euro news_news 14/08/2015 09:23 Page 5
GSMA urges timely release
of 700Mhz spectrum
nne Bouverot,
director general of
the GSMA, which
represents the interests of
mobile operators worldwide,
has called on European
regulators to give Member
States the flexibility to keep
pace with the changing needs
of consumers by supporting a
co-primary mobile
broadcasting allocation in the
UHF band.
She made her comments in
response to the release of the
European Commission’s (EC)
summary of the results of the
Lamy Report public consultation.
“Consumer take-up for mobile
broadband has grown dramatically
in recent years. Recent research
predicts that mobile’s contribution
to global data traffic will more
than triple in the next five years,”
noted Bouverot. “Ensuring
networks can meet the increased
demand for mobile broadband
services requires policymakers to
balance the spectrum
requirements of multiple
industries. The UHF band is a
critical frequency range in the bid
to provide consumers with good
value, high-quality mobile
broadband in urban and rural
areas. As reflected in
the divergent views
in the High-Level
Group discussion
that took place last
year, the future use
of this band has been
hotly debated by the
mobile industry and
the historic u ͕