ITU Allocates Additional 455 MHz of Spectrum for WLANs

Delegates to the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva, Switzerland agreed to allocate 455 MHz of unlicensed spectrum in the 5-GHz band for global WLAN use. Once the agreement achieves final plenary approval, 100 MHz of spectrum (5.150-5.250 GHz) will be allocated for indoor WLAN use, while an additional 355 MHz will be allocated for mixed indoor/outdoor use (5.250-5.350 GHz and 5.470-5.725 GHz). The international agreement at the WRC effectively opens at least 19 non-interfering 5GHz channels for global WLAN use.


Atheros Communications described the agreement as "a defining moment for the WLAN industry as a whole." Atheros noted that the universal 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g networks that it supports with its chipsets will offer access to nine times as many non-overlapping channels as 802.11b and 802.11g-only networks in the U.S., and seven times as many non-overlapping channels in Europe.
http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/wrc-03/index.asphttp://www.atheros.com