Four pieces of the spectrum lifecycle

Day two of the European Spectrum Management conference, and with it, a shift in focus to one of our favorite subjects: market + technology developments.  With so many exceptional speakers representing various European spectrum interests, we were pleased to engage in the discussion and have our auction practice lead, Kris Shields, present a “Lifecycle Approach to Spectrum Management.”  While a meaty topic, the crux of his technology-leaning presentation focused on four areas:

1. Allocation

2. Assignment

3. Enforcement

4. Assessment

Having come to Brussels fresh off of supporting Mexico’s spectrum auctions, Kris shared with the crowd a few of the tools + technologies that benefit telecommunication authorities.  From OR-driven modeling, simulation and scenario analysis (during the allocation phase) to interactive, GIS-based spectrum dashboards that report on the allocation & use of spectrum bands (esp. appropriate in the assessment phase), a lot for Kris to fit into his 15 minutes. Now, of the 10 slides he presented, here’s the one I think is more relevant + best represents his presentation:

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We have posted Kris’s full presentation, shared our spectrum capabilities deck (compiled for this year’s conference) and posted a two-page data sheet on CAP, our auction platform, on Scribd.  If you’re coming to this page from the conference + have feedback/questions for Kris, please add a comment below.


Posted on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 9:22 am and is filed under News, Online Auctions, spectrum management.

By: Computech

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The oxygen for wireless broadband

As we wrap up day one of the European Spectrum Management conference, some thoughts about Europe’s digital agenda. Designed to spur an economic recovery by making broadband available to all by 2013, the conversation parallel’s the FCC’s national broadband plan.  So, quite interesting to sit amongst European regulators considering the demands citizens & consumers have for clear signals and decisions about spectrum use and availability and juxtapose these conversations with those in the U.S.

After this morning’s keynote address on by the European Commission’s Neelie Kroes (Vice President & Commissioner for Digital Agenda), I did a little digging.  Turns out, over the past 15 years, half of European productivity growth has been driven by information and communications technologies — and Ms. Kroes opined this trend is likely to accelerate.  So, today’s conversations about the efficiency of spectrum use + allocation proves an attractive writing topic.

With a power point slide inspiring the naming of today’s post (albeit with ‘spectrum is’ serving as the first two words of that presentation), a few sentences about the most significant Europe-wide regulatory changes to affect the mobile industry in years: the refarming of spectrum.  While industry may feel threatened by the prospect of losing existing spectrum assets, regulators see GSM refarming & license renewals as an opportunity to expand coverage and empower all Europeans with digital skills and accessible online services.

As an attendee still learning about refarming, I really appreciated three presentations from this afternoon:

– The challenges of creating a sensible refarming policy in the UK;

– The approach to refarming in Switzerland; and

– The New Zealand approach to refarming spectrum and lessons that couple be applied to Europe.

My takeaway from today?  The efficient use of wireless requires government action in the form of spectrum refarming, the clearing of frequencies from low-value (by economic and/or social criteria) and reassignment to high-value applications.  This is a complex and difficult task.  Why?  Consider that the occupants of the frequencies to be reassigned are unlikely to be pleased by the change, because of disruptions to their activities.  And from the regulator’s view, an equally daunting challenge: finding funding for refarming activities.

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If you’re at the conference and have your own thoughts, comments, feedback, please add a comment below.


Posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 pm and is filed under News, spectrum management.

By: Computech

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Greetings from London

After a busy Tuesday morning, a late afternoon post to Concomitantly.  Kris, Larry and I all took different routes; ultimately, we’ve arrived at the same place: Forum Europe’s Spectrum Management Conference in Brussels.  After months of preparing, the three of us are finally on-the-ground + ready to go.  Earlier today, Kris participated in a “light” combinatorial mock auction here in Brussels.  Fitz and I spent a productive morning in London meeting with several attorneys from CMS McKenna’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice and Ofcom’s 2.6MHz auction program lead.

A few observations from London:  First, Ofcom’s offices are magnificently located on the Thames. Trust me when I say their view of London is stunning.  In terms of spectrum allocation, quite interesting to juxtapose the FCC’s auction methods with the U.K.’s.  And I clearly need to hit the books as we expand our presence in Europe.  Just as the fragmentation of the European market poses challenges to wireless + mobile, so too does it for someone on the outside looking in.  For this reason, a huge thank you to Joanne Wheeler + Gary Chu for spending time with us at breakfast and explaining some of the nuances.

