The second meeting of the RSPG working group on European Spectrum Strategy (RSPG) was held last 21 June in London, chaired by Philip Marnick (Ofcom) and attended by representatives of France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal (Jaime Afonso, ANACOM). The European commission was also represented.
As indicated in the RSPG’s working programme for 2018, discussions will be held on middle/long term spectrum strategy, owing to the fast pace of technology changes and market dynamics, particularly in the area of wireless communications due to the introduction of 5G mobile services. The aim is thus for the RSPG to determine ‘European thinking’ about a spectrum strategy, aiming to anticipate not just emerging technologies but also the evolution of those technologies and the markets where they will be implemented. Based on those discussions a report will be produced, containing a list of specific items that should be subject to follow-up. That work will be facilitated by several high-level workshops led by the RSPG.
Given the nature of such meetings, namely their short duration and the type of issues dealt with, the focus is mainly on brainstorming. The specific subjects eventually identified are not subject to very detailed discussion.
At this meeting the various aspects inherent to the group’s objective were reiterated, namely the importance of having a long term vision, particularly regarding shared spectrum use, mechanisms for authorising/allocating same and its harmonisation. Although mobile networks (headed by 5G) end up determining the pace of discussions on spectrum, it is noteworthy that other uses also increasingly play a crucial role, especially fixed service/radio networks (this is a factor to bear in mind as a backbone for the mobile networks’ success), satellite networks (which are/can be complementary to terrestrial 5G) and scientific services (whose (European) investments can eventually be affected by 5G if interference occurs in those networks).
It was accordingly concluded that the vision on spectrum management should take various facets of ‘future society’ into account, covering not just mobile networks but also other sectors (e.g. space, science, emergency).
One subject the discussion focused on was ‘innovation’, particularly with a view to satisfying the access and use of spectrum by various interested parties. The mechanisms that can be implemented (from the standpoint of regulation and/or spectrum use by incumbents) encompass aspects such as identification of spectrum sharing techniques, incumbents’ business models that leave ‘room’ for another type of use/‘users’ and measures that facilitate spectrum transferability and leasing. It was mentioned that there is still a relatively long way to go to create ‘trust’ among spectrum users regarding shared use of same. Although there was an initial boom (especially with the advent of white spaces), the most advanced aspects of spectrum sharing have prevailed in very few European countries. It was highlighted that although the United States seems to be more advanced, its situation is different from both the legal and technical standpoint. On the other hand, Europe is still learning ‘lessons’ regarding the implementation of systems with smart functions (e.g. the dynamic frequency selection (DFS) technique in 5 GHz); various cases of interference caused in radars, typically weather radars, have also occurred.
Also mentioned was the importance of harmonisation, given that it has been key in the European context, enabling, among others, significant gains in terms of economies of scale and interoperability. In any case, it is understood that that process does not resolve (nor is that its objective) the availability of spectrum per se in the various national markets. Indeed, that process is associated to demand and the size of each country’s national market, whose discussion should be seen at a more all-encompassing level, e.g. the stimulus created and sector policies in each country. It is nevertheless important that the availability of spectrum and its use should be accompanied by a regulatory framework that facilitates market mechanisms, such as spectrum trading and leasing.
Bearing in mind the diverse nature of the issues and their complexity, this group realised it would be important during this phase to listen to the most important stakeholders. It therefore decided to schedule a meeting in workshop format, whose arrangement will be determined later. It will be an opportunity for key players to directly indicate their opinions about the current framework and future perspectives in the area of spectrum management. In this regard, by means of elements still to identify, the RSPG will give several presentations to contribute to the discussion, addressing questions such as those indicated above.
A workshop is expected to be held in September (5/6) as well as a meeting of this working group.
