The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority has launched a consultation seeking views on developing important communication services for Jersey.
Between now and the end of May, Islanders and local organisations can help shape a spectrum strategy designed to ensure Jersey has access to wireless networks and applications vital for the Island’s long-term well-being and prosperity. Wireless spectrum is the range of invisible radio waves that carry signals for things like Wi-Fi, mobile phones and satellite services.
Life without mobile, Wi-Fi and increasingly satellites would be simply unimaginable for most Islanders and organisations. Demand for wireless communications has soared in recent years, fuelled by a need to remain connected always and everywhere. Analysts and networks confidentially expect this growth to continue as new services and devices come on to the market and new ways of working are established. Among the applications expected to help drive this are private wireless networks used by organisations including hospitals, remote automation activity such as driverless cars, and increasing use of drones in everyday situations.
Meeting demand means making sure there is enough wireless capacity to accommodate our expectations. Radio spectrum is a crucial ingredient in this, allowing wireless connection between user devices, such as mobile phones, and communication networks. It is a limited resource, however, used by numerous organisations including the military, maritime and aviation operators and the emergency services, and for multiple applications including broadcasting, Bluetooth devices and satellite communications. For this reason, decisions about spectrum allocations require careful planning and management to optimise usage and minimise the risk of interference.
Launching the Call for Information consultation, Tim Ringsdore, CEO of the Authority underlined the importance of gaining a wide range of views: “Spectrum is not something most of us give a thought to – we just expect our wireless devices to work as and when needed. Behind the scenes, however, there needs to be careful regulatory planning and management to make sure everything works now and into a far more demanding future.
“A spectrum strategy will help ensure this but needs to reflect as many views as possible. We want to hear from existing telecoms operators, potentially new wireless providers, organisations considering or developing new services, entrepreneurs, application developers or anyone wishing to trial new wireless services. There are no boundaries on input at this stage – the richer the views the better.”
Further information about the Spectrum Strategy Call for Information can be found here.
