator Ofcom has decided that bar a few changes to the draft text, the award of the bands 412-414 MHz paired with 422-424 MHz will go ahead as planned. Read more...