Over
the last two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT)
have evolved quickly, making it hard to draw a line between the two.
New silicon technologies associated with more powerful applications
have generated integration and massive processing and communication
capabilities around IP.
These developments have changed
the way we work, communicate, shop, see movies or listen to our
favorite songs. They have also dramatically increased worker
productivity which is a key determinant of living standards in today’s
global market.
For example, mobility was
practically a non existent concept before the 80’s, but in 2005 there
were over 2 billion cellular subscribers in the world. Likewise,
broadband now reaches more than 200 million subscribers from barely 5
million in 1999.
The challenge for policymakers is
to create a regulatory environment especially in the management of the
radio spectrum that will sustain these amazing trends and create an
environment that allows innovation especially new wireless
technologies to flourish.
Wi-Fi & WiMAX
The history of Wi-Fi (802.11) and
WiMAX (802.16) wireless technologies demonstrates how important it is
for industry and the government policy makers to work together to
promote innovation and benefit customers.
Highly successful Wi-Fi now
attaches to 90% of all new notebooks shipped today, connecting in
roughly 100 thousand hotspots around the world. Wi-Fi has promoted new
business models, new services and applications, and continues to
evolve.
This Wi-Fi track record was made
possible by the entire whole industry coming together around an open
standard that addressed the powerful customer demand for mobility. But
Wi-Fi also benefited from a favorable regulatory framework. In order
to become the success it is, Wi-Fi required access to unlicensed
spectrum and technical characteristics. Industry and most
administrations cooperated to create an environment that permitted the
standard to happen.
WiMAX has a shorter history. The
fixed WiMAX solution did not become a standard until 2004, but we
already can identify elements that suggest it can become as successful
as Wi-Fi. WiMAX can make wireless access even more useful and cheaper,
but it requires a major industry effort to create the necessary
standards. Much has already been achieved. The number of WiMAX trials
is growing, with over 100 around the world. WiMAX in less than two
years came from the ratification of the standard (802.16-2004) to
product certification and homologation, to commercial implementations.
The same is happening with WiMAX mobile (802.16-2005), already
approved and with a strong pipeline of pilots scheduled to happen.
Spectrum Reform
In order to assure that high
quality broadband is widely deployed and affordable, government policy
makers need to adopt a new way of managing the radio spectrum. For
many years it was accepted that spectrum needed to be tightly managed
to avoid interference and to maximize economic and social benefits.
This current spectrum management approach, sometimes called “command
and control,” was driven in part by the limits of the radio technology
used in the 1940s and 1950s.
Technology innovation makes
today’s severe spectrum scarcity artificial. Radios are now smarter
than previous generations, allowing different technologies to coexist,
operating in the same spectrum bands. However, to fully take advantage
of these improvements, regulators need to use innovative approaches to
dynamically manage spectrum bands. Also, new spectrum management
techniques can manage interference and still give licensees more
freedom to accommodate customer demands.
Accordingly, Intel advocates that
government policymakers adopt the policies of technology neutrality
and flexible use when allocating spectrum bands:
-
Technology
neutrality
gives licensees the freedom and flexibility to deploy the
technologies of their choice, following their commercial interests
rather than technology mandates. Indeed, the rapid pace of
innovation makes it likely that any mandatory rule will quickly
become outdated or obsolete. Technology neutrality maximizes
innovation, creates conditions to promote new services, reduces
investment risks and stimulates competition among different
technologies.
-
Flexible use
allows licensees to decide on the best business models for a
particular place and time. For example, they can move from fixed to
portable and mobile services, as long as the licensee operates
within specified power limits and technical parameters defined by
regulators to ensure efficient, safe and fair use of spectrum.
Conclusion
Together, these two regulatory
policies can foster the development of new wireless services and
applications and help continue the ICT revolution. Intel believes that
nations who intelligently manage spectrum will be far better
positioned to benefit from the coming revolution in advanced radio
technologies than those who do not. The citizens of nations who
anticipate and plan for the revolution in radio technology will
benefit from better broadband connectivity, availability of cheaper
access devices and ultimately, a higher standard of living.
Peter Pitsch
Communications Policy Director
INTEL
Additional Information: This is a summary of the
presentation done by Mr. Pitsch at SESSION 3:
“Perspectives of the telecommunication private sector” of the
IV Regular Meeting of the Assembly
of CITEL that took place on
February 20, 2006 in San José, Costa Rica.
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