C&W (Vodafone) and Urban WiMAX get 28GHz license variations

Ofcom has issued a statement with respect to the 28GHz Broadband Fixed Wireless Access (BFWA) licences of Cable and Wireless (now Vodafone) and Urban Wimax.

The licenses were due to expire on 31st December 2015 and now they will be made indefinite.

The licensees can use the bands for equipment that complies with Interface Requirement 2048 (IR 2048) in-line with other licensees.

From January 2016, there will be new pricing set which incentivises the licenses to utilise the spectrum. Pricing has not be set yet.

28GHz allows high bandwidth point-to-point links which can be used for backhaul and with Vodafone's purchase of C&W it makes sense to use their own spectrum for mobile backhaul.

Ofcom awards new TV spectrum

Ofcom, the super regulator has issued a statement on the award of the 600MHz band (550 to 606 MHz). This has been awarded to Arqiva for the provision of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) multiplexes. Arqiva will utilise MPEG4 video encoding and DVB-T2 transmission services (as used by Freeview HD).

This is a temporary license, though it will run through until 2026, unless Ofcom give Arqiva 24 months notices in which case it can be revoked in 2018.

The ability to terminate the license is to allow migration of DTT services from the 700MHz band to the 600MHz band in line with EU harmonised spectrum regulation and will allow the 700MHz band to be used for wireless broadband services.

Ofcom opens 2G and 3G bands for 4G use

Ofcom, the Super Regulator that oversees radio spectrum (amongst its many duties) has published a statement allowing mobile network operators (MNOs) to utilise their 2G and 3G bands for 4G use, without applying for a license variation.

This affects the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands. Ofcom has also allowed an increase in power of 3dB in the 900MHz band to align it with power levels in the 800MHz band.

This is in-line with Ofcom's policy to liberalise licenses and make them technology neutral and will allow the MNOs to roll-out 4G (LTE) services on any of their spectrum without regulatory hinderance.

Michael Birch re-acquires Bebo for $1m

Michael Birch originally founded Bebo and sold it to AOL for $850m on May 19, 2008 making him one of the most successful UK entrepreneurs with his wife. AOL then sold the ailing company to Criterion Capital Partners in June 2010 for around $10m.

Birch then rejoined company as a strategic advisor on December 9, 2010.

Birch today announced on twitter that he has re-purchased the social media site for $1m.

Though the site has been left behind other social media sites like Facebook, Birch can maybe bring it into the forefront again and do something clever with it.

Plastic Logic joins forces with Cambridge University Graphene centre

Graphene is the new wonder substance that could replace silicon for a new generation of integrated circuits and other devices. It is also much more conductive than steel and stronger.

Plastic Logic are leaders in the field of flexible e-ink displays (both colour and monochrome) which use their organic thin-film transistor technologies.

Cambridge Graphene Centre investigates the science and technology of graphene, carbon allotropes, layered crystals and hybrid nanomaterials.

With this collaboration, Plastic Logic have donated large scale deposition equipment to support the acceleration of manufacturing scale-up of developments on graphene which will then: -

• To develop graphene as a transparent, highly conductive layer for plastic backplanes, used to drive unbreakable Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) and flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays; a market forecast to be worth $40bn by 2020 (IHS 2013).
• To develop novel transistor structures with graphene-like materials as the active layer, delivering a step change over the device performance currently possible on plastic, while retaining the ultimate flexibility of the devices.
• Leverage Plastic Logic’s expertise in the industrialization and volume manufacture of electronics on plastic, exploiting the commercialisation of graphene for flexible electronics. This will include key high value segments in the developing new market for flexible plastic sensors, forecast to be worth $2.2bn overall in 2020 (IDTechEx 2011).

The UK is a world leader in graphene research and this could push the UK into the forefront of usable technologies actually using it.

Ofcom make more spectrum available

Ofcom, the Super regulator that looks after (amongst other things) radio spectrum allocation has made the bands 870-876 MHz and 915-921 MHz available for use by short range devices (SRDs) and radio frequency identification (RFID) use. This is in-line with European (CEPT) policy. The bands are commonly used for RFID tags in the US.

Ofcom will hold a further consultation in Q4 2013 after CEPT publish their work on interference in these bands and will then publish the draft technical requirements and the full license exemption statement by early 2014.

Ofcom is also making the 24 GHz (21.65 to 26.65 GHz) license exempt for Short Range Radars (SRRs) for automotive use, in line with EU policy. Devices have been allowed to use this part of this band (24.25 to 26.65 GHz) on a temporary basis (since 2005), which was extended to the full 21.65 to 26.65 GHz in 2011. The regulations came into force in June 30th 2013.