The United Kingdom telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has launched an extensive review of the utilization and demand for fixed wireless links and the related implications on spectrum allocation.
Ofcom seeks stakeholders’ thoughts on their current and future use of these links in order to effectively manage the UK’s spectrum.
Fixed wireless links are used for a variety of purposes in the UK, ranging from providing broadband to homes and businesses to carrying mobile backhaul data in situations where fiber infrastructure is unavailable. However, as fiber coverage in the UK develops, as does the rapid growth of satellite broadband networks, the need for fixed wireless backhaul links is diminishing. As a result, Ofcom is interested in learning whether some of the spectrum used for these links, particularly the high-band spectrum, can be repurposed for other uses, such as mobile networks.
The total spectrum available for new fixed link assignments in the UK today is 22.1GHz, a decrease of approximately 5GHz since 2016. This reduction in the total available spectrum is partly mirrored by the reduction in the total fixed links, which have fallen from around 45,000 to 32,000, owing largely to increased fiber availability.
“A large proportion of fixed links are currently used to deliver backhaul services for mobile networks. As a greater proportion of these backhaul services move to being delivered over fiber, we expect that the role fixed links will play in the future is more likely to be focused at the edges of the networks, rather than at the core,” said Ofcom in its call for inputs.
The review period will last until January 17, 2014, giving all stakeholders ample time to contribute their perspectives.
