The European Union aims to avoid some of the mistakes of the past with its allocation of 700 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband, and is moving to ensure harmonization of allocation schedules and of technical conditions at an early stage. The European Council has backed proposals, made in February, to set a deadline of June 30 2017 for each member state to provide a detailed plan for how it will allocate the band to mobile operators, under harmonized pan-EU rules. The deadline to adopt 700 MHz as a mobile band will be 2020. The Council has said EU countries must reassign the 700 MHz band (694-790 MHz) to enable wireless broadband services by June 30 2020, though there is some…