London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

Summary

Executive summary

1.1 Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. This document sets out our proposals for making spectrum available for wireless communications, including high-level approaches to licensing/authorisation and interference management, at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Spectrum planning for the London Games

1.2 The London Games will take place between 27 July and 9 September 2012. They will be staged at various locations around the UK, concentrating on the new Olympic Park to be built in the Lower Lea Valley. Wireless services will play an important role both in the build-up to and during the Games.

1.3 We are responsible for organising a full spectrum plan for the London Games, for arranging all the licences in good time in support of the plan and for ensuring key wireless services are free from harmful interference. These responsibilities must be seen in the context of two guarantees given by the UK Government to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in support of London’s bid for the Games. These guarantee the allocation of the spectrum required for the organisation of the Games and the waiving of fees otherwise payable for that spectrum by members of the Olympic Family.

1.4 At the same time, we recognise the importance of services not covered by the Government’s spectrum guarantees to the success of the London Games. We are working to ensure that any spectrum requirements they generate because of the unique nature of the Games are met and coordinated with other uses.

1.5 In all this, it must be recognised that spectrum is a scarce resource in very short supply nowhere more so than in London.

Approach

1.6 Our general approach has been to:

• identify demand for spectrum and how it might be reduced;
• identify spectrum that can be supplied and how the efficiency of its use might be maximised; and
• match supply to demand to meet the Government’s spectrum guarantees at least cost to other spectrum users, citizens and consumers.

1.7 We have focused on London itself as that is where most Games venues will be and where spectrum supply is at a particular premium. We have also assessed the requirements of the five football venues elsewhere in the UK and considered in detail the needs of the sailing events at Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour.

Demand and supply

1.8 We expect the London Games to give rise to spectrum requirements unprecedented in their scale and complexity for a single event. Our objective is to meet the Government’s spectrum guarantees, in respect of members of the Olympic Family. But there will also be high demand from non-rights-holding broadcasters, related activities such as cultural events and other services not covered by the Government’s spectrum guarantees that are important to the success of the Games.

1.9 In assessing demand for spectrum for the London Games, we have:

• examined the requirements for past Games and comparable events;
• considered responses to a discussion document we published on 30 November 2007 on our approach to spectrum planning for the Games; ^(-1-)
• explored options for minimising the spectrum requirements for private mobile radio (PMR), notably those for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), which will provide services to other members of the Olympic Family through its own service provider;
• commissioned consultants to report on the scope for greater use of wired technology; and
• taken into account existing availability of equipment on the market.

1.10 In assessing the supply of spectrum for the London Games, we have:

• used information about the availability of public-sector spectrum holdings;
• analysed how spectrum is used abroad whence we believe equipment will be brought into the UK;
• explored options for more efficient use by wireless microphones and wireless cameras; and
• taken into account the Government’s plans for introducing a market-based approach to public-sector spectrum management. These plans, published most recently in its Forward Look 2009 ^(-2-), are particularly important to departments with spectrum-release plans or targets.

Draft plan

1.11 This consultation document sets out a draft spectrum plan to meet the Government’s spectrum guarantees with minimum disruption to other users. We have sought first to make use of unencumbered spectrum, then spectrum that will require specific measures to facilitate shared access with existing users and only in the last resort to temporarily remove existing users from spectrum for the duration of the London Games requirement.

1.12 At present, we do not anticipate revoking or varying existing spectrum licences to meet the requirements of the London Games. Should our assessments of demand and supply for spectrum change, we may be required to do so. We do anticipate having to impose some restrictions on business-as-usual spectrum use for programme-making and special events (PMSE) at times and in locations of peak Games demand. We will, of course, endeavour to keep these to the minimum necessary.

1.13 We anticipate some of the demand will be met from spectrum managed by UK public-sector bodies. We expect that spectrum to be returned to those bodies after the Games requirement has passed.

PMR

1.14 LOCOG intends to provide services to members of the Olympic Family through a contract with Airwave using spectrum secured through existing allocation and assignment processes. If this opportunity is taken up by organisations that would normally provide their own PMR handsets, we will need to cater for only a limited number of relatively small users who insist on their own systems and for PMR-type talkback systems.

Wireless microphones

1.15 Most wireless microphones will only operate in UHF Bands IV and V, sharing with analogue and digital terrestrial television (DTT). We believe even modest improvements in the efficiency with which this spectrum is used compared to normal practice (e.g. as achieved during the London stages of the 2007 Tour de France) would ensure the peak demand of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies could be met.

Wireless cameras

1.16 UK public-sector bodies – notably the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) – have committed to allowing use of some of the spectrum they manage for temporary use for the London Games subject to necessary coordination arrangements. This means we should be able to satisfy demand for wireless cameras at frequencies commonly used by broadcasters and/or for which equipment is readily available. There is also the possibility of making other, higher-frequency spectrum available to those who are willing and able to use it. We will continue to work closely with broadcasters to encourage this.

Next steps

1.17 We welcome all views from stakeholders on the questions raised in this consultation document. Responses are due by 5 August 2009.

1.18 We recognise many stakeholders involved in the London Games may not be familiar with our consultation processes, Ofcom itself or the regulatory environment for wireless services in the UK. We will be happy to discuss our proposals in detail during the consultation period with stakeholders who would find this helpful.

1.19 We intend to publish a statement on the spectrum plan for the London Games by the end of 2009. We anticipate it will be subject to ongoing refinement in the run-up to the Games themselves. It is therefore important to note that the spectrum plan and broader spectrum policy in the UK are subject to change between now and the Games. We will seek to keep any changes to a minimum.

1.20 Following the London Games, we will need to plan for the spectrum requirements of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. We will consult separately on arrangements for the Glasgow Games in due course. Our approach will be informed by the views that we form in the light of responses to this consultation document.

Acknowledgements

1.21 We are grateful for the advice and support we have received from members of the Spectrum Planning Group for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (SPGOG) in our work to construct the draft spectrum plan contained in this document and on which we are now consulting.

1.22 We are also grateful to those stakeholders who gave us the benefit of their time and experience as we examined past Games and comparable events and finalised the draft spectrum plan. In particular, we wish to thank:

• the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR), France;
• Arqiva;
• the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA);
• the British Broadcasting Corporation;
• the Bundesamt für Kommunikation, Switzerland;
• members of the Federation of Communications Services;
• the Fernmeldebehörde, Austria;
• France Télévision;
• Freedom 4;
• Gigawave;
• the Hellenic Communications and Post Commission (EETT), Greece;
• Industry Canada;
• the Joint Frequency Management Group;
• Link Research;
• the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China;
• NHK Enterprises Europe;
• Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS);
• Omega;
• Plaintree Systems;
• the Radio Society of Great Britain;
• Riedel Communications;
• SIS Outside Broadcasts;
• Société française de production;
• Total RF Productions;
• the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC); and
• Wembley National Stadium.

UK Government endorsement

1.23 The Cabinet Official Committee on UK Spectrum Strategy (UKSSC) has asked us to publish the following endorsement of this consultation document on behalf of the UK Government:

UKSSC has been fully consulted with regard to this consultation document. It endorses the content and approach laid out by Ofcom and welcomes the steps it proposes to take to meet the spectrum guarantees given by the Government in support of the London Games.

Footnotes:

  1.-www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/spectrum2012/condoc.pdf

  2.-www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46420.pdf