Telecom regulator IBIPT has allocated portions of the 700 MHz band to the emergency services network.
The 700 MHz band had been auctioned in 2022. Citymesh, Telenet, Orange and Proximus had on this occasion acquired spectrum as part of the 5G auction. We are talking here regarding a low frequency for 5G to cover fairly large areas.
But the full band, from 694 to 791 MHz, is not fully utilized. At the ends of the spectrum, BIPT keeps what is called a safety band free. The two main bands (one for uplink/send and one for downlink/receive) are also separated by a space called duplex, where operators are not allowed to be active. These limits must in particular restrict interference between signals.
But under these technical and operational conditions, it is however possible to still allocate a fragment of this duplex space and of the security band for what is called the PPDR (Public Protection and Disaster Relief), on which the services of emergency. The latter use the ASTRID network for their communication, the non-commercial operator which can be used by firefighters and the police, among others.
BIPT therefore now allocates this additional spectrum to ASTRID and has published a provisional version of this decision. Operators have until May 5 to react, or to appeal following the final decision.
