back to article Ofcom sets out Olympic spectrum plan

UK regulator Ofcom has laid out a consultation plan for radio spectrum use during the London Olympics in 2012, ensuring that even if the games fail to be spectacular, at least the coverage will be wireless. Ofcom reckons there'll be more than 21,000 accredited media personages descending on London come July 2012, who will want …

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  1. floweracre
    Thumb Down

    Time to wake up

    This is again unreal. Just HOW MUCH time and money are we - the tax payers - going to have to pay for these people to hop-skip-and-jump around london?

    Its a school sports day event, with a real sporting event price tag.

    Let the French have it

  2. Joel
    Go

    Free space optics

    Free space optics can be installed without problems from sunlight. It is generally the same as fibre optic technology without the fibre to guide the light, hence "free space". The only time you are likely to have problems with sunlight is if the sun gets directly behind one of the lasers. With a proper installation, it is relatively straightforward to locate the ends where the sun don't shine! Since it *is* based on lasers, it should not be a problem with people walking across the transmission path, as there is a H&S risk with having lasers at levels where people commonly have eyes....

  3. Steve

    Pay who?

    So the Government is going to use taxpayers cash to pay for the spectrum, which is being sold by... the Government? Let's assume a 15% markup, plus 15% VAT. Nice little earner for the treasury that will be. Take something I own, sell it to myself at a 32+% premium, and pay with someone elses cash. They'll hardly even need to fiddle their expenses on that one.

  4. Alan L
    IT Angle

    AIP = rip-off UK

    AIP = a great Sgt Bilko idea to charge people for a public asset?

    Who pays the VAT if the govt does not take a fee?

  5. Christoph
    Thumb Down

    What a good idea

    "has signed a deal with Airwave, who run a private cellular network for the UK's emergency services, to provide communications for the event using their already-owned spectrum,"

    Huge concentrations of people being moved all over the place, every available frequency fully used, so hand some of the emergency services capacity over for general use. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    OFCOM can get off their high horse

    Since when was OFCOM and the frequencies it controls privatised?

    OFCOM can and should just allocate the frequencies required for the duration of the games for free. It's well within their mandate. They should not be trying to operate as a private business within government. It's one thing to auction off swatches of spectrum to businesses, it's another to hold off selling spectrum for a couple of months for a temporary event that taxpayers are funding.

  7. DragonLord
    Linux

    Re: OFCOM can get off their high horse

    I belive the issue will be one about precedent - If they give the spectrum away for this event then it becomes easier for someone to argue that their event should have the same privilage, and then spirals from there.

  8. robin maddison
    Thumb Up

    As a TV sound recordist...

    I am bloody glad that I will have retired before this nonsense starts and don't have to strain my brain as to whether my radio mics will be ,usable-not usable,allowed-legal-illegal-digital-analogue-two bean cans and string, or whatever new whim Ofcomedy come up with! I will be down the Pub! So upyers!

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