France's regulator has launched a public consultation on the terms and methods for lifting the GSM-only restriction attached to 1800 MHz band frequency licences. At the time of writing, the consultation document is only available in French. Bouygues Telecom, the licence holder in the band, has applied to ARCEP for… Read more...

Update: 23 July: ComReg has extended the consultation period by two weeks until Friday 8 August. The regulator says that this decision follows a request received from an interested party. 27 June: The Irish regulator, ComReg, has issued a consultation concerning the liberalisation of the paired 2 GHz band. The proposal implements… Read more...

Ofcom has announced they are accepting comments for their proposed Annual Plan for 2016/2017, which is to be published in March 2016. Their main objectives for this plan are ‘to promote competition and ensure that markets work effectively for consumers; to secure standards and improve quality; and to protect consumers… Read more...

The FCC has issued a Public Notice on further details for its planned incentive auction of the 600 MHz band. The auction is currently planned to take place at the beginning of 2016, but the FCC must first overcome legal challenges from some broadcasters, and dissent from its own Republican Commissioners The… Read more...

The FCC has adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), initiating a fresh look at its mobile spectrum holding policies given the changes in technology, spectrum availability, and the mobile marketplace since the last comprehensive review of these rules more than a decade ago.  In recent years, large and small wireless… Read more...

The UK regulator is consulting on proposed changes to its regulations to allow spectrum trading in certain maritime and satellite bands without the need to first get permission from Ofcom, as is the case at present. This would allow licensees the flexibility to transfer unused and underused spectrum to third… Read more...

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates has launched a consultation on four regulatory instruments. The instruments relate to fixed telephone services, aeronautical radio service, maritime radio service and private mobile radio service. Read more...

The US regulator is seeking comment on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aimed at significantly advancing communications interoperability for the country's first responders. According to the FCC proposal document, the order supports the build out of robust, secure and dedicated mobile broadband networks enabling public safety broadband users to share… Read more...

The US regulator is seeking comments that will help it update the 2009 Rural Broadband Report. This recommended new policies to deliver broadband to rural areas, mainly by wireless means, and restore economic growth and opportunity for Americans living and working in rural areas. Since the publication of the report,… Read more...

Reacting to a Direction from the UK government, Ofcom has set out its proposals for making the licences for 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.1 GHz spectrum tradable. The first proposal is to allow all types of trade permitted by the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 to create maximum flexibility for… Read more...