The EC having already published its snappily-named Wireless Access Platforms for Electronic Communications Services (WAPECS) mandate, the focus in 2007 was on producing technical specifications for generic licenses.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 Review - Smooth ride to adoption of generic licenses
Progress towards generic licensing on a EU-wide basis encountered minor glitches during the course of the year, but there were no major dramas.
2007 Review - Reding fails to get Council support for DVB-H
In the face of widespread opposition Information society commissioner Viviane Reding failed to get DVB-H recognised as the sole European standard for mobile TV.
Early in the year Reding took most people by surprise when she threatened to mandate DVB-H as the sole standard if member states did not get their act together and throw their weight behind the European standard.
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Friday, December 28, 2007
Review of 2007 - Foundations laid for mass-market UWB
Usage of unlicensed spectrum using both ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in the 3.4 to 9GHz part of the spectrum and WirelessHD technology at 60GHz crept tantalisingly closer in Europe during 2007.
In February the way was theoretically cleared for a mass market in ultra-wideband (UWB) products to develop in Europe, as is already happening in the US and Japan, when the EC UWB decision was published. The decision aims to "allow the use of the radio spectrum for equipment using UWB technology in a harmonised manner in the community".
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Monday, December 24, 2007
Swedish regulator releases terms for 2.6GHz auction
The Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) has announced two separate spectrum auctions to be held in the first half of 2008.
These will be for licenses to provide wireless services in the 2.6GHz band and the 1900 to 1905MHz band.
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Friday, December 21, 2007
January 2008 printed issue available for download
Our top story this month is the boost for cognitive radio contained in the UK regulator's plans for the digital dividend.
Also in this issue we look at the politics behind the delay in repealing the GSM directive and the concern about protecting the scientific services vital in predicting natural disasters and preventing global warming.
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Sweden decides on allocation of the digital dividend
Swedish government says upper UHF bands should be for non-broadcast services but leaves the details up to the regulator.
The Swedish government has now decided what to do with the spectrum freed up from switching off analogue broadcasting signals, the so-called digital dividend. Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to complete the switch from analogue to digital in mid-October 2007, a few weeks after neighbouring Finland became the second country to do so.
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Consultation: Approach to auctioning 2500 - 2690 MHz and 2010 - 2025 MHz
The proposed auction rules and procedures for the award of 2500 - 2690 MHz and 2010 - 2025 MHz. The draft regulations have also been published. The auction will be held in summer 2008.
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Consultation: Response to European Commission WAPECS mandate
Recommendations on a generic, technology and service neutral approach to licensing in 470 to 862MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, the 2GHz bands, 2500 to 2690MHz and 3.4 to 3.8GHz. The report concludes that all these bands should be suitable "for the introduction of flexibility".
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
EEC meeting approves WAPECS report for consultation
European regulators agree a draft framework for technology neutral licensing in GSM frequencies; 2.6GHz "3G expansion band" and in the TV frequencies.
The European telecoms regulators organisation's working group SE42 has presented its report responding to the European Commission's mandate to CEPT "to develop least restrictive technical conditions for frequency bands addressed in the context of Wireless Access Platforms for Electronic Communications Services (WAPECS)" to an EEC meeting in Amsterdam.
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Cognitive radio gets headstart in Europe
With Europe's regulators close to making a recommendation on cognitive radio Ofcom has adopted the US approach of allowing the technology to be used in the TV bands provided it doesn't cause interference.
The Open Spectrum foundation, which lobbies for the removal of unnecessary restrictions on the use of frequencies, asked Ofcom to set aside 24MHz of released analogue TV frequencies for unlicensed use. This request was refused in the UK regulators long awaited Digital Dividend Review (DDR) statement, which was published on December 13.
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Grant to improve Europe's flow of satellite earth-observation data
On 18 December the the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced a €48M grant to ensure the effective supply of the earth observation data collected from space.
On 18 December the the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced a €48M grant to ensure the effective supply of the earth observation data collected from space. The data will be sent to the <a href=http://www.gmes.info/index.php?id=home>Global Monitoring for Environment and Security</a> (GMES) service, a European initiative which collates up-to-date and accurate information about the state of the planet. This can then be used as the basis for decisions on environmental and security issues by governments, companies and individuals. GMES beings its test phase in 2008.
