World Business

The EC will tally radio spectrum across the region to unify mobile data, TV, and medical services

by David Meyer

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Companies that attempt satellite-based services including mobile data, mobile TV, disaster relief and remote medical services will soon be able to bring about in the way that across the whole of Europe, after the European Commission announced it was harmonising radio spectrum throughout the continent with a view to this purpose.

On Thursday, the Commission launched a competition for service providers that want to address the whole European mart. By doing so, the Commission hopes to make it other thing economically viable for satellite services to subsist developed and rolled out by the agency of operators, as they will no longer have to deal with differing image in different countries.

“Mobile dependant services have the alarming advantage of conscious able to cover most of the EU’s territory thereby reaching millions of EU citizens thwart borders,” said Viviane Reding, the telecoms commissioners, in a statement. “They represent an unprecedented opportunity for totality Europeans to access of recent origin communication services, and this not only in metropolitan areas, but in like manner in pastoral and in a less degree populated regions. However, these satellite services depend on just investment and therefore need plain and swift procedures as well as long-term legal certitude.”

According to Reding, “the ball is in the camp of the industry”.

“I expect intense competition among operators offering satellite-based communication services reaching consumers from the North of Sweden to the South of Spain,” Reding added. “This could pave the way for first attendant launches before that time in the course of 2009.”

The spectrum that has been allocated is in the 2GHz band. The 1980-2010MHz will be used toward Earth-to-space communications, while the 2170-2200MHz range is pegged for space-to-Earth communications. The services being envisaged range from high-speed internet access to portable satellite telephones.

Companies wishing to participate in the competition consider until 7 October to apply, and must be nothing loath to prove their technical and commercial ability to launch their systems within the hoped-for timescale.