Germany's new "campus network" spectrum regime is the first step towards this. It isn't true free access for everyone, but it makes approx 90 MHz of usable mobi

Germany's new "campus network" spectrum regime is the first step towards this. It isn't true free access for everyone, but it makes approx 90 MHz of usable mobile spectrum in the ~3.5 GHz band available. The Netherlands has had around 5 MHz of DECT guardband spectrum available for private use, which is also useful. The UK has announced a new way to "share" access to 3.3 MHz of DECT guardband (plus 10 MHz of 2.3 GHz, and any unused mobile operator spectrum). Coverage blackspots are definitely a problem, but with these moves, maybe we can see some initiatives like these helping? The biggest challenge is likely in getting incumbent operators (paying billions for spectrum) to work with people willing to build these kinds of networks - until that happens adoption may struggle, and it is hard to onboard users and create good business models. Spectrum was definitely a barrier but in rural areas in northern Europe, hopefully this will be less of an issue going forward.