The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance has today announced that Ofcom, the IDA (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be keynoting its Global Summit (May 6-8, Manila, Philippines), which will bring together regulators, academics, researchers, and industry players from around the world to discuss how policymakers and regulators are enabling spectrum sharing technologies, in support of core policy objectives in areas such as education, healthcare, e-government, public safety, energy and environment, small business enablement, and digital and social inclusion. Rachel Clark, Director of Spectrum Policy, Ofcom, UK; Ira Keltz, Deputy Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communication Commission (FCC), USA; and Henry Foo, Senior Manager, Resource Management and Standards, IDA, will deliver keynotes at the Summit and will take part in regulatory discussions exploring dynamic spectrum access. They will be joined by a distinguished line-up of speakers from four continents, including regulators from Botswana, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, and the Philippines.
Ofcom's involvement in the Summit follows its recent decision to implement TV White Space regulations, enabling access to the unused parts of radio spectrum in the 470 to 790 MHz frequency band. Likewise, the FCC has taken important steps to free up unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other uses, across a variety of bands. The FCC has already permitted access to the TV White Spaces and is looking to ensure that a minimum amount of unlicensed TV White Space spectrum is available on a nationwide basis. The FCC has also taken important steps recently to enable further dynamic access to 3.5 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies for high-capacity wireless connectivity on a licensed and unlicensed basis.
"The move toward greater spectrum sharing is now becoming a global trend. In the last two years, significant regulatory developments have taken place across the world, in countries as diverse as the United States, UK, Canada, Malawi, and Ghana, as well as the Philippines and Singapore," said Prof. H Nwana, Executive Director of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. "Likewise, the ITU Radiocommunication and Development sectors have been gathering and developing technical, regulatory, and socio-economic best practices from around the globe, as evidenced by recent submissions from Botswana, the Philippines, and the United States."
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance's Global Summit will place a spotlight on the advancements already achieved and sessions will cover the latest technical innovations, regulatory initiatives and strategies for ushering in the next-generation of connectivity - from connecting the next 3-4 billion people to enabling the Internet of Things.
"Support from regulators such as the FCC, Ofcom and the IDA is crucial as we continue to promote the adoption of legal and policy frameworks that facilitate dynamic spectrum access. Their commitment to driving digital growth is perfectly aligned with our goals and the involvement of these key, influential and transformational speakers underlines the innovation potential of the industry as a whole," added Prof. Nwana.
