Brussels aligns spectrum but states retain control

摘要

The European Commission this week announced proposals to coordinate the use of radio frequency across the region to harness the benefits of digital switchover, but which would leave much control over spectrum management to individual member states. Brussels insisted that "only European Union co-ordination can unlock the full potential of the digital dividend", and called for the creation of a common spectrum plan across the 27-member bloc. This would mean that similar applications, such as television broadcasts or mobile multimedia services, would be "clustered" into closely-related frequency bands to minimise interference while maximising the efficient use of the released spectrum. The proposals were welcomed by Cable Europe, the association of cable operators, but attacked by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which represents public-service broadcasters. The "digital dividend" is the prime UHF spectrum that will become vacant after the completion of the switch from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting, which in most European countries is due to happen by the end of 2012. Brussels said that die dividend presented a potential "win/win" situation for all parties, but cautioned that the spectrum concerned was "highly fragmented in relatively narrow bands, scattered over many frequencies, and intertwined with digital broadcasting channels".