Arcep, the French telecoms regulator, has started a public consultation on the use of open (unlicensed) spectrum by short-range devices (SRDs). The move is in anticipation of ever-growing mobile traffic volumes and a proliferation of devices courtesy of IoT (Internet of Things) technology.

The regulator was prompted by a report from Joelle Toledano, a French economist, entitled ‘Dynamic Spectrum Management to Bolster Innovation and Growth’.

The report, submitted to the government on 1 July, said there was no more available frequencies in the “easily exploitable frequency bands” and that it was getting “more and more difficult” to resort to classical methods of frequency band liberation.

“Growing recourse to spectrum sharing, and in particularly dynamic spectrum sharing, constitutes an important spectrum reserve,” said Joelle Toledano, who cites the US and the UK as pioneers in the field.

Arcep said the success of WiFi was partly attributable to the “simplicity of the regulatory framework” governing the use of open frequencies (primarily in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands).

The regulator no doubt hopes it can achieve similar simplicity surrounding the spectrum outlined for SDR use in the 2.6GHz-2.7GHz and 5.7GHz-5.8GHz frequency bands.

The public consultation runs until 15 October 2014.