MEPs back common European spectrum policy

Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly backed plans to co-ordinate mobile broadband spectrum across the continent, in a move that could increase the spread of online connectivity.

The MEPs approved the first Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) on Wednesday by 615 votes to 26. If its final text is agreed between Parliament and Council — discussions will take place on 27 May — the programme will ensure that all EU countries have to make the 800MHz band available for wireless broadband services by 2013, as is already going to happen in the UK.

However, the text passed by Parliament will allow member states to ask for a postponement until the end of 2015, or even further, if they have issues with co-ordinating cross-border frequencies with neighbouring third countries.

The first RSPP also includes plans for bands at 1.5GHz and 2.3GHz to be made available for mobile broadband after 2013, with the aim of making sure at least 1200MHz of spectrum is available for such services by 2015.

Co-ordinating the spectrum is seen as desirable for two reasons: it would aid the European Commission's cherished single market and make it easier for people to work across borders, and it would ensure more reasonably-priced telecoms kit, as manufacturers would not have to build gear for too many different frequencies.

"I want Europe to have the best broadband capacity and the highest speeds, because then we will be home to the development of all the new services that will be crucial to the modern economy," Swedish MEP Gunnar Hökmark said during a debate on Monday. "I want Europe to be the home to the next generation of Googles, Yahoos, Apples and all other companies that are manifestations of competitiveness and innovation."

Digital rights organisation La Quadrature du Net offered an enthusiastic reaction to the passed bill, noting that it supports shared and unlicensed use of spectrum, and therefore "paves the way for the development of the next generations of free wireless internet communications".

"For years, policy-makers have given licences that grant only a few operators access to the radio electric resource," the group said in a statement. "Now, advances in radio technologies allow us to envision major evolutions in wireless communications, where access to the spectrum can be shared between all users, without risk of harmful interference. This is what the great success of Wi-Fi networks demonstrates."

Amendments included in the adopted text encourage the use of the unused 'white spaces' between frequencies allocated to industries, as well as wireless mesh network technology, the group noted.

"The EU Parliament cast a very encouraging vote in favor of free and open wireless communications, and successfully resisted the pressure of telecoms and broadcasting industries who want to remain in control of airwaves," La Quadrature du Net co-founder Jérémie Zimmermann said.

"We now need to make sure that the member states and the Commission will actually and promptly follow the opinion of the Parliament towards an open spectrum policy."