Ireland's Comreg is holding a consultation on the release of spectrum in the 400 MHz band for provision of smart utility grids. Comreg is proposing to award spectrum from 410 – 415.5 MHz paired with  420 – 425.5 MHz. The spectrum will be offered in two blocks, one of 2 × 3… Read more...

Francois Rancy, the current director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau, the executive arm of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), is stepping down after two terms in the role. His replacement will be elected at the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference, to be held in Dubai for three weeks starting today.  Read more...

For the past quarter century, Europe’s approach to spectrum has been founded on the belief in auctions. But this week we reported on a Paris seminar which showed that industry is open to new approaches.  Being innovation-led is a laudable goal. The UK, for example, has recently debated whether it would… Read more...

The PolicyTracker Spectrum Database now includes figures on population density, both in overall national terms and in categories which correspond to settlement patterns such as rural, urban or dense urban. This article explains where the data comes from and how it has been calculated. Read more...

The Federal Communications Commission has agreed to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would allow unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band. The band, which is also being studied in Europe, is widely seen as the world’s next major band for unlicensed applications.  Read more...

Recent outcomes in European 5G auctions have raised alarms in the telecoms industry and spectrum assignment processes as we understand them today could soon be a thing of the past.  Read more...

France's National Frequency Agency (ANFR) has launched a public consultation to help establish the French position for next year's World Radio Conference 2019 (WRC-19). The full consultation paper can be viewed in french here. Read more...

China’s heft might aid the adoption of networked vehicles, although initial road safety applications appear low-key and history suggests progress in this sector will run at a stately pace.  Read more...

This is an important and challenging book that shows the general reader what will be required for the satellite industry to go from its current status - providing just one per cent of cellular network backhaul - to being a vital component of 5G. Read more...

European regulatory body CEPT has decided it will no longer support 32 GHz, 81-86 GHz or 71-76 GHz as 5G bands. Its backing for the 51 GHz band also remains unclear.  Read more...