16.5. MCE - Monitorização e controlo do espectro (Monitoring and Control of the Spectrum)

In line with its market oversight activities, in its frequency management activities, ICP-ANACOM also engaged in preventative and reactive enforcement.

Preventive actions are aimed at confirming compliance with the regulations associated with spectrum management and the operating conditions applicable to radio networks and stations; preventive actions also serve to compile information on the ground to assist the activities of spectrum planning and radio network and station licensing. Of the enforcement actions conducted in this area, around 74% of the 58 cases were referred to litigation, resulting in the instigation of breach proceedings.

Reactive actions are all those that are not instigated upon ICP-ANACOM's initiative, but are triggered by external request. Of reactive actions conducted, 26% of cases were referred to litigation.

Of a total of 1,025 external requests, 531 relate to interference and culminated with the issuance of technical amendment orders to restore normal conditions.

Of the remaining 734, about 37 per cent relate to inspections focusing on radio stations and networks with around 26% of these cases referred to litigation.

The following table presents details of the reactive activity developed on the mainland territory in 2012. 

Source: ICP-ANACOM.

During 2011, ICP-ANACOM was called on to resolve 531 cases of interference, with 49% related to difficulties involving digital and analogue television signal reception.

ICP-ANACOM also resolved around 112 situations of interference affecting the networks of public mobile operators. Such situations are particularly important due to their impact on the economic activity and life of citizens (given the land mobile service's high rate of penetration in Portugal).

During 2012, ICP-ANACOM received 42 interference processes regarding communications of the aeronautical mobile service, making up 8% of all interference situations reported.

The following cases were associated with ICP-ANACOM's international and institutional representation of Portugal: a) 100 cases of international cooperation with counterpart authorities and b) 126 cases of cooperation with national agencies, e.g. PSP, GNR and ERC.

ICP-ANACOM also conducted monitoring, on a regular basis, at entertainment, sports and/or official short-duration events, which is an activity that has significant bearing on the regulator's international image. In addition to the main objective of ensuring that the communications of licensed users do not suffer interference problems (which significantly decreases demands on ICP-ANACOM's reactive activity in this regard), this type of activity has resulted in a very significant increase in "temporary" licensing granted by ICP-ANACOM.

ICP-ANACOM also made a contribution to the organisation of the Olympic Games in London in 2012, with spectrum management staff taking part in two teams charged with monitoring and controlling the spectrum and in particular resolving problems of interference/abnormalities in the various systems making use of the radio spectrum.

By the end of 2012, the spectrum monitoring and control department had also received 1,621 enquiries related to non-ionizing radiation, calling for analysis of specific situations. 1,603 investigations were concluded (involving analyses at 237 educational establishments), many of which involved on-site measurements.

The results point to values which are at least 50 times lower than the reference levels of power density stipulated in Administrative Rule no. 1421/2004 of 23 November. 57 situations were found which did not, at the outset, guarantee levels 50 times lower than the reference levels. However, in all cases, compliance of the reference levels was guaranteed. All the persons or entities requesting evaluations were informed of the respective findings.