Spectrum requirements for radio fixed access-an operator´s perspective

In the creation of the competitive, wide-choice, telecommunications environment good use is being made of radio to complement copper and fibre in appropriate sections of the telecommunications networks. The potential that radio offers has been well recognised by many European operators who are exploring proprietary radio fixed access (RFA) solutions to overcome specific access network problems. Such problems exist primarily in the local loop (that is the final connection between the network and the customer). The interest in radio is particularly evident amongst those operators who are developing new networks, and those who have to bear the high costs of the universal service obligation (USO). The approach to RFA development is somewhat fragmented. This can only deny the operators and their customers the full operational, service and cost benefits that RFA could offer, were it to be evolving within a more “standardised” environment with specific, harmonised, frequency bands. There are, however, some residual barriers to achieving this ideal. It is believed that these barriers, which include the absence of a tailored spectrum policy, need the collective attention of the major players within the European radio community if RFA is to achieve its full potential. The author discusses the evolution of radio in the local loop and impediments to its development