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How will it help?

In our vision of how devices might be used in the future, licence-exempt spectrum plays a key role. It could be used for WiFi networks, in the airport for example, for short range communications such as paying for the coffee, for linking devices together, such as synchronising communicators and laptops, and much more. However, the growing popularity of licence-exempt spectrum might eventually lead to increased interference and eventually limited usefulness – the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. This project is looking for ways to avoid this outcome.

Through specification of some rules and methods used for wireless communications in a license exempt band, often termed an enhanced commons approach, it may be possible to improve upon the device’s robustness to interference. The resultant improved spectral efficiency and possibly higher power transmissions could allow for increasing growth in usage without excessive interference.

Ofcom’s work in this area will:

• Identify technical approaches that may be adopted and the operational rules/methods for these approaches
• Explore the regulatory options and the potential benefit that may be accrued.

Work will identify operational rules/methods and their application in both a predetermined and dynamic fashion, identify potential applications, quantify increases in spectral efficiency, and the trade offs and costs of use of such protocols in future politeness protocol controlled (PPC) spectrum.

This study will undertake an analysis of the optimum politeness protocols that could be used in such a band and use modelling to determine the effect of the politeness protocols on the spectrum efficiency that can be achieved, the capacity and the cost impact on devices. From this we can infer what politeness protocols are most economically efficient in terms of spectrum use and in allowing new radio services to develop.

Regulatory options will be considered such as:

• The spectrum bandwidth that will be required
• What frequency band should be used to support the identified applications
• Whether this spectrum needs to be contiguous
• What guard bands will be required to protect adjacent services
• Whether PPC spectrum could interface with other spectrum uses

We expect this work to identify suitable technical approaches and regulatory options for creating an enhanced spectrum commons band, and estimate the potential benefit such a band may bring.

The final report can be downloaded below.

For more details please contact christos.politis@ofcom.org.uk.

• Study into the Introduction of Polite Protocol Controlled Spectrum - Summary Report [pdf]
• Study into the Introduction of Polite Protocol Controlled Spectrum - Final Report (1) [pdf]
• Study into the Introduction of Polite Protocol Controlled Spectrum - Final Report (2) [pdf]

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