Ofcom gets set to manage the airwaves for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

Ofcom today published proposals for managing the airwaves during the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. This will support the thousands of different wireless services needed during the seven weeks of the events.

The Draft Spectrum Plan sets out how Ofcom will make spectrum available, license its use and minimise the risk of interference, to meet the Government’s guarantees on allocating spectrum for the organisation of the 2012 Games.

Demand for spectrum

The airwaves will be needed for a variety of different uses, including:

• Private mobile radios so the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) and members of the Olympic Family can keep in contact at the Olympic Park and the 35 other Games venues across the UK. Olympic officials will also use these radios for communicating from land to sea during the sailing events at Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay.
• Supporting broadcasting services for some 20,000 members of the media in the UK to a global audience of around five billion viewers, in particular:
  • Wireless microphones mainly used by LOCOG for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and by broadcasters to capture the competitions themselves as well as post-race interviews with athletes and sporting experts.
  • In-ear monitors used by broadcasters and event participants to listen to instructions, especially during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
  • Wireless cameras for broadcasting pictures from within and outside the venues, including airborne coverage during wide-area events such as the marathons.

Other uses include satellite services to carry voice, data and video transmissions; accessing remote control cameras; and providing Wi-Fi hotspots for spectators and visitors.

Spectrum sources

Demand for spectrum in London during the 2012 Games will be unprecedented. The draft plan identifies potential sources that could provide a supply of spectrum. It maps out how the UK’s airwaves could be deployed for different uses, whilst minimising the impact on current use and demand.

Ofcom’s draft plan identifies three different sources:

1. Civil spectrum used as efficiently as possible;
2. Temporarily borrowing spectrum on a short-term basis from public sector bodies, such as the Ministry of Defence; and
3. Licence-exempt spectrum.

Ofcom believes that, based on its current assessment of both supply and demand, it is able to authorise use of a sufficient amount of spectrum for the 2012 Games without having a major impact on current users.

Spectrum planning for the whole of the UK

The draft plan concentrates mainly on London where most of the events will take place. However, it also assesses the spectrum needs of the other venues across the UK in particular the sailing venues at Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay. Spectrum for the five football venues at Villa Park, Birmingham; the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; Hampden Park, Glasgow; Old Trafford, Manchester; and St James’s Park, Newcastle as well as London’s Wembley Stadium are also considered as part of this plan.

Next steps

The Draft Spectrum Plan can be found here http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/london2012/. The consultation closes on 5 August 2009. We expect to publish a statement on the spectrum plan for the 2012 Games by the end of 2009. The plan will be subject to ongoing refinement in the run-up to the Games themselves.

Ends.