LONDON — Plans by the U.K. government to open up the license-exempt 2.4-GHz band for commercial services such as local-area networks have been attacked by the Low Power Radio Association (LPRA), a trade body representing the interests of radio equipment manufacturers.
But many others welcomed the decision by the Department of Trade and Industry to allow the 2.4-GHz spectrum to be used for 802.11b-based wireless LAN services, including BT, the country's main carrier.
The DTI said it was keen to encourage competition in establishing short-range broadband services in areas such as airports and coffee shops. It also stressed that the 2.4-GHz channel would continue to be used for existing private applications by short range devices, and said the changes would come into effect at the end of July.
The decision followed a four-month consultation process, and the department said operators wishing to offer commercial services would need to consider interference and security issues. Operators will still need to obtain a Telecommunications Act license; BT already holds such a license.
Even before the consultation process was completed, the dominant U.K. telco said it would build about 400 WLAN 'hot-spots' around the country by 2003.
The LPRA has now warned that radio equipment already using the unlicensed band will be affected by interference and congestion.
Mike Brookes, chairman of the LPRA, said: "The concern is that equipment supplied by our members and installed throughout the country will suffer destructive interference as a result of this move." According to Brookes, the European spectrum management group has already expressed concern about high-power wireless LAN systems interfering with short range systems in the 2.4-GHz band.
BT intends to create a national network of access points around key public sites that are within easy reach of business travelers, commuters and any one else who needs to access data quickly while away from the office or home. The telco is already talking to a number of site owners about creating a network throughout their locations. Initially, it will target existing corporate customers, and subsequently roll out its WLAN service to individual customers.
The DTI has still to approve the use of the 5.1-to-5.3-GHz frequency band, which is used in emerging, higher data rate 802.11a-based public WLANs.
