The UK’s telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has published some of the feedback that it’s ‘Digital Dividend’ (Double-D to its friends) review has gathered. The Dividend is the 128MHz of airwaves that’s going to be freed-up when the UK shuts down its analogue TV broadcasting between 2008 and 2012 (because the new digital broadcasts use less frequencies). The 128MHz is in the ’sweet spot’ of frequencies that gives the best coverage and bandwidth, about which Ofcom’s says: ‘Our key objective in releasing the digital dividend is to maximise the value that the use of this spectrum is likely to bring to society over time.’
For we mobilists, the main benefit would be in the area of improved mobile broadband, which is definitely a possibility, with views from Nokia, Microsoft and Ericsson among the 750 Ofcom canvassed. However, heavy lobbying from the BBC and others is pushing to use using a chunk of the airwaves for HDTV broadcasts — which is of course also an appealing prospect.
Meanwhile, others are fighting the corner for leaving a segment of spectrum free for public use. That too is an appealing prospect; that society might open a section of the airwaves for innovators to find new ways to connect, entertain and dazzle us.
To read the full copy of the report click here (warning: PDF link).
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