London hosted last 4 May the first meeting of the RSPG working group (WG) on European Spectrum Strategy, chaired by Philip Marnick (Ofcom, United Kingdom) and attended by representatives from ten member states as well as the European Commission.
This WG was set up in response to the fast pace of technology changes and market dynamics, especially in the area of wireless communications, namely due to the introduction of 5G mobile services. The aim is thus for the RSPG to delineate ‘European thinking’ on spectrum strategy, aiming to anticipate not just emerging technologies but also the evolution of those technologies and the markets where they will be implemented.
The meeting basically focused on the group’s ‘rationale’ and on preliminary brainstorming discussion. A first list of topics to be analysed was also drawn up. It was emphasised that despite the inherent difficulty of establishing a long-term (20-30 years) vision, it will primarily be important to determine as specifically as possible the anticipated issues/problems in that time period which need to be resolved.
Also noteworthy were the discussions on the importance of harmonisation, the creation of new mechanisms for allocation/usage of spectrum and the growing need for spectrum sharing. With respect to harmonisation, aspects such as their importance and the adjustment of the harmonisation process to the current framework for development of services and technologies were discussed. This question is expected to continue being crucial in the middle/long term in so far as it permits advantages (especially for consumers) in terms of economies of scale and interoperability. Much progress has been made at technical level, particularly regarding the response (usually timely) to market requirements. It was also noted that new spectrum management approaches have been developed in the last decade, including market mechanisms for spectrum allocation, implementation of principles for neutrality of technology and services, spectrum trading and leasing. Regarding spectrum sharing, it was stressed that the most efficient use will require implementation of technically and regulatory mechanisms that facilitate it.
