NERA Economic Consulting again served as knowledge partner for Forum Europe's European Spectrum Management Conference, held in Brussels on 25-26 June 2013. In its role as knowledge partner, NERA advises on the agenda for the event and helps to identify expert speakers on spectrum management issues.

With more than 250 participants in 2012, the European Spectrum Management Conference has an established reputation as the leading event of the year for spectrum professionals throughout the region and beyond. As in previous years, the 2013 conference brought together representatives from all the major stakeholders for a detailed and interactive discussion on key issues and developments relating to spectrum management policy in Europe.

On the first day of the conference, NERA Senior Vice President Richard Marsden chaired and moderated a discussion on spectrum licence renewals and pricing. Regulators going through a licence renewal process essentially have three options: reassign some or all of the spectrum to the current holder of that spectrum; reassign some or all of the spectrum to another category of users or a particular user through administrative action; or re-auction the spectrum, inviting both the current holder and other potential users to bid for the rights for future use. This session examined the positive and negative aspects of each of these three approaches, and how regulators can ensure they are respecting the rights of existing licence holders and other potential users while also maximising economic and societal benefits.

Learn more about the The 8th Annual European Spectrum Management Conference.