The European Commission will urge the 27 European Union countries on Wednesday to reserve a uniform slice of broadcast spectrum for a pan-European mobile broadband network, one that could enable flat-rate, international voice and data calling plans, The New York Times reports.
The proposal sets out technical guidelines for EU countries that choose to redeploy part of their low-frequency spectrum, bandwidth that has been used exclusively by television broadcasters since the inception of the industry more than 50 years ago.
Whether EU countries heed the advice of its executive body and lay the groundwork for a bloc-wide wireless market remains to be seen. But an architect of the plan and an analyst who follows the industry said they expected most EU countries to embrace the recommendation.