EU launches new project to test sharing of radio spectrum for mobile broadband

The Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission said recently it had started a pilot project in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Economic Development (MiSE) to test the sharing of radio spectrum.

Radio spectrum is the basis of all wireless services including 4G (the fourth generation) mobile broadband. Spectrum sharing could be a solution to the problems related to slow networks faced by smartphone users while accessing the Internet, said the JRC.

The traditional approach to spectrum management is based on deciding who has the right to use a particular block of spectrum and for what purpose. However, rapid developments in technology and the convergence of telecommunications, media content, and the Internet are creating a dynamic environment in which the traditional approach to spectrum does not adequately fulfill the demands placed on it for mobile Internet access, said the JRC.

Therefore, this pilot project would test the Licensed Shared Access (LSA) approach foreseen by European Union (EU) policy makers and national regulators for a more efficient use of spectrum.

Spectrum sharing experiments, with support from JRC's Radio Spectrum Laboratory, are to take place at the premises of MiSE in Rome over a period of six months, from July to December 2015.

The results of the pilot project could provide important information on practical issues and opportunities linked to the adoption of the LSA policy to network operators and spectrum regulators in the member states, said the JRC. Endit