Strategy for the Future Use of the Radio Spectrum in the UK (2000)

Introduction by:

David Hendon - Chief Executive of the Radiocommunications Agency

This is the fifth edition of the Spectrum Strategy. Looking back, the first edition, published in 1995, appears a rather lightweight document, barely half the size of this one. This reflects the way in which the task of spectrum management has grown in complexity even over such a relatively short period, as the demands on the spectrum have continued to increase. For example, in 1995 there were just 4 million mobile telephone users, there are now around 24 million. In the same period digital television has been rolled out to cover 90% of the UK population and a host of other new services have come on stream.

In this context, the Agency's key aim is to manage the radio spectrum effectively in support of the Government's aim of building a successful and competitive knowledge economy that is the best in the world for electronic trading while providing high quality service to its customers, in line with the "Modernising Government" programme.

The preparation and publication of the Spectrum Strategy is one of the main ways in which we seek to fulfil that aim. As convergence blurs the distinction between traditional categories of equipment and service, so we need to manage the spectrum in a joined-up way that is not constrained by rigid and outdated service definitions. The speed and direction of convergence are uncertain so the Agency has commissioned a major study to build a series of alternative scenarios for convergence and assess the implications for spectrum management. This work has been taken forward in collaboration with a number of key players in the industry and its results will be reflected in the next edition of the Strategy in 2001.

We will also need to consider the issues associated with switchover from analogue to digital TV. Whatever the date of switchover, the complex planning and preparation - both at home and internationally - cannot begin too soon and future editions of the Strategy will cover this in increasing detail.

As the demands on the spectrum increase, we are increasingly looking to use new tools to achieve effective and flexible spectrum management. In her introduction, Patricia Hewitt has referred to the auction of 3G licences, an area in which many other countries seem likely to follow the UK's lead. The Agency will also be breaking new ground during 2000 in licensing spectrum at 28 and 40 GHz for broadband fixed wireless access. While the final form of our licensing proposals has not yet been settled, we believe that, in suitable cases, economically-based management tools have a vital role to play in making spectrum available rapidly to those who are able to use it effectively. That is why we also propose to introduce spectrum trading, subject to the necessary changes in European law. We very much welcome the European Commission's commitment to make the necessary changes to EU legislation as part of its current review of telecommunications regulation.

While the market is likely to play an increasingly important role in spectrum management, traditional spectrum planning skills and regulation will continue to play an important role. For example, a major exercise which the Agency will be taking forward over the next few years, in consultation with users, is the re-planning of the UHF bands, as described in Chapter 2 of the Strategy.

Although commercial use of the radio spectrum for mobile services makes a massive contribution to the UK economy, the Agency's role involves balancing the claims of many different users. These include a wide range of public services, such as the emergency services, as well as cultural and scientific applications. A major spectrum user in the UK, as in most countries, is defence. This occupies around a third of the spectrum below 30 GHz, although the Agency and the MoD have agreed arrangements under which much of this is made available to civil users on a shared basis. Chapter 3 of the Strategy provides, for the first time in a public document, a comprehensive account of current and future military use. I very much welcome this openness about a major aspect of spectrum use and I hope this will be of interest to all radio users.

Openness is increasingly a theme which underlies the Agency's activities. We undertake systematic and regular consultation with users and I very much welcome the role of the Spectrum Management Advisory Group, which advises ministers and represents the whole range of spectrum users. For me, one of the highlights of the last year was the programme of Agency roadshows at which I was able to meet a wide range of radio users and hear their views. The Spectrum Strategy reflects our ongoing dialogue with users and we seek to continue to refine and improve it in consultation with them. I hope therefore, that many of you will take up the invitation, at the end of Chapter 1, to comment on this document. Your views will be considered by the Agency and taken into account in developing the next version of the Spectrum Strategy.

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