5G ENSURE has received funding from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 under grant agreement No 671562 | Duration November 2015 / October 2017
Submitted by s.parker on February 2, 2016
2 February 2016 - Today, the European Commission has made an important step towards what many regard as the single market’s most important precondition - at least from a telecoms point of view: spectrum harmonisation so that devices can be moved (and applications maintained) across borders.
The proposal is to coordinate the use of the 700 MHz band across the European Union to make it available to mobile operators. It is hoped that the spectrum will ultimately help foster next generation 5G mobile via ‘special services’ able to do demanding things like controlling autonomous cars, connecting health monitoring equipment, among other things.
According to the proposal, the Commission will ‘coordinate’ the reshuffling of what are now digital TV channels into the 600 MHz band below, Europe-wide, and then oversee the establishment of service and network interworking. The whole process is expected to be completed by 2020 just in time to be on-hand to support the introduction of 5G which is due to roll out in around 2022.
The identification and eventual conversion of 700 MHz to mobile has been on the global policy agenda for some time and in many countries it is already being used for mobile. The the catalyst for today's announcement came from the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference late last year, which allocated the 700MHz band to mobile and set the scene for countries to clear the band in readiness for 5G.
The proposal sets out a Europe-wide schedule for harmonising technical conditions, and related coordination measures. The desired outcome is that 700 MHz band should be assigned to wireless broadband by 30 June 2020 at the latest in all EU countries. This means the member states will need to adopt and make public their national plans for network coverage and for releasing this band by 30 June 2017. They will then need to conclude cross-border coordination agreements by the end of 2017 to smooth the transition and ensure good network coverage, Europe-wide, for connected vehicles or for remote health care.
In a statement released today, Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: “Twenty eight different approaches to manage radio frequencies in the EU do not make economic sense in the Digital Single Market. [The 700MHz] band is the sweet spot for both wide coverage and high speeds. It will give top-quality internet access to all Europeans, even in rural areas, and pave the way for 5G, the next generation of communication network.”
The proposal will now pass through the European Parliament.
