10.30am – 12.30pm16 February 2023
London
techUK, 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD
On Thursday 16 February (10.30-12.30) the UK Spectrum Policy Forum is delighted to be hosting Ofcom at techUK's London office for an interactive and participative workshop on spectrum sandboxes.
This will be an in-person event, with a limited number of spaces being available on a first-come-first-served basis, so be sure to book your place now. Please note that tickets are restricted to one per member organisation.
Purpose of the workshop
Ofcom set out its plan to support the development of Spectrum Sandboxes in its recent Spectrum Roadmap. Sandboxes will utilise field trials and the collection of real world data to explore technical solutions to improve the way spectrum is used and shared by different users. The increasing use of network function virtualization, software defined radios and ability to collect and process massive data sets have made Sandboxes a viable way to help develop new solutions for sharing.
In light of the growing interest and demand in accessing spectrum in the 3.8-4.2GHz band, where Ofcom has introduced a shared access approach between incumbent and new users, Ofcom is keen to develop the first sandbox in this band. Any learning from this sandbox will feed into Ofcom's review of their current authorisation approach in the band.
Objectives
To be successful, Sandboxes will require cross industry collaboration and innovation and this Ofcom's inaugural workshop, supported by UK SPF, will be the first step toward agreeing objectives and approach.
The objective of the first workshop is to gather views on:
Current and anticipated use cases for the spectrum. Are there use cases that are not supported by the current authorisation approach?
How to best collect data on nature of propagation and interference in the band that is representative of real work deployments and equipment? Analysis of this data will inform future testing within the sandbox.
Terms of Reference and ways of working for stakeholders that want to continue to participate in the Sandbox.
This will be a participative workshop and we encourage attendees that have practical commercial and technical experience of deploying radio systems using Ofcom’s Shared Access Licences or that are developing technologies that might increase the utilisation of this spectrum.
Please note this is an in-person event. If you're unable to attend, please get in touch and virtual participation might be facilitated. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us.
By signing up to the workshop you agree for your details to be shared with Ofcom ahead of the workshop.
As space is limited for this session, tickets are restricted to one per member organisation.
If you have any questions, please contact the team below.
Sophie James
Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK
Sophie James
Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK
Sophie James is Head of Programme for Communications Infrastructure and Services at techUK, and oversees the UK Spectrum Policy Forum.
Sophie was promoted to Head having been Programme Manager for Communications Infrastructure and Services, leading techUK's telecoms activities, engagement and policy development. Previously, Sophie was Programme Assistant across a variety of areas including the Broadband Stakeholder Group, Central Government, Financial Services and Communications Infrastructure programmes.
Prior to joining techUK, Sophie completed a masters in Film Studies at University College London; her dissertation examined US telecoms policy relating to net neutrality and content distribution.
Manuel joined techUK in February 2022, where he is now Programme Manager for the UK Spectrum Policy Forum and Satellite.
A journalist by training, he has written extensively about spectrum since 2018 for PolicyTracker. Manuel has a MSc in International Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. In his spare time he is currently trying to set up a supperclub.
Programme Assistant, Central Government, Digital Connectivity Forum, Comms Infrastructure, UK SPF, techUK
Julia Ofori-Addo
Programme Assistant, Central Government, Digital Connectivity Forum, Comms Infrastructure, UK SPF, techUK
Julia Ofori-Addo supports the Digital Connectivity Forum and a range of techUK Market Programmes such as; Central Government, Communications Infrastructure and Services and the UK Spectrum Policy Forum with the secretariat and event support, research and communication.
Julia is a bilingual – German and English native. Prior to joining techUK, Julia worked as an IT Team Administrator at Interxion Ltd (data center) supporting and coordinating teams with the Incident Management Protocols (IMP), auditing and reporting procedures and processes and assisting senior management with various secretarial/administrative duties. She has exceptional experience in handling and updating in-house database systems and a proven track record of demonstrating strong interpersonal skills.
Julia is a graduate at the University of Kent with a BSc in Computer Science and Business Administration. In her personal time, she enjoys current affairs discussions, going to the gym and travelling.
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