Development of IT sector in Sri Lanka by means of effective regulation of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands

Abstract

Wireless Services are critical to the evolution of national communication infrastructure and consequently to the health of nation's economy. Innovations in wireless services has created a new era in Information Communication Technology (lCT) sector during the last decade. While wireless services encompass an incredible diversity of uses, technologies, and markets one commonality is that they all depend on access to the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. Globally, 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands are heavily used for IT related applications. Over the time, technology has evolved in these bands that make it possible to build much more efficient and dynamically responsive (intelligent) radio systems that can allow many users and uses to simultaneously share the same frequency band. Consequently, most of the International regulatory authorities have amended their respective regulatory policies in a timely manner to make the optimum use of these technological advancements in the IT industry. This research is aimed at assessing the international situation on the usage of 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands for IT related applications, reviewing the domestic requirements for such applications, identifying practical difficulties encountered by various category of stakeholders and proposing a more appropriate regulatory regime for the allocation of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands which is conducive to the Sri Lankan environment.