F' Greco, DG INFSO,

1
Radio Spectrum Policy in the European Union F.
Greco, European Commission
Disclaimer the views expressed are those of
the author and cannot be regarded as stating an
official position of the European Commission
2
Introduction

• Strategic Importance of Spectrum
• EU Policy Objectives Challenges
• EU Policies dependent on Spectrum
• Allocation Harmonisation
• Spectrum Management Models
• EU Regulation and Process
• Two issues Secondary Trading PLC

3
An Essential Infrastructure
astronomy
military
GSM
UWB
FWA
broadcasting
RMR
Bluetooth
DECT
cars
Fixed links
utilities
SPECTRUM
environment
GALILEO
DVB
TTC
TLC operators
ships
PMR
DAB
RADAR
planes
hospitals
3G
Wi-FI
Civil Protection
Wireless sensors
4
The Spectrum Bottleneck
UWB
RMR
hospitals
Bluetooth
Civil Protection
utilities
DECT
astronomy
Fixed
FWA
cars
PLC
GSM
broadcasting
SPECTRUM
DVB
Galileo
PMR
TLC operators
military
DAB
3G
Wi-FI
ships
RADAR
planes
The REGULATOR
TTC
environment
Sensors
5
Policy Objectives

• Objectives of EU Spectrum Policy
• Support other Policies by the timely availability
  of sufficient harmonised spectrum in the EU
• Contribute to a modern approach to spectrum
  management in Europe
• Remove the bottleneck!

6
Policy Challenges

• Reconcile national competence with EU coherence
• Balance the competing spectrum needs of different
  EU/EC policies
• Improve allocation harmonisation while providing
  for more usage flexibility
• Find the right mix of spectrum management
  approaches

7
Sectorial EU Policies

• Broadband mobile/wireless
• GSM, 3G, FWA, RLAN, PMR, UWB
• Comms. Satellites
• Audiovisual
• DVB, DAB, DRM
• Convergent systems
• IP datacasting

Information Society
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Sectorial EU Policies II

• Comms. SATELLITES
• Mobile-fixed-broadcasting
• Environment SATELLITES
• GMES, EESS, Meteosat
• GALILEO
• Space Science

European Space
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Sectorial EU Policies III

• Single European Sky
• ATM ( GBAS...)
• Maritime Safety
• GMDSS
• Road Safety Vehicle Control
• automotive SRRs, EFC...
• Railways Interoperability
• GSM-R

Transport Policy
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Sectorial EU Policies IV

• Civil Protection Cooperation
• PPDR, avalanche beacons...
• eHealth
• medical telemetry, inductive devices...
• Social Inclusion
• wireless hearing aids, social alarms...
• Scientific Research
• Radio astronomy, radar imaging

11
Horizontal EU Policies
Overcome Single Market barriers

Remove External Trade obstacles

Support Market Competition

Foster Innovation via RTD
IMPACT
Spectrum allocation assignment
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THE EUROPEAN SPECTRUM PLAN



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EU Spectrum Allocation Harmonisation

• Single Market Effects
• greater economies of scale
• more competition
• less cross-border interference
• more pan-European networks
• more roaming

• -
• One Size does not fit All
• less flexibility to fit local markets
• spectrum under- or over-utilization
• refarming costs
• unequal benefits

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Spectrum Management Models
Economists
Engineers
Avoid Interference!
Maximise Value!
Regulators
Licence-free (a.k.a. the COMMONS) Nobody
knows best - No Legal Protection - Technical
Protection - High flexibility - Pro-
Innovation - Optimists
Command Control (a.k.a. GOSPLAN) - Gov.
knows best - first come, first served - Beauty
Contests - Low flexibility - Pro Government
Property Rights (a.k.a. the MARKET) - Market
knows best - Auctions/2ndary trading - High
flexibility - Pro Big Business
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A Market For Spectrum
Efficient Use
Common Rules
Enforcement
"Market Mechanisms"
PRICING
TRADING
AUCTIONS
REFARMING
INFORMATION
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The EU Spectrum Black Hole
AUTHORISATION Directive
FRAMEWORK Directive
COMPETITION Directive
?
RTTE/EMC Directives
Efficient Use of Spectrum
GATS TLC Ref. Paper
SINGLE SKY Regulation, etc.
Avoid Harmful Interference
Effective Management
Proportionate, non-discriminatory
Objective, transparent
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The EU Communications Framework
Framework Directive (Art. 95)
Liberalisation Directive (Art. 86)
Spectrum Decision (Art. 95)
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Spectrum Policy v. Communications Regulation

