The European Commission has opened access to a new radio frequency that it said will speed up wireless internet access in coffee shops and airports across Europe.
The commission said yesterday it was making available part of the five gigahertz (GHz) band for WiFi, a technology used on laptops for high-speed, wireless internet connections .
The new spectrum will allow data transfer at 50 megabits per second, compared with 10 megabits on the current 2.4 GHz radio band. The new spectrum will be available throughout the EU and the commission wants member states to implement the move before November.
"We expect today's decision will mean European citizens and companies will profit from faster internet connections," a commission spokesman said.
Japan and the United States are also implementing rules for the use of five GHz range for WiFi, which is also used by military and satellite services, the commission said.
The frequency will also give consumers access to voice over internet protocol (VOIP) in hotspots around the world, allowing them to avoid the high roaming charges imposed by mobile phone companies.
The commission said the number of hotspots in western Europe could rise to 45,000 by the end of this year from 26,000.
Market analysts believe the number of WiFi users worldwide could rise from 120 million to more than 500 million over the next three years.
