ECC PT1 - Viareggio

The 20th meeting of project team 1 of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC PT1) was held on 10-12 April in Viareggio, Italy, and was attended by more participants than ever before, which is indicative of the group?s growing importance ahead of the upcoming 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-07). PT1 covers all issues concerning the future evolution of IMT-2000 and systems beyond and co-ordinates European contributions and their positions regarding spectrum, regulatory and sharing/compatibility questions vis-à-vis WP8F of the Radiocommunications Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R). The group?s responsibility for preparing the CEPT positions for items 1.4 and 1.9 of WRC-07 particularly stands out.
 
The most significant issues at this meeting involved debate about the principles for standardising IMT (designating the inherent capacities of IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced) and about the compatibility studies with a view to implementing IMT-Advanced. 
 
As at the last meeting, there continued to be divergent positions with regard to the eventual guidelines for standardising IMT. On the one hand there is a position that relegates the ITU to a less important role when compared with the process that led to determination of the IMT-2000 specifications. It is proposed that IMT-Advanced standardisation be an industry-led process. On the other, it is advocated that the ITU should be the only body with the responsibility of recommending standards for IMT. IMT-Advanced standardisation would thus occur following the submission of proposals to the ITU and their evaluation, with a view to ?creating consensus? around as few as possible radio interfaces, in order to promote economies of scale, global roaming and common functions.
 
As for the compatibility studies, note that same cover such diverse areas as digital television (DVB) and fixed satellite service (FSS). The debate is still in an initial phase, given that the necessary technical parameters of IMT-Advanced are still being determined.
 
A vice chair was appointed at this meeting to replace Pavel Mamchenkov of Russia, with the choice falling on ANACOM?s representative at the meeting, Jaime Afonso.