Now, this post isn’t totally spectrum focused.  I’d be remiss not to credit EuroStar for totally destroying my affection for Amtrak.  From their St. Pancras terminal near Kings Cross to the service on our train to Brussels, we have a long way to go to catch up with the Europeans!

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The conference kicks off tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM (which I believe is 3:30 AM in D.C.)  Assuming you’re sleeping + not checking Concomitantly or Twitter, you can search #SpecConf to see a running tweet list from the event.  More to come tomorrow morning.


Posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 5:42 pm and is filed under News.

By: Computech

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Next up: the U.K. + Belgium

Beginning next Tuesday, Forum Europe hosts its 5th annual Spectrum Management Conference. We’re excited to make the trip from D.C. and connect with our peers as we support the programme as a Gold sponsor.  If you’re heading to Brussels for the conference, be sure to keep an eye out for our president, Larry Fitzpatrick, auction practice lead, Kris Shields, and me, Al Dominick.

Today, we’re wrapping up a bunch of loose ends in advance of our flights across the pond.  For Larry and me, we’re starting our week off in London with a handful of meetings.  Come Tuesday afternoon, we’ll be on a train from London to Brussels, arriving in time — we hope — for a casual evening of networking at Le Chatelain hotel.  Kris, on the other hand, will be in Brussels earlier than the two of us for a pre-conference combinatorial clock mock auction.  (*I imagine he’ll hear some pretty interesting arguments both for + against that format.  Some claim it may be less vulnerable to demand reduction than a conventional simultaneous multi-round ascending auction format; others caution that running a combinatorial clock results in lower yields for regulators.)

Once reunited, we’re set for a few days of spectrum management-focused conversations that touch on topics like:

  • – The re-farming of spectrum resources;
  • – The future of spectrum auctions; and
  • – Market and technology development + future spectrum management challenges.
  • .

So a busy — but interesting — week awaits the three of us.  Curious to see what we’re bringing with us from Bethesda?  Take a look at our two-pager on Computech’s spectrum auction expertise and let us know what you think of our “spectrum deck.”

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The plan for Concomitantly next week is this: post once from London (either Monday or Tuesday) and than check in with something “big” on Wednesday and Thursday.  And if I have time, something from the airport on Friday.  All the while, I’ll be tweeting using my account + our Computech one with #SpecConf as the hashtag.


Posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 12:36 pm and is filed under News, spectrum management.

By: Computech

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Technology + Engagement in D.C.

If you’re in the D.C. area + interested in technology-focused events, Digital Capital Week kicks off in a few days.  Browsing the lineup, quite a few events caught  my eye.  For example, Ignite D.C. on Wednesday night and Tech Cocktail on Thursday.

In addition, a few Computech’ers have already signed up for “Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Increase Citizen Participation” and “Apps and Animation – All things Interactive.”  Not surprising, really… Both of these topics are near + dear to our interests.  In fact, if you’ve spent time on our site, you’ll know that we develop data-driven dashboards that incorporate business intelligence with change/transformation management wrapped around heavy UX.  Yup, a marriage of these two event’s focus.

True, dashboards can be as simple as a report or spreadsheet; however, when we talk “DDD,” we go deep + detailed. The dashboards we construct provide near real-time aggregation and analytical transformation of operational data with drill down and roll up capabilities.  Our team has architected and designed numerous data-driven dashboards for our clients.  Case-in-point, at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), dashboards facilitate the internal exchange of data and ideas while providing an interactive site for communication between the regulator and U.S. public.  More than a simple, out-of-the-box reporting tool, these dashboards enable:.

  • Process Optimization;
  • Decision Support for Multiple Stakeholders;
  • Messaging and Communication;
  • Information Analysis; and
  • Citizen Engagement.

Rather than go into more detail here, we added project descriptions for DTV.gov, Openinternet.gov and Broadband.gov to our website (take a look under “Federal Experience“).  The common thread between all three: sharing heretofore inaccessible data and information.  And tying back in to DCWEEK, each dashboard, constructed to support distinct FCC initiatives, engages the public using social media and web 2.0 techniques.

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Heading to some of the events this week + next?  Drop us a line and let us know where you’ll be.


Posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 4:19 pm and is filed under Data Driven Dashboards, News.

By: Computech

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