The 43rd ECC plenary meeting was held last 15-18 November in Prague and approved the CEPT roadmap for fifth generation mobile internet (5G).
Several decisions were also made concerning spectrum use and responses established for European Commission (EC) mandates concerning various electronic communication sectors, of which the following stand out:
- CEPT roadmap for 5G – this document sets out the CEPT action lines for 5G, taking into account what the various stakeholders manifested during the workshop on the subject held in early November in Mainz, Germany. It also identifies (where relevant) the ECC’s activities and areas it considers to have future development. In response to one of the objectives outlined in the document, the ECC created a new working item for a harmonisation decision that establishes technical conditions for introducing 5G in the 26 GHz band;
- Activities associated to mobile networks – the ECC approved for publication Report 254 which contains operational action lines for supporting implementation of the framework for mobile/fixed communications networks (MFCN) in the frequency band between 3.6 GHz and 3.8 GHz. The ECC also created new working items for development of a system for an MFCN channel arrangement and less restrictive conditions for the 1427-1452 MHz and 1492-1518 MHz frequency bands;
- Mobile communications on board aircraft – the ECC updated its regulatory framework for such communications with approval for publication of the revision of Decision (06)07 for harmonised use of the global system for mobile communications and long term evolution on board aircraft in the 1710-1785 MHz and 1805-1880 MHz frequency bands, and mobile third generation communication systems on board aircraft in the 1920-1980 MHz and 2110-2170 MHz frequency bands. The plenary meeting also approved for publication Report 63 for the EC in response to the mandate to “conduct technical studies with a view to possible optional use of a network control unit on board aircraft capable of using mobile communications”;
- Low power short range devices (SRDs) – the ECC approved for public consultation a draft addendum to Report 59 in response to the permanent EC mandate on “annual updating of the technical annex of the Commission Decision on technical harmonisation of radio spectrum for use by short range devices”. This addendum includes proposals that offer the possibility of a harmonisation approach for SRDs in the 870-876 MHz and 915-921 MHz frequency bands, also taking into account new available opportunities in the 862-868 MHz band;
- Other issues – the ECC approved Report 64 for publication and forwarding to the EC in response to the mandate to study and identify harmonised compatibility and sharing conditions for wireless access systems, including radio local area networks (RLANs) in the 5350-5470 MHz and 5725-5925 MHz bands (WAS/RLAN extension bands) to supply wireless broadband services. The report concludes that it is currently not possible to specify any appropriate operational compatibility and/or mitigation techniques and sharing conditions that enable WAS/RLAN operation in the 5350-5470 MHz and 5725-5925 MHz bands while at the same time ensuring relevant protection of incumbent services in those bands.
