Online safety and competition in digital markets – a discussion of the CMA and Ofcom’s joint statement

In July 2022, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Ofcom published a joint statement on online safety and competition in digital markets.[1] The statement follows the introduction of the Online Safety Bill to the UK parliament in March 2022. The current draft of the Online Safety Bill requires firms in scope – including[…]

Approaches to rural broadband in Europe

Many European countries are now getting at a point in their Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) deployment where the only portions of the territory that remain uncovered are deep rural areas. In initial plans laid out a decade ago, these areas were considered very hard to reach. Policy instruments were aimed at delivering some broadband[…]

Plum Presents: Spectrum policy reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic

In this webinar Tim Miller, a partner at Plum, discusses the spectrum policy measures that regulators around the world took in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as telecommunications networks faced an unprecedented increase in traffic and change to usage patterns.  From temporary spectrum awards to changes in licence obligations, regulators and governments worldwide played a[…]

Expanding digital connectivity through satellite broadband in the 28 GHz band in Africa

Following our report on the use of 28 GHz (27.5-29.5 GHz) spectrum in the Asia Pacific region, this Plum paper considers the importance of the band for satellite use in Africa. With large parts of the continent not covered by existing telecommunications networks, next-generation high throughput satellite (HTS) systems are capable of delivering gigabit connectivity[…]

Orkney Islands: The case for digital infrastructure investment

The Orkney Islands are currently ranked as one of the UK’s most poorly served broadband areas, especially in terms of gigabit-capable broadband. Less than 2% of Orkney premises are able to access gigabit rates, and only around 66% of premises are able to access superfast (30Mbps) broadband. Around 20% of premises only have access to[…]

Diversification of the UK telecommunications supply chain: Building UK capability

This report for DCMS developed an evidence base to support policy thinking and the business case for actions to build UK capability in key technology areas identified by the Telecommunications Diversity Task Force. It sets out a summary of Plum’s research findings, proposals for interventions and supporting rationale, theories of change and an evaluation on[…]

Satellite filing and regulatory processes

Plum produced two research reports on satellite filing and associated regulatory processes to support a client on the development of its strategy for next-generation wireless communications. The first report examined the regulations and processes for securing access to spectrum and orbital positions for satellite services, including case studies on Starlink (SpaceX) and OneWeb. The second[…]

Expanding digital connectivity through satellite broadband in the 28 GHz band

This Plum paper considers the importance of the 28 GHz band (27.5-29.5 GHz) for satellite use in Asia Pacific. Next-generation high throughput satellite (HTS) systems are capable of delivering gigabit connectivity and the 28 GHz band is a key enabler to achieving this. For emerging Asian markets satellite deployments in the Ka-band can contribute to[…]

The role of spectrum policy in tackling the climate change issue

The UK Spectrum Policy Forum (techUK), an industry-led organisation that advises the regulator and the government, has commissioned Plum to conduct a study on the potential impact of spectrum policy on combatting climate change. The report shows that spectrum policies can have a significant positive environmental impact and that policymakers must put green issues at[…]

UHF propagation in mountainous terrain

Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL) and the four UK MNOs are required to propose a propagation model to Ofcom with which to assess the geographical coverage of the Shared Rural Network. Standard propagation models are unlikely to give reliable predictions in the mountainous terrain where the SFN is to be deployed. Plum were contracted to[…]