Ofcom this week launched a consultation with the aim of fostering investment in Internet-of-Things (IoT) services targeted at rural and remote locations.
"We want to encourage IoT investment and innovation in particular at 55 MHz-68 MHz, 70.5 MHz-71.5 MHz and 80 MHz-81.5 MHz," the regulator explained in its consultation paper, published on Thursday.
"These frequencies could be used by machine-to-machine (M2M) applications to enable wireless operation over long distances," Ofcom explained. "This will allow them to connect locations that can be hard to reach."
The regulator said the spectrum is particularly suitable for connectivity services targeting the rural, coastal/maritime, and energy sectors.
The aforementioned VHF bands are currently used for civil two-way radio services for private individuals, and are also available to comp anies like taxi firms, factories and hospitals, among others, under a Business Radio (BR) licence.
However, Ofcom’s consultation is keen to emphasise that these frequencies can be used for more than just voice.
"We believe a popular misconception that our BR licence products are for voice-only applications, not IoT, could be hindering investment," Ofcom said. "We are seeking to address this misconception and create the right environment for innovation by identifying possible uses of these particular VHF bands."
What Ofcom wants to know from respondents is whether it should continue to use BR licensing for long-range IoT and M2M services, or whether it needs to devise new licensing arrangements.
The consultation will close on 12 November.
"We plan to publish a statement before the end of the year and to introduce any new arrangements shortly after," Ofcom said.
