Dive Brief:
- Last year, the FCC released a final rule which would allocate spectrum for mobile body area networks (MBANs), which are wireless systems using wearable sensors to monitor patients' vital signs.
- The agency is now focused on expanding the availability of radio frequency bands for mobile health innovation, including use of MBANs, for both licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
- The new spectrum allocated by the FCC can be used by MBANs; the MBANs will use the newly allocated spectrum to form a wireless network, aggregate information and transmit data to a central computer.
Dive Insight:
What's fun and interesting about all of this is that the FCC isn't just focused on the MBAN, as intriguing as it may be. Instead, the agency seems to be taking a broader view, in which it will allocate spectrum for mobile medical applications used on smartphones and tablets. This is great news for the mHealth community, which is expanding at a rapid rate. With the FCC's support, some big things may happen in 2014 for mobile health.