Pearse O’Donohue, DG INFSO, Head of unit: Radio Spectrum Policy:
This is one of the key questions that will be addressed in a workshop on "Promoting the shared use of radio spectrum resources in Europe" in Brussels on 16 December 2011. In the workshop, hosted by the European Commission, the results of a study on shared spectrum access carried out by SCF Associates Ltd, a consortium of independent consultants will be presented and discussed.
You can find more information on the workshop programme, the key topics to be addressed and how to register your participation here. Please register before 1 December 2011. As the space is limited, you will receive a confirmation on the 2 December 2011.
However, already for the preparation the workshop, the study team and the Commission Services would be interested in your views:
(1) Can technologies that already use shared spectrum (such as Wi-Fi) help to achieve the European targets for wireless broadband (incl. speed and coverage)?
(2) In addition to Wi-Fi for wireless broadband, there are also other applications (such as short-range devices (SRD), intelligent transport systems (ITS) or smart meters) that rely on the use of shared spectrum. Is there sufficient spectrum available in the EU that can be accessed on a shared basis to address the growing need for wireless connectivity? If not, what are the key bottlenecks?
(3) How can the present state of the art of adaptive radio access technologies (such as cognitive radio, software defined radio, MIMO, phased arrays etc.) help to share spectrum more efficiently?
(4) Does spectrum sharing always require licence-exempt spectrum access (such as for SRDs and Wi-Fi) or is there also a need for more sharing based on a licensed regime? If so, what are the opportunities and incentives, also for existing spectrum users?
