The EU is harmonising use of the 800MHz band in order to avoid disruptions to mobile broadband services. The European Commission has adopted a decision establishing technical rules on the allocation of radio frequencies in the 800 MHz band aimed at avoiding harmful interference for broadband services. In several EU countries the 800 MHz frequencies are being freed up due to the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting. If member states decide to change the existing frequency allocation for broadcasting, they must apply the technical rules in the EC's decision in order to make the spectrum suitable for wireless broadband applications. The decision stops short of requiring EU countries to make the 790-862 MHz band available for electronic communication services, but the commission is considering including this in its forthcoming Radio Spectrum Policy Programme, which will take account of a recent consultation on the subject and the March Spectrum Summit organised by the commission and the European Parliament. The commission would like to see the member states adopt a common approach of deploying mobile broadband in the digital dividend spectrum, in the hopes of replicating the success of GSM after the region harmonised use of that technology. The EC said the 800MHz band offers a cheaper way for mobile oeprators to roll out next-generation LTE networks, leading to quicker roll-outs and expanded coverage.
