Ofcom will borrow spectrum for the London 2012 Olympics

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Ofcom has admitted it will need to borrow spectrum to meet the high demand of the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

Laying out its wireless plans, Ofcom said more and more businesses and indivdiuals are using the technology to get connected.

Jill Ainscough, Ofcom’s chief operating officer, said: "For the London 2012 Games, this means that the demand for spectrum is likely to be at an all time high."

"Add to this the fact that spectrum is already heavily used in London and you begin to appreciate that managing the airwaves is a complex task," she added in a statement.

Because of this, Ofcom is already looking to see which organisations it can borrow spectrum from to run wireless during the games.

Ofcom said private radio should be covered by the creation of new Olympic networks, and extended public safety networks, while in-ear microphones will use the same networks as digital television.

To cover the high demand for wireless cameras, Ofcom plans to borrow spectrum from public sector bodies, including the Ministry of Defence and the Civil Aviation Authority.

"We plan to award spectrum in the next year or so to a band manager with obligations to programme-making and special events (PMSE) users," the plan said. "We have already indicated that we will need access to some of the spectrum to be awarded to meet the needs of the London 2012 Games."

"Applicants for the licence will need to take account of this along with any requirements imposed in the licence to ensure efficient coordination between shared use of the same spectrum," it added.

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