Regulatory update:
a major step towards enabling mobile broadband
Alexander Gulyaev, ECO
Mobile Broadband World 2012,
London, 26 September 2012
alexander.gulyaev@eco.cept.org
www.cept.org/eco
Outline
• European regulatory landscape
• Is it getting too tight in the current ‘mobile bands’?
• 3.5 GHz – a future home for mobile broadband
• What’s ahead?
European regulatory framework
for radio spectrum and equipment
Read more at
http://apps.cept.org/
eccetsirel/
Roles of the three European regulatory organizations
European Commission:
Single market issues
Binding regulations based on the
technical expertise of CEPT/ECC
and harmonised standards of ETSI
(27 Member States)
CEPT/ECC:
Consensus and voluntary character
Spectrum designation to
systems/applicatoins and technical
conditions for its use
(48 member countries)
ETSI:
European Harmonised standards (EN) for radio equipment
‘System Reference Documents’ (SRDoc) which inform and trigger
much of the CEPT/ECC work
(over 700 industry members and European naitonal regulators)
CEPT/ECC: Strategic Plan
Priority topics:
• Digital dividend
• Cognitive radio
• Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR)
• Innovation above 40 MHz
• Numbering and naming
• Improve its own working processes
EC: Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP)
• Mobile broadband (1200 MHz)
• Spectrum Inventory
• Public protection and disaster relief (internal market)
• Electricity production and distribution (Green...)
• Wireless microphones and cameras
• Foster different modes of spectrum sharing
• Spectrum Trading (where flexible use available)
Hard facts – the growth of mobile broadband
Feb 2008
Jul 2009
Nov 2010
Source: ECC PT1 Report on mobile broadband,
September 2011 (www.cept.org/ecc/eccpt1)
European harmonised ‘mobile bands’
800 MHz - Digital Dividend
up to
60-65 MHz
900MHz - GSM/UMTS/LTE
50-70 MHz
1800MHz - GSM/UMTS/LTE
150 MHz
2 GHz - UMTS/LTE
160 MHz
2.6 GHz - LTE
190 MHz
3.4-3.8 GHz - BWA (fixed/mobile)
400 MHz
RSPP: ”find 1200 MHz bandwidth”
New services – new spectrum priorities
• While discussions around the new mobile spectrum in the
UHF-band (1st and 2nd Digital dividends) remain very
politicized considering the social importance of low frequency
ranges, these bands lack the capacity to meet demand for
delivering mobile broadband applications to the mass market
• New, really high-speed mobile services, such as enhanced
Internet browsing, video streaming and video calls, require
significantly greater channel bandwidths than 5 MHz (for
example, 10, 20 and 40 MHz) and thus much more
contiguous spectrum to accommodate the demand! (these
requirements are technically justified in ITU-R Report M.2134)
Where will the spectrum come from
for mobile broadband?
A unique opportunity :
contiguous 2x200 MHz of radio spectrum at 3.5 GHz
• WRC-07 identified the 3.4-3.6 GHz band for IMT
• ECC also addresses the 3.6-3.8 GHz band for IMT
• ITU-R: 6 IMT-2000 radio interfaces and 2 IMT-Advanced
radio interfaces ensuring a competitive environment
• ECC: even more neutral regulatory framework for MFCN:
Mobile/Fixed Communications Networks (including IMT)
ECO Report 03: actual national authorisations in the 3.5 GHz
and in other ‘mobile bands’
Country
Estonia
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Macedonia
Norway
Spain
Sweden
Number of
operators
3400-3600
MHz
3600-3800
MHz
Technology in
use
Licence duration,
tradability
6
X
X
WiMAX
2012
X
X
2021
X
X
WiMAX
(FDD/TDD)
FDD/TDD
WiMAX/LTE
BWA
(FDD/TDD)
Several regional,
3 national
Several regional,
1 national
9
X
7
X
1
X
Fixed WiMAX
TDD
6
X
FDD
4
X
LMDS
Several regional,
3 national
X
1
X
2
X
X
fixed, nomadic,
mobile
1
X
X
-
X
X
Switzerland
Portugal
UK
BWA (fixed)
Fixed radio
systems,
FDD/TDD
TDD in paried
frequency
arrangement
•
ECO Report
03 on
licensing of ‘mobile bands’
in CEPT contains detailed
information on national
authorisations issued in
CEPT countries in all
‘mobile bands’, from ‘first
hands’!
•
Is the 3.5 GHz really a
greenfield ? Largely YES!
It’s a greenfield for mobile
broadband
2017
2023
Local coverage
Earliest: 2014
Latest: 2025
2017, tradable
2022, tradable
(national/regional)
April 2020
tradable (national)
Earliest: 201.
