Untangling the paradox of Licensed Shared Access: Need for regulatory refocus

Abstract

This paper looks at the evolution of the Licensed Shared Access (LSA) – a pioneering European scheme for tapping into radio spectrum that remains assigned to incumbent users. Using the theoretical framework of Co-evolutionary Development, we build analytical case study to understand why this crucial innovation did not take hold in the European wireless market, despite a decade of regulatory and standardisation efforts. Drawing on literature analysis and expert knowledge, we identify barriers that contributed to the stalling of LSA deployment and co-evolutionary forces that could help alleviating them. We expose the need for more proactive engagement of European regional policymakers and suggest directions for refocusing future LSA regulatory activities to target an expanded set of frequency bands, as well as broadening their scope to include local non-public networks and industry verticals.