The third meeting of the expert working group on Mobile Connectivity (Mobile EWG) was held in Brussels last 11 April.
The group is meant to produce a joint BEREC/RSPG report on mobile connectivity in ‘challenge areas’ which, among other aspects, should include a comprehensive and comparative analysis of initiatives to facilitate mobile connectivity in ‘challenge areas’ where mobile operators may be reluctant to implement it. A description of allocated frequencies and mobile coverage obligations will be included.
The ‘challenge areas’ being considered for provision of mobile coverage were revised. The topic of ‘mobile coverage problems in border areas’ was removed, as there are already mechanisms to resolve the matter in other groups such as the RSPG and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).
Regarding the monitoring of mobile network coverage, entirely the responsibility of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), the result should be a common position on monitoring that coverage, given that the various national regulatory authorities use different definitions and metrics for mobile coverage, whereby it would be beneficial to reach a common understanding on the respective definition and measurement.
Mobile EWG made use of the work produced by CEPT on monitoring mobile network coverage, especially ECC Report 231 on “Mobile Coverage Obligations”, regarding which this meeting considered the responses to a questionnaire (albeit in summary form) meant to update the information in ECC Report 231.
The group is also responsible for the subject of ‘spectrum needs to promote innovation in Europe’, which will result in a joint BEREC/RSPG workshop that was postponed and should now be held in 2018. The issues to consider during the workshop were reviewed and for the time being are the following:
- innovation versus licence type;
- geographic sharing of spectrum among ‘macro’ operators (with nationwide geographic coverage) and ‘micro’ operators (with coverage at regional level) and which hold spectrum;
- user interoperability between private and public networks and via different technologies or frequency bands;
- neutrality of technology and services allowing multiple services (fixed and mobile 4G) and using multiple technologies.
