EU members must devote 800MHz band to wireless broadband by 2013

The EU's Council of Ministers has said that all member states must make the 800MHz band available for wireless broadband services by January 1, 2013 as part of an ambitious deal agreed on October 28, the online magazine ComputerworldUK reports.

The "Radio Spectrum Policy Programme" is designed to stimulate growth in the mobile broadband market by using the radio spectrum freed up by the switchover from analog to digital TV - the so-called "digital dividend".

The move was first proposed by the European Commission, but now both the Parliament and the Council have approved the plans. In addition, the new text calls for at least 1200MHz to be allocated to mobile data traffic after 2013 but before 2015. The Commission also must assess, no later 2015, whether there is a need to harmonise additional spectrum bands in order to manage the exponential growth in wireless data traffic.

Read the full ComputerworldUK article at:
http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/pub … d-by-2013/