French regulator Arcep is seeking stakeholders’ views on the terms and methods for allocating the central 40 MHz of the 2.6 GHz TDD band to professional mobile radio (PMR) networks. This will enable the transition to LTE for these networks, which still rely on 2G.

The regulator identified the 2.6 GHz TDD band as suitable for LTE-based PMR networks in early 2017, proposing to allocate the 2575 – 2615 MHz sub-band to this purpose. Working towards this goal, in January the French ministry of the economy published a consultation on the method of calculating the charges for using this spectrum for PMR networks.

A final decision from the regulator is expected in June and the first allocations, based on demand, could follow in September 2018.