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New efforts to safeguard space services used to predict disasters
With the next World Radio Conference due to examine whether the growth of short range devices could cause interference scientists are rallying regulators for better protection of the space-based sensing systems which monitor global warming.
Passive sensors can operate in the earth exploration-satellite service or in the space research service and in a variety of frequency bands. Protecting passive sensing from other services is critical to its proper functioning, said Tom von Deak, spectrum project manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Spectrum Management Office, speaking in a personal capacity. Active services can negatively impact reception of naturally occurring, very low-level radio waves that allow measurement of ocean salinity, soil moisture, water vapor, wind, ice, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other areas, he said. The naturally occurring emissions only occur in specific ranges. "That's why Radio Regulations are very important for passive sensors," van Deak said during a December 10 to 11 Remote Sensing Workshop at ITU. All objects emit radio waves, which convey information, he said.
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Repeal of GSM directive delayed
The agreement between EU member states to allow 900MHz and 1800MHz to be used for technologies other than 2G has not been passed into law as expected because of procedural objections raised by the European Parliament.
The European Parliament has delayed consideration of the European Commission proposal to repeal the 1987 GSM Directive, saying the matter should be handled in the context of the overhaul of EU telecommunications regulations. While there is no substantive disagreement between the Commission and Parliament over the plan, the issue has been caught up in a power struggle between the two institutions, a parliamentary source said. Nevertheless, both sides said they were confident the issue could be resolved before final action on the telecom package.
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https://www.policytracker.com/headlines/repeal-of-gsm-directive-delayed
Friday, December 14, 2007
Mobile TV advances despite lack of consumer interest
The European Commission and many others are convinced that mobile TV is a major opportunity for the region but new research suggests a challenging business model.
The European Commission may think mobile TV is the "next big thing" but market research shows a "pretty dire" scenario for the service, European Broadcasting Union spectrum advisor Phil Laven said recently. There are commercial offerings in Italy and Finland but their statistics are less than encouraging, he said. Laven's pessimism found support in a recent U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) digital dividend review which found mobile TV last on consumers' wish list of services. Nevertheless, plans for new offerings are moving ahead.
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
Ofcom sticks to market principles but throws in a few surprises
The Digital Dividend Review concludes that released frequencies should be auctioned but makes an exception for wireless mics. There is unexpected support for cognitive radio and local TV but the 'innovation reserve' is rejected.
Ofcom this morning released the outcome of its two year long Digital Dividend Review process. Its conclusions on the use of the released frequencies follow the expected market-orientated lines. "It is right to retain our presumption against intervening to limit the use of spectrum," says the foreword to the <a href=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/ddr/>Digital Dividend Review (DDR) statement</a> "In rapidly changing and converging markets, we think that the market is better placed than the regulator to determine the best uses of spectrum, including the digital dividend," it continues.
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Friday, December 07, 2007
Joint task group created to investigate sharing broadcasting and mobile services
The preparatory meeting for WRC-2011 has set up a special body to study broadcast/mobile band sharing . Engineers will also be examining the possibility of interference from large numbers short range devices.
The process of getting ready for the next World Radio Conference in 2011 began only a few days after WRC-07 ended. Half of the 38 radiocommunication services, along with enhancing the radiocommunication regulatory framework, are wrapped up in the WRC 2011 agenda. About 175 officials from 54 countries and 15 companies met on November 19 and 20 during a Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) to plan work during the next four years.
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Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Can the Framework Review proposals be approved in time?
Ministers say the Commission's plans will need to be debated throughout the next two Presidencies, making it a very tight timetable to achieve agreement before the 2009 European elections.
When the European Commission presented its proposals on the review of the regulatory framework for electronic communications and services to the Council of the European Union on November 29, it was soon apparent that telecoms ministers had the same reservations as earlier expressed by many national regulators.
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Council of Ministers: one meeting but two different stories
InfoSoc Commissioner Viviane Reding says the Council of Ministers has backed her pro-DVB-H strategy for mobile TV; the ministers themselves say they want technology neutrality.
At a press conference on Nov 29, following a Council of the European Union meeting of telecommunications ministers, Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, proclaimed it "a good day for Europe's single market and European consumers".
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