The 83rd meeting of CEPT’s Frequency Management Working Group (WG FM) took place last 18-22 May in the Germany city of Dresden, chaired by Thomas Weilacher of Germany. The 100 delegates represented 31 administrations, the European Commission (EC), the European Communications Office (ECO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 13 international organisations.
The following stand out among issues dealt with at this meeting:
- approval of a draft CEPT report meant to respond to the last part of the EC mandate on 2.3 GHz (Harmonised technical conditions for the 2300-2400 MHz (2.3 GHz) frequency band in the EU for the provision of wireless broadband electronic communications services). This draft report has already undergone public consultation, whereby the consolidated version will be submitted to the ECC for final approval and forwarding to the EC;
- debate and approval of the revision of three ECC decisions on: (i) harmonisation of exam material for obtaining the General Operator Certificate (GOC) and Restricted Operator Certificate (ROC); (ii) national frequency allocation tables; and (iii) ITS. The approved texts will also be submitted to the ECC for final approval and publication;
- approval of four new draft decisions which were placed in public consultation and the responses analysed and considered in the texts: on (i) broadband direct air-to-ground communications in the frequency band 1900-1920 MHz; (ii) broadband direct air-to-ground communications in the frequency band 5855-5875 MHz; (iii) harmonised use, free circulation and exemption from individual licensing of land and maritime Earth stations on mobile platforms (ESOMPs) operating with NGSO FSS satellite systems in the frequency range 17.3-20.2 GHz, 27.5-29.1 GHz and 29.5-30.5 GHz; and (iv) the harmonised frequency range 446.0-446.2 MHz, technical characteristics, exemption from individual licensing and free carriage and use of analogue and digital PMR 446 applications. The approved texts will likewise be submitted to the ECC for final approval and publication;
- approval after lengthy debate of draft ECC Report 218 on broadband PPDR, for placement in public consultation. An extraordinary WG FM meeting with the agenda limited to this matter has been scheduled for 1-2 October so that the draft report can be completed before the end of 2015.
The next ordinary WG FM meeting will be held in February 2016.
