Communications, Media, and Internet

Spectrum Management

Spectrum Management

Radio spectrum is a key input into many economic activities, including mobile telephony, wireless broadband, television, defense, and public safety. Usable frequencies are a finite public resource, meaning that governments are required to intervene to manage allocation and pricing. In recent years, encouraged by economic advisors including NERA, regulators have increasingly turned to market mechanisms to promote efficient spectrum use. Reforms such as auctions, trading, liberalization of use, and incentive pricing have helped to increase downstream competition and accelerate the growth of new wireless services, realizing potentially huge gains for national economies.

NERA provides expert assistance on all spectrum management issues that require economic input. Our areas of expertise include:

  • Spectrum allocation, including digital dividend policy, re-farming of mobile spectrum, and unlicensed spectrum;
  • Spectrum licensing, including the choice of award format, packaging of frequency lots, license terms and conditions, and consultations;
  • Spectrum auction design and implementation, including provision on software for running secure online auctions;
  • Spectrum pricing;
  • Spectrum trading and liberalization; and
  • Valuation of spectrum, both in relation to individual licenses and the broader contribution of spectrum bands, and uses to society.

Our advice is grounded in a thorough understanding of the services that can be deployed using different frequency bands, including:

  • Mainstream consumer services, such as wireless broadband, mobile telephony, radio, and television;
  • Other commercial uses, such as satellite, data backhaul, private mobile radio, and program making & special events (PMSE); and
  • Public uses, such as the military and public safety.

NERA's spectrum experts have worked for a diverse clientele around the world, including: national regulators, international bodies, industry associations, and commercial operators from the mobile, defense, satellite, television, and other industries. We also partner with technology, engineering, and legal advisors to offer solutions for spectrum management issues requiring inter-disciplinary skills.

Name Title Location Phone Email
Dr. Christian Dippon Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Global Energy, Environment, Communications & Infrastructure Practice
Washington, DC
New York City
+1 202 466 9270
+1 212 345 1732
christian.dippon@nera.com
Dr. Jeffrey A. Eisenach Senior Managing Director
Co-Chair, Communications, Media, and Internet Practice
Washington, DC
London
+1 202 448 9029
+44 20 7659 8500
jeff.eisenach@nera.com
Dr. Richard Hern Senior Managing Director London
Berlin
+44 20 7659 8582
+49 30 700 1506 01
richard.hern@nera.com
Richard Marsden Senior Managing Director New York City
London
+1 212 345 3000
+44 20 7659 8618
richard.marsden@nera.com
James Mellsop Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Global Antitrust and Competition Practice
Auckland
Wellington
Sydney
+64 9 928 3290
+64 4 819 2550
+61 2 8864 6536
james.mellsop@nera.com
Dr. Soren Tang Sorensen Managing Director London +44 7775 018622 soren.sorensen@nera.com
Kevin Counsell Director Wellington
Sydney
+64 4 819 2551
+61 2 8864 7235
kevin.counsell@nera.com
Hans-Martin Ihle Director Tokyo +81 3 6871 7044 hans.ihle@nera.com
Dr. Alan Cox Affiliated Consultant San Francisco +1 415 291 1000 alan.cox.affiliate@nera.com
Dr. Lewis Evans Affiliated Academic Wellington +64 4 474 1320 lew.evans@vuw.ac.nz
Dr. Chantale LaCasse Affiliated Consultant Washington, DC
Toronto
+1 202 466 9218
+1 416 868 7314
chantale.lacasse@nera.com
Title Type Author
Collaboration and Combination Due to 5G: Unlocking Investment or Reducing Competition... Published Article Dr. Will Taylor and Adrien Cervera-Jackson
Improving Mobile Coverage in Mature Markets White Paper Hans-Martin Ihle and Dr. Will Taylor
Recent Trends in Virtual Currency Regulation, Enforcement, and Litigation White Paper Dr. Sharon Brown-Hruska, et. al.
The Impact of High Spectrum Costs on Mobile Network Investment and Consumer Prices White Paper Richard Marsden, Hans-Martin Ihle, et al.
Effective Spectrum Pricing: Supporting Better Quality and More Affordable Mobile Serv... Report Richard Marsden, Dr. Bruno Soria, and Hans-Martin Ihle
Mechanisms to Incentivize Shared-Use of Spectrum Report Richard Marsden and Hans-Martin Ihle
NERA Reports on Ofcom's Consultation on Annual Licence Fees for 900 MHz and 1800 MHz ... Report Richard Marsden, Jonathan Falk, Tomas Haug, Philipp Kröger, et al.
US AWS-3 Spectrum Auction: Back to Basics in Auction Design White Paper Richard Marsden, et al.
US 600MHz Incentive Auction: Reverse Auction Rules & Forward Auction Rules Book Richard Marsden, et al.
Global Trends in Spectrum Auctions and Implications for the Americas Presentation Dr. Chantale LaCasse and Richard Marsden