Commission to boost mobile internet services with high-quality radio frequencies

As part of its strategy to create a Digital Single Market, the European Commission is expected to adopt today a proposal to better coordinate the use of the 700 MHz band at the EU level for mobile services, while securing frequencies for the audiovisual sector. This would improve internet access for all Europeans, including in remote areas, and help develop cross-border applications. The proposal would help address different challenges, such as the growing demand for wireless broadband. By 2020 there will be nearly eight times as much mobile internet traffic as today. As radio frequencies know no borders, spectrum needs to be better coordinated within the EU to avoid interferences and to allow innovative services, such as connected cars or remote health care, to work across the continent. A press release in all EU languages, a set of questions and answers as well as a blog post by Vice-President Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market, will be available online following today’s College meeting. Tomorrow morning, accredited journalists are invited to a technical briefing off-the-record at 11:15 CET in the Berlaymont press room in Brussels. In the afternoon, a conference on spectrum will take place in Brussels with Commissioner Oettinger, in charge of the Digital Economy and Society