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U.K. regulator aims to make it easier for companies to roll out IoT services in select VHF bands.
Ofcom on Wednesday confirmed that 10 MHz of VHF spectrum is suitable for IoT services, and announced new measures designed to encourage the use of those airwaves.
The announcement follows a consultation launched by the U.K. telco regulator in September 2015. Its aim was to drive the rollout of IoT services that use the 55 MHz-68 MHz, 70.5 MHz-71.5 MHz, and 80 MHz-81.5 MHz bands.
These frequencies are typically used for civil two-way radio communication by private individuals, hospitals, factories, and taxi firms, among others, and are available via a Business Radio (BR) licence, which anyone can apply for.
Ofcom was keen to emphasise that BR spectrum can be used for more than just voice services, and so its consultation sought views on whether it should devise a new type of licence.
On Wednesday, Ofcom concluded that a new licence is not necessary, and that its current BR licence is appropriate for providing access to the aforementioned spectrum for IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) services.
However, "we recognise that this might not be clear to stakeholders so we will launch a new product that makes specific provision for IoT/M2M," Ofcom said.
"We will also make a web resource available that will provide information and help for those seeking to use spectrum for IoT."
The spectrum is particularly suitable for connectivity services targeting the rural, coastal/maritime, and energy sectors, Ofcom said.
