Ofcom launches consultation on meeting mobile data demand
Ofcom launches consultation on meeting mobile data demand
Communications watchdog, Ofcom, is working with the mobile industry to try to establish the best way to increase access to mobile data in the coming few years.
The regulator’s recent research found that demand for mobile data is expected to increase 800-fold between now and 2030 and that operators will need a helping hand to meet the demand. It has cited the increased use of smartphones and tablets as the main reason behind the growing demand.
Ofcom has now launched an official consultation period to ask the industry for its input into establishing a long-term strategy for opening up more bandwidth for mobile operators. Any decisions that are agreed upon as a result of the consultation process now being launched, will take effect after 2018.
One solution could be the offloading of some data to wi-fi and femtocells. Ofcom has also proposed that some of the spectrum currently used for digital TV may be made available to mobile operator to offer the extra bandwidth required. This is known as the UHF spectrum, which is also set to be popular among manufacturers planning to launch LTE (4G) networking equipment.
Parts of this spectrum are already available as a result of the switch to digital, while more still needs to be made available to help those in rural regions who are currently struggling without mobile broadband. Ofcom claims that there are to be some changes to the way TV is delivered to our homes, which could lead to more ‘white space’ being available on this spectrum.
Ofcom’s consultation period on the subject runs form 29 March to 7 June 2012.
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