The European Commission has issued a decision requiring EU states to open up the UMTS band to LTE services by mid-2014. The paired terrestrial 2 GHz band (1920-1980 MHz paired with 2110-2170 MHz) has been reserved for 3G services since 1999. The latest decision by the EC makes it mandatory for member states to open the relevant spectrum by 30 June 2014 and lays down harmonised technical conditions to allow coexistence of different technologies in the band.
The EC said this will give the EU twice the amount of spectrum for wireless broadband as in the US, namely around 1,000 MHz. The decision forms part of the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme, which targets at least 1,200 MHz available for wireless broadband services across the EU. This is expected to contribute to the EU's Digital Agenda goal for universal access to at least 30Mbps broadband by 2020.
The Commission said it is also considering a follow-up measure to encourage use of the unpaired terrestrial 2 GHz spectrum (1900-1920 MHz and 2010-2025 MHz), which is currently allocated to UMTS but remains unused throughout the EU. It is currently studying alternative uses for the band to terrestrial mobile broadband.
