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MONTREAL
(Evan Light for APCNews) - The
spectrum both surrounds us and passes through us. Made up of waves
of energy that allow us to communicate the way we do today –
through radio, television, mobile phones, wireless internet and more
-- spectrum is an invisible common link that ties our societies
together. A global shift in spectrum regulation is currently under
way with regulatory reforms being developed and proposed in several
countries. As the internet and wireless communication increasingly
merge into a singular form of communication, we will be presented
with unique opportunities to adapt to open, trusting and
collaborative forms of regulation and technology use. This
introduction to developing a policy on open spectrum by spectrum
expert Evan Light for APC breaks down what spectrum is, how it works
and why governments with under-served communities stand to gain so
much from opening up the spectrum to more users and uses.
More>
Read the full
policy brief
(19 pages)
GULMARG
(LC for APCNews) – Nigeria
is arguably one of the leading countries in Africa with respect to
spectrum deregulation and licensing. However while the country
follows best practices on the telecommunications side, the process
for allocating broadcasting licenses and frequencies lacks
transparency and is still dependant on presidential approval. As two
regulatory bodies prepare to merge to form a single entity, Nigeria
to reconsider how it allocates broadcasting licenses, says Fola
Odufuwa, ICT expert and author of a new APC report on spectrum
management in Nigeria.
More>
CALGARY
(LC for APCNews) - Currently,
about 20 million Kenyans own mobile phones. Mobile phones receive
their signals over electromagnetic waves that are also used for
everything from home appliances like microwave ovens and remote
controls, to the radio and internet. These waves are assigned
different frequencies or spectrum so that they don’t interfere with
each other. However Kenya is at risk of running out of spectrum
because of an outdated spectrum allocation framework and a disaster
in day-to-day communications and the security of countless services
is waiting to happen. A new study by Muriuki Mureithi commissioned by
the APC proposes a solution.
More
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Additional
research from Brazil, India
and South Africa in the coming weeks.
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