UK’s telecommunication regulator Ofcom has laid its vision on shared use of the upper 6 GHz spectrum band which could also enable WiFi and mobile services while serving the band’s users.
“As people use ever more data in their daily lives, there are increasing demands on radio spectrum. It is a finite resource, so we are considering innovative ways of ensuring that it is used as efficiently as possible,” the regulator said in a release.
“In July 2023, we consulted on an approach allowing both Wi-Fi and mobile services to share spectrum in the upper 6 GHz band, known as ‘hybrid sharing’. This would be the first time Wi-Fi and licensed mobile technologies share spectrum extensively. This paper outlines two possible approaches that could form part of a sharing framework,” Ofcom added.
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Variable spectrum split and indoor/outdoor split
Ofcom said that it would approach the innovative band utilization with something called a variable spectrum split. The authority said that the approach seeks that both WiFi and mobile use any part of the band while others are not in use, but sections of it are prioritized. This is possible with each technology transmitting a particular signal so they can sense and escape each other.
The second approach is “indoor/outdoor split”. Ofcom said that Wi-Fi routers are mostly kept indoors for home WiFi while mobile base stations are mostly installed outdoors to cover larger areas. The band could be managed in such a way that it prioritizes both the indoor use of Wi-Fi and mobile use outdoors.
“We are working with industry to develop a hybrid sharing framework and the necessary coexistence solutions. We are also working with other European regulators, with a technical report on this topic scheduled to be published in 2025. Earlier this month we welcomed a range of technology companies and European regulators to a workshop on this topic. The ideas discussed by the approximately 70 participants will help us further refine our thinking,” Ofcom said.
The U.K. Government’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology is also injecting funds for several trials until March 2025 to explore new spectrum-sharing techniques.
“Next year, we will set out further details on how we intend to make the upper 6GHz band available in the U.K., and will consult before making any decisions on future use of the band,” Ofcom added.
Ofcom says that it won’t hold an auction for the mmWave band until a decision by the country’s competition authorities for the proposed merger between telcos Vodafone and Three UK.