Before soliciting proposals from the public on conducting new R&D for Expansion of Radio Frequency Resources in fiscal 2010, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) compiled a basic plan (draft) on conducting the R&D. Concerning this draft basic plan, comments will be solicited from today until Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

Along with recent innovations in wireless technology, various services and businesses using radio waves have propagated, and they have become so vital that systems using radio waves are now indispensable in citizens' lives. In addition, there are expectations that the appearance of new systems using radio waves will be a solution to various social issues Japan faces, such as an aging population and regional revitalization. However, since the convenient low-frequency range is under heavy use, introducing new systems using radio waves is difficult at present.
Since 2005, the MIC has been contracting institutes at universities and private companies and implementing R&D for Expansion of Radio Frequency Resources to conduct R&D on technologies that can further expand radio frequency resources in order to maintain efficient usage of limited and scarce radio frequencies. When conducting R&D, the MIC solicits R&D topics from the public, along with selecting R&D topics while ensuring necessity, effectiveness and efficiency and conducting external evaluations by third-parties to carefully examine them from technical and financial perspectives. Before soliciting proposals from the public on the new R&D schedule starting in fiscal 2010, the MIC has recently compiled a basic plan (draft) on R&D details, technical subjects, attainment targets, etc.

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International Policy Division,
Global ICT Strategy Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5374 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924