Land Mobile Services (Frequency Requirements) (Hansard, 15 June 1982)

§ Mr. Whitelaw

The report of the mobile radio committee is being published tomorrow and copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

The committee recommended that additional dual frequency channels should be provided for the land mobile services as soon as possible to relieve the present congestion; and work on this is in hand. As to provision for growth of the land mobile services, a detailed interdepartmental study of the whole of the range 30–960 MHz, which was initiated some time ago, has disclosed no means by which this need can be met within the existing framework of allocation of frequencies unless, as the committee hoped, TV bands I and III are made available for the land mobile services when the 405-line services occupying these bands have been closed down. These bands remain internationally allocated to broadcasting on a primary basis, and, even if it were decided to re-allocate all or part of them for land mobile radio in the United Kingdom, it would be some time before they could be brought into such use. The band 854–960 MHz should in due course yield a significant amount of spectrum for civil land mobile use, but it is in general less attractive for land mobile services under existing technology.

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The Government are anxious to ensure that every effort is made to meet the requirements of the land mobile services and I therefore propose to set up an independent review of the spectrum from 30–960 MHz. The task of the review will be to examine the existing pattern of occupancy in this range and against this background to examine the present and future requirements for spectrum, including those identified by the mobile radio committee, and the scope for meeting them. The opportunity will also be taken to review the existing arrangements for consultation with interests outside Government about the use of the frequency spectrum and for the assignment of frequencies, with a view to ensuring that there is public confidence in the system. I am pleased to be able to announce that Dr. J. H. H. Merriman, CB, OBE, FEng, has agreed to chair the review; I propose to appoint some additional members whose names I will announce as soon as possible.

The review will be

asked to report by June next. In view of the urgency of the situation I shall ask for an interim report from the review team by September of this year as to the future use of bands I and III, taking account, not only of the need to provide for expansion of the land mobile services, but also of various possibilities for the continued use of these bands for broadcasting. The terms of reference of the review will be as follows:

1. To help Ministers to formulate a view on the long-term problems foreseen in the radio frequency spectrum between 30 and 960 MHz, and specifically to assist in taking a decision on the future use of TV bands I and III when the present 405-line TV services are withdrawn; there is to be an independent review of the radio frequency spectrum in this range. The review is to:

(a) examine the present pattern of spectrum occupancy in this range taking into account:

(i) the international commitments and constraints arising from the international radio regulations, and from membership of the United Kingdom of such bodies as NATO, ICAO, IMCO, etc; and
(ii) the desirability of aligning spectrum usage as far as possible with that of neighbouring Administrations;

(b) investigate the likely continuation of the upsurge in additional requirements for accommodation in this part of the spectrum, and consider how they might be satisfied within the available spectrum and by innovative technological developments;
(c) identify and quantify those requirements that cannot be accommodated by these means and examine what scope there is for meeting them in some other way;
(d) make recommendations for consideration by Ministers as to changes that may be required to meet the situation and specifically in respect of the future use of TV bands I and III;
(e) consider the adequacy of the existing machinery:

(i) for consultation regarding the use of the frequency spectrum; and
(ii) for the assignment of frequencies, and to recommend any changes that might be made in the interest of public confidence in the system.

2. The review is to cover the time scale up to the end of the century, and any foreseen improvements in technology are to be taken into account. The economic resource and operational consequences of any recommended changes in spectrum occupancy are also to be considered; and any cases of inefficient use of the spectrum—having regard to the operational characteristics and other constraints on the users—are to be brought to light, together with any recommendations for improvement.

3. The review body is to submit its final report by 1 June 1983, and an interim report as to the future use of bands I and III by 1 September 1982 at the latest.

In the meantime, the Government are anxious to facilitate an early and substantial expansion of radio-telephone services. The demand for these services is so great and the time required to design, develop and install 234W these new and very complex high-capacity systems so long that we feel that they should be given priority, provided that this can be done without prejudice to the interests of other mobile radio users. The re-planning of the 854–960 MHz band is not yet complete, and access to it for civil purposes will have to develop over a period of some years, but am provisionally allocating 30 MHz of spectrum in that band to radio-telephone services on the understanding that a final decision in this matter will be taken as soon as I have the advice of the review team as to the future use of bands I and III. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry will be making a separate statement about the Government's intentions concerning the future of radio-telephone services under the British Telecommunications Act.