The UMTS Forum has called on the EU to speed up the adoption of the new GSM Directive, which opens the way for using GSM spectrum for UMTS services.
The GSM Directive is part of the bigger telecoms reform legislation in the EU, which has been held up due to differences between the parliament and council over internet access rights.
The UMTS Forum has called on the EU to separate the GSM Directive from the regulatory reform package, so it can be passed earlier by the EU Council of ministers at their upcoming meeting on 12 June.
The parliament already approved the directive without amendment in its vote on 6 May. The GSM Directive will allow mobile operators to deploy their 900 MHz spectrum for expanding UMTS services, a move seen particularly useful for covering rural areas with 3G services.