Spectrum Decision (676/2002/EC)
Regulation for communication sector

• Covers
• radio spectrum policy aspects for all sectors
• radio spectrum access and usage conditions
  and their harmonization (allocation)
• Deals inter alia with
• communications sector -
• spectrum is pre-requisite

• Covers
• all communications networks and communications
  services
• not content services

Deals inter alia with rights to use scarce
resources such as spectrum (assignment)
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Radio Spectrum Decision

• Platform for deciding availability of spectrum
  for all relevant EU policies (allocation
  harmonisation)
• Incorporation in EU framework - legal certainty
• information on spectrum use and availability
• anchors relationship with CEPT via mandates
• consolidates European position in international
  spectrum allocation process (WRC) see
  COM(2003)707
• excludes assignment and licensing

21
Radio Spectrum Committee (RSC)

• Created by the Spectrum Decision (676/2002/EC)
• decides on spectrum allocation harmonisation
  which is legally binding to Member States of the
  EU (Commission Decisions)
• members are national administration delegates
  (EEA accession countries ECC ETSI as
  observers) Commission chairs
• Current and pending allocation harmonisation
  activities
• RLAN
• UWB and SRR
• IMT-2000
• ERMES and TFTS
• SRDs
• PPDR
• http//forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/infso/radios
  pectrum/home

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Radio Spectrum Policy Group(RSPG)

• Created by Commission RSPG Decision
  (2002/622/EC)
• delivers advice (no decision power) consensus
  working style
• members high-level Member State administration
  representatives with consolidated national
  view Commission representative DG of INFSO
• Current issues
• Spectrum implications of analogue-to-digital
  broadcasting switchover
• Secondary trading of spectrum
• EU policy context for WRC-07
• RSPG work programme at http//rspg.groups.eu.int

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Secondary Trading of Spectrum

• Allowed by Framework Directive (Article 9) and by
  Authorisation Directive (Article 5), subject to
• trading notifications to the RA and made public
• no competition distortion
• no change of use of EU-harmonised spectrum
• Different spectrum management philosophies will
  lead to divergent national approaches
• Single Market and other EU policy considerations
  may require a degree of coordination or
  approximation in the EU. Possible examples
• guidelines - best practices
• sector-specific measures
• common availability and format of trading
  information
• possibility of long-term refarming to
  EU-harmonised uses
• possible ex-ante / ex-post competition safeguards
  and guidelines

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Policy example PLC

• Policy foster competition in broadband access
  networks
• Context Lisbon goals, eEurope
• Spectrum Policy Goal support this EU policy
• However, support also other EU policies, such as
• Audiovisual policy HF radio, DRM
• Single European Sky air navigation radars et al.
• Scientific research radio astronomy
• Challenge satisfy ALL these policies,
  quickly!

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Conclusions

• Radio spectrum is a key enabler for many European
  policies
• New EU dimension can add value
• co-ordination of spectrum approaches
• policy input rather than technical decisions
• foster modernisation
• introduce legal certainty
• support innovative technologies and services
• Long-term harmonised spectrum requirements are
  now being addressed by EU mechanisms (RSPG and
  RSC)
• It is important for the utilities community to
  participate in this framework!

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• Frank.greco_at_cec.eu.int
• http//europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/
  radio_spectrum/index_en.htm