Brussels hosted on 19 February the 33rd meeting of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG). The following issues stand out among those discussed:
Preparation of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15)
The third interim report of this working group responsible for preparing the Word Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) was presented. The group has begun discussing the development of preliminary elements for the common political goals, especially regarding main items that may be proposed in the wake of technical studies carried out in the scope of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).
The group's members hold that the current conference preparation process is very effective from the standpoint of defending community policies.
A consolidated report is expected this autumn.
Bilateral coordination
The report on work carried out by the group was presented, of which the following stand out:
- continuity of efforts to analyse incompatibilities between various countries such as Italy/Malta, Italy/France and Germany/Belgium;
- reduction of interference originating in Italy.
Wireless broadband
The European Commission (EC) representative gave a short summary of recent developments regarding the new single market regulations. This new legislation should be closed in the autumn.
Updated RSPG working programme
A new draft working programme was presented following the respective public consultation which ended on 6 January; it was unanimously approved.
One change due to the comments received was included in the new working programme: a new study item on wireless backhaul transport networks - an opinion request will be drawn up by correspondence for approval at the next meeting.
Long term strategy on the future of the UHF bands
The EC's representative gave a brief report on establishment of the high level group that will examine the future of the ultra high frequency (UHF) band. The group's first meeting was held in January 2014; the final report is expected in July 2014. Note that this group will provide no public information before finishing the work.
The RSPG working group that will produce an opinion on the future of the UHF band was formally set up; ANACOM's Luísa Mendes was appointed rapporteur.
The EC mentioned the need for good cooperation between the Commission and that working group, urging a holistic approach to the UHF band and that the work should be associated to the future of broadcasting. In this regard the three related pillars set out below should be analysed:
- potential convergence and respective cost-benefit analysis;
- spectrum management options;
- how to protect consumer rights from the standpoint of existing migration scenarios linked to innovation.
Allocation and efficient use of spectrum
The EC's representative put into context the report request that will be drawn up by this new working group, identifying the connection to new legislation on the telecoms single market (TSM) and the need to cooperate with the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) in this area.
The various tasks to consider in the report were identified, specifically the conditions for requesting spectrum for future wireless broadband (WBB) networks and best practices with respect to the spectrum allocation process and usage conditions.
The group plans to hold a joint RSPG/BEREC workshop in the second half of 2014 to discuss several topics of common interest.
Consultation meeting with the defence sector
Ahead of the 11 June 2014 meeting proposals were put forward to set that gathering's agenda.
Various issues associated to the defence sector were discussed, specifically the pertinence of discussing such subjects in the RSPG, spectrum's importance for defence policies and how they should integrate the spectrum inventory, possible spectrum sharing between the defence sector and other activity sectors, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agreement now being revised.
Proposals will be exchanged by email to work out the meeting's format and its agenda. The chair asked the countries to make proposals for speakers on behalf of the ministries of defence (MoDs).
Commission activities associated to spectrum
The next RSPG meeting will be held in Brussels on 12 June 2014.
