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MEP: More frequencies for mobile internet by 2013

12 May 2011 11:06 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Plans to speed up the spread of mobile internet were strongly endorsed by MEPs in Strasbourg Wednesday. They also urged Europe to be bolder and take a global lead in this technology, APA reports with reference to the European Parliamentâ€™s official website.

Bringing fast broadband web access to all European citizens and businesses, including those located in rural areas or on remote islands, is impossible without wireless internet, which needs dedicated radio frequencies for uninterrupted connection. This can be achieved by allocating the "digital dividend" - the radio frequency bands that will be freed up when Member States switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting.

The first radio spectrum policy programme (RSPP) is a central plank of the Digital Agenda that aims to deliver internet access throughout the EU by 2013 and reach high speed connections with at least 30 Mbps for all by 2020, thus bridging the digital divide.

The allocation of frequencies is matter for national authorities not the EU but the rules on how to divide up the spectrum among internet providers and users need to be set at European level. RSPP will help coordinate the use of the spectrum and promote greater flexibility and availability. Mobile data traffic is increasing rapidly and demand doubles every year. It is set to increase nearly 40-fold between 2009 and 2014.