WAPECS - Europe moves toward technical flexibility for wireless systems [spectrum policy and regulatory issues]

European spectrum management has a reputation for being much more conservative than the policies of the Federal Communications Commission in the United States and its counterparts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Part of this comes from the demands of geography: Europe is full of tightly packed international boundaries and population centers close to international borders, making multinational cooperation essential in spectrum management. But, as this paper describes below, there are changes under deliberation in Europe that could open the door for technical innovation and flexibility just as spectrum uses are converging.