LONDON-U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom made available new spectrum at 5.8 GHz for wireless broadband services in the country’s remote communities. The regulator expects service providers to offer always-on connections with download speeds of up to 1 megabit per second.
Ofcom said the 5.8 GHz Band C services will be “a more powerful variant of existing Wi-Fi services.” They will share spectrum with a number of U.K. military radiocommunications applications by using dynamic frequency selection technology to minimize interference. Some TV broadcast units also currently use Band C spectrum, and Ofcom will work with broadcasters to avoid interference.
The first wireless broadband services are expected to begin in 2004. Ofcom said the new services will be licensed under a “light-touch licensing regime,” enabling service providers to offer services at a licensing cost of $1.80 per terminal installed per year. Each household or business connecting to the Internet will require a 5.8GHz Band C terminal.
