Amsterdam hosted last 17-21 December the 18th meeting of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC), attended by about 30 administrations and various observers.
The following decisions stand out among the subjects covered at the Committee meeting:
- Approval of Decision ECC/DEC(07)04 on ''free circulation and use of mobile satellite terminals operating in the Mobile-Satellite Service allocations in the frequency range 1-3 GHz'', with 25 administrations manifesting their intention to implement same;
- Approval of Decision ECC/DEC(07)05 on ''exemption from individual licensing of land mobile satellite terminals operating in the Mobile-Satellite Service allocations in the frequency range 1-3 GHz'', with 27 administrations manifesting their intention to implement same;
- Approval of holding of a public consultation on the draft decision to revoke the Decisions ERC/DEC(01)04, ERC/DEC(01)09, ERC/DEC(01)13, ERC/DEC(01)15 and ERC/DEC(01)18, all concerning short range devices (SRDs);
- Approval of the CEPT Reports on the Wireless Access Policy for Electronic Communication Services (WAPECS) and on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), and their submission to the Commission, as well as holding the consequent public consultations;
- Approval of the complementary interim CEPT Report on ultra wide band (UWB) and its submission to the Commission;
- Approval of the supplementary CEPT Report for Report B on the digital dividend, as the Final CEPT Report in addition to the response to the Commission mandate on ''Technical options for the use of a harmonised sub-band in the band 470-862 MHz for fixed/mobile applications (including uplinks)'', and its submission to the Commission.
Standing out among the various matters debated and analysed are:
- Approval of continuity of the group ECC PT1 and its position in the ECC framework, given the relevance and importance of the work it has been carrying out; the group's mandate and work programme were nevertheless revised;
- The presentation on adjusting the Frequency Information System (EFIS) to the requirements of Decision 2007/344/EC - the information on spectrum use should become available as of 1 January 2008 and be subject to annual updating until 2010, and twice a year from that year on;
- Presentation of the database of the working programme of the ECC and subordinate entities;
- Presentation of the new documental database of the European Radiocommunications Office (ERO) with respect to ECC decisions and other deliverables, with indication of the related European Commission (EC) decisions.
Also approved was mandating the ECC chairman to sign letters of understanding (LoU) with the GSM Association (GSMA/GSME). Agreement was likewise reached to carry out a similar process with the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the Forum for Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE).
As the second term of ECC Chairman Chris van Diepenbeck had come to an end, this plenary session elected Thomas Ewers of Germany as the new Committee chairman for the next three years. The 2007 Conference Preparatory Group (CPG-07) cycle was also completed with the holding of WRC-07; Eric Fournier of France was elected as the new CPG chairman to prepare the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2011. The chair of the Frequency Management working group (WG FM) will be maintained until the next ECC plenary meeting, which will elect the next head of that WG.
The next plenary meeting will be held in the German city of Dresden on 10-14 March 2008.
