The role of unlicensed in spectrum reform

Abstract

In many countries, there is a growing consensus among industry participants, academics, and policymakers that traditional models for managing radio frequency spectrum are badly outdated. The existing management regime is premised on century-old radio technology. Under the traditional approach, regulators allocate narrow frequency bands to specific uses and users under restrictive licenses that constrain the choice of technology, business model, and ability to redeploy the spectrum to higher value uses or to make use of new technologies. This approach has resulted in acute spectrum scarcity. This scarcity is largely artificial in that it results from an outmoded regulatory regime, rather than because of any technical or market capacity constraints. © 2009 Springer-Verlag US.