Regulatory update: a major step towards enabling mobile broadband

Alexander Gulyaev, ECO

alexander.gulyaev@eco.cept.org

www.cept.org/eco

Mobile Broadband World 2012,London, 26 September 2012

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 athttp://apps.cept.org/eccetsirel/

Roles of the three European regulatory organizations

European Commission:Single market issuesBinding regulations based on the technical expertise of CEPT/ECCand harmonised standards of ETSI (27 Member States)

CEPT/ECC:Consensus and voluntary characterSpectrum 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

Jul 2009 Nov 2010Feb 2008

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)

IMT = IMT-2000 + IMT-Advanced

ECO Report 03: actual national authorisations in the 3.5 GHz and in other ‘mobile bands’

Country Number of operators

3400-3600 MHz

3600-3800 MHz

Technology in use

Licence duration, tradability

Estonia 6 X X WiMAX 2012

Germany Several regional,3 national

X X WiMAX (FDD/TDD)

2021

Ireland Several regional, 1 national

X X FDD/TDD WiMAX/LTE

2017

Italy 9 X   BWA (FDD/TDD)

2023Local coverage

Latvia 7 X X BWA (fixed) Earliest: 2014 Latest: 2025

Macedonia 1 X   Fixed WiMAX TDD

2017, tradable

Norway 6 X   FDD 2022, tradable(national/regional)

Spain 4 X   LMDS April 2020 tradable (national)

Sweden Several regional,3 national

X XFixed radio systems, FDD/TDD

Earliest: 201. Latest: 2023,tradable

Switzerland1 X  

TDD in paried frequency

arrangement

2015non-tradable

Portugal2 X X fixed, nomadic,

mobile

2025Regional

 UK  1 X X - 2018/no expiry date

National

• 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

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 blocko Covers both in-block and out-of-block

emissionso 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 compatibilityo Forms a part of equipment conformity

assessmentFooter copy here

OwnLicence

NeighbourLicence

Frequency

In-bandPowerLimit

BEM

Block

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 (space-Earth) 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 authorisationso withdrawal of authorisations where no system has been deployedo 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 and implementation costs of manufacturing equipment;

• 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?

alexander.gulyaev@eco.cept.org

www.cept.org/eco

• 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