Capture of Spectrum Utilisation Information Using Moving Vehicles

One of Ofcoms major responsibilities is the management of the radio spectrum. Better spectrum management leads to more efficient utilisation and an increase in value for all stakeholders.This study involved deploying measurement equipment on the roofs of the vehicles used by a UK-wide sales force to capture information on frequency bands from 10MHz to 6GHz. The tool enables us to view occupancy across the UK in all of our key bands from a data set of over 200GBytes of measurements. Initial analysis of the data suggests it is possible to extract accurate usage information across a wider range of locations than previously possible.

Ofcom's technical research programme enables us to keep up to date with technologies and trends, so that we can be in the best possible position to execute our regulatory duties. We do not conduct research in-house but make use of external resources, such as private commercial organisations, university departments and government funded research institutions. These reports present the findings of technical work conducted on Ofcoms behalf. The opinions and conclusions stated within these reports are those of the organisations who conducted the research and may not reflect the view of Ofcom or imply any future policy work in related areas. Ofcom is not responsible for the content or accuracy of these reports.