Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Promoting the shared use of radio spectrum resources in the internal market

The European Union is facing exponential growth in wireless data traffic. Wireless connectivity is becoming increasingly important in the economy. Industry sources predict that global mobile data traffic will increase 26% annually by 2015. By then, there will be 7.1 billion phones, tablets and other mobile devices that can connect to the Internet. Wireless broadband has become a ubiquitous internet access medium for citizens in Europe, and mobile network operators will have to meet growing user demand. Many other economic sectors beyond electronic communications should also benefit from wireless innovations and high-speed data applications that can improve productivity and ensure sustainable growth.

Meeting growing spectrum needs for wireless connectivity is constrained by lack of vacant spectrum and by the high price associated with re-allocating spectrum to new uses, in terms of cost, delays and the occasional need to switch off incumbent users. To satisfy growing demand, more efficient use and innovation are crucial. Within the next decade, technological progress may enable an increasing number of users to share simultaneous rights of access to a specific frequency band. However, the regulatory environment must allow this to happen.

As spectrum management is an essential pre-requisite for the digital single market, this initiative therefore contributes directly to meeting the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and, when implemented, could contribute to reinforcing the European economy. Reaping the full benefits of sharing spectrum requires not just the removal of current regulatory barriers to deploying innovative radio access technologies, but also the active facilitation of sharing. In line with the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP), the Commission therefore seeks the broadest possible political endorsement of the proposed steps to foster the development of wireless innovations in the EU to ensure that the currently allocated spectrum is exploited to the fullest extent possible.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)478: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:478:FIN

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