The 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) finished its nearly month-long session in Geneva, Switzerland on July 4, and took an enormous step forward in promoting unlicensed wireless broadband data services, such as Wi-Fi. At this year's WRC, the delegates harmonized pre-existing, regional allocations of unlicensed spectrum in the 5GHz band, and in the process created a greatly expanded, global allocation of 455 MHz of spectrum for use by unlicensed wireless networking devices.

This decision should significantly broaden the opportunities for people to access information using unlicensed devices, such as Wi-Fi wireless LANs. It is also likely to enable faster deployment of wireless data services in locations where dial-up access is not practical.

In the case of the radio spectrum and the U.S., Microsoft and its technology-industry partners will support the Federal Communications Commission as it codifies the WRC decisions and allocates the radio spectrum in the United States. As this process is mirrored around the world, it will help make possible consistent, worldwide availability of unlicensed radio spectrum that will enable people worldwide to access the Internet, and to communicate locally and globally.

PressPass spoke with Pierre De Vries, chief of Technology Incubation for Microsoft, who predicts the WRC decision will accelerate Wi-Fi as a new broadband platform in homes, businesses and schools, in developing as well as in developed nations. The result will be "a rapid deployment of innovative wireless data and services for business, personal and educational applications."