Latest: 2023,
tradable
2015
non-tradable
2025
Regional
2018/no expiry date
National
3.5 GHz Regulatory Framework: YESTERDAY and TODAY
• ECC Recommendation (04)05 on “guidelines for accommodation
and assignment of Multipoint Fixed Wireless systems in frequency
bands 3400-3600 MHz and 3600-3800 MHz”
• ECC Decision (07)02 on “the availability of frequency bands
between 3400-3800 MHz for the harmonised implementation of
Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems”
• CEPT Report 15 on Least Restrictive Technical Conditions (LRTC)
based on the “Block Edge Mask” concept for the 3.5 GHz band
• EC Decision 2008/411/EC (binding for EU Member States)
The ”Block Edge Mask” (BEM) concept
• Block Edge Mask (in the licence):
o “Technology neutral”
o Applies to the entire operator’s spectrum block
o Covers both in-block and out-of-block
emissions
o Different BEMs apply to terminals and base
stations (may also vary between the bands
and TDD and FDD modes)
o Forms a part of authorisation for spectrum use
• Spectrum Emission Mask (in the standard):
o Technology specific (transmitter, channelling)
o Ensure intra-system compatibility
o Forms a part of equipment conformity
assessment
Footer copy here
In-band BEM
Power
Limit
Block
Neighbour
Own
Licence Licence
Frequency
BEM vs. SEM
• Flexibility is
given to
operators in
how to comply
with BEM
Footer copy here
3.5 GHz Regulatory Framework: TODAY (1)
• ECC Decision (11)06 on “harmonised frequency arrangements for
mobile/fixed communications networks (MFCN) in the bands 3400 3600 MHz and 3600 - 3800 MHz”
•
ECC survey: 3600-3800 MHz is more intensively used by FSS (spaceEarth) than 3400-3600 MHz → separate frequency arrangements
•
Block size: 5 MHz (blocks can be combined within one channel)
•
The position for the 3400-3600 MHz band will be reviewed by end of
2013 in order to define the preferred (either TDD or FDD) arrangement
•
TDD mode would allow more efficient protection of FSS applications
•
TDD networks should be synchronized to avoid “restricted blocks” and
large guard bands
•
Coordination of TDD networks should be managed at a national level
3.5 GHz Regulatory Framework: TODAY (2)
Fig.1 Harmonised TDD frequency arrangement for the 3400-3600 MHz
Fig. 2 Harmonised FDD frequency arrangement for the 3400-3600 MHz
Fig. 3 Harmonised TDD frequency arrangement of the 3600-3800 MHz
3.5 GHz Regulatory Framework:
now time to review the BEM
• The existing Block Edge Masks for the 3.5 GHz were technically
justified when there was no harmonized frequency arrangement and
maximum flexibility was needed (e.g. for BWA deployments).
• When harmonized frequency arrangements are adopted, there is no
need for the unnecessarily tight BEM.
• Therefore ECC decided, as a further step, to adjust those BEMs to
the foreseen in the newly approved ECC Decision (11)06 future high
data rate applications (including IMT), with larger channel
bandwidths, in order to facilitate the development of affordable
equipment, maximize the spectrum efficiency (e.g. by reduced guard
bands) and thus maximize the usable amount of spectrum.
3.5 GHz Regulatory Framework: TOMORROW
• Draft CEPT Report on the 3.5 GHz in response to the second EC
Mandate (channelling arrangements + BEM): the Final Report will
be submitted to the European Commission in November 2013
• Draft ECC Report on Block Edge Masks in the 3.5 GHz: a
methodology agreed for the derivation of BEM
• Draft ECC Report on “Practical guidance for TDD network
synchronization”: the work will be limited to the “TDD vs. TDD
synchronised” scenario (alternatively expensive additional filtering,
site coordination or restricted blocks/guard-bands may be needed.
The work is being carried out in ECC PT1, the CEPT/ECC expert group
on MFCN (including IMT)
Transition from the existing to the new
regulatory framework at 3.5 GHz
• The new regulatory framework for the 3.5 GHz (i.e. harmonised
frequency arrangements and new, less tight BEM) is expected to be
progressively implemented in CEPT countries
• BWA systems based on 7 MHz channels have been deployed in
some CEPT countries => the regulators need flexibility to adapt the
current use of these bands to national circumstances
• Regulatory measures may include:
o refarming of the band (i.e. change of use)
o renewal or extension of authorisations
o withdrawal of authorisations where no system has been deployed
o coordination between MFCN/BWA and FSS (where necessary)
Coordination between MFCN/BWA and FSS
• There are currently 170 fixed satellite earth stations authorized
within the EU Member States (deployed on 78 sites).
• For MFCN and FSS coordination, similar principles can be used as
for BWA and FSS: BWA “central stations” are coordinated with the
FSS earth stations. This implies that all the (fixed) terminal stations,
operating under the control of central stations are consequently
coordinated under the umbrella of the central stations (this typically
requires to slightly extend the coordination distances).
Participating in ECC work: how to join
www.cept.org/ecc
Coming update of the EC regulatory framework
for the 3.5 GHz band
When the remaining ECC work for the 3400-3800 MHz is finalised,
yet another strand of work would be needed to align the current
binding for EU Member States Commission Decision 2008/411/EC
with the new technical conditions developed within ECC.
But all these regualtory efforts appear to be absolutely necessary to
ensure future common Europen market of high-speed mobile
applications affordable to end users.
Regulatory certainty at 3.5 GHz:
what will it give us?
• reduce the development
manufacturing equipment;
and
implementation
costs
of
• secure long term investments by providing economies of scale;
• maximise the opportunities and benefits for end users; and
• reduce the complexity in the spectrum cross border coordination
What’s ahead?
• WRC-15 has on its agenda new frequency bands for IMT (AI 1.1)
and CEPT is the regulatory body for preparing the European
position on this agenda item
• The 3400-4200 MHz is proposed as one of the candidate new
frequency bands for IMT and will be further studied within CEPT
alexander.gulyaev@eco.cept.org
www.cept.org/eco