Brussels, 09/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - The rapporteur on the radio spectrum, Gunnar Hökmark (EPP, Sweden), calls on the European Union and its member states to show courage, ambition and determination. At present, there is no single market for telecommunications, while sustainable growth must be ensured for cordless communication services, the MEP said. In the context of codecision procedure, the European Parliament must take a first reading stance on the European Commission's proposal aimed at establishing the first European programme on radio spectrum policy.
After a first debate at the ITRE committee on Thursday 9 December, MEPs welcomed the Commission's proposal and even underlined how urgent it was to speed up work to find a consensus on the issue as speed of action is essential for harmonious deployment of the spectrum and to allow Europe to remain on track. A number of MEPs expressed concern regarding interferences that could come about further to the setting up of the programme. Others deplored the misuse of frequencies currently strictly reserved for the defence sector for military applications - frequencies that could be far better used but which remain under the exclusive management of member states and therefore depend on the member state's exclusive management and on member states' wishes for how they are used.
“Allocating frequencies for mobile services is crucial for the EU's competitiveness and global leadership in the digital economy”, stressed Gunnar Hökmark. “The explosion of data traffic and consumer demand for bandwidth will lead to a lack of available spectrum in Europe” if the latter does not now take the necessary provisions, the MEP warned. Elsewhere in the world, solutions have been found and Europe must do the same if it does not wish to run the risk of falling behind the leading countries, Hökmark went on to say, citing the example of South Korea whose current objective is to link all citizens with millions of megabytes, allowing its economy to develop.
The Swedish MEP also said that there was no reason to fear a threat for cultural diversity, the radio spectrum being, on the contrary, a unique opportunity for making cultural content circulate more freely, as long as it is managed correctly. “Technological progress has in the past secured new distribution opportunities for the cultural sector. We must ensure that this sector is not left behind in a new digital era”, Hökmark added, evoking the competitive side of the radio spectrum, a capital for bringing prices down but also for giving the possibility for new entrants to enter the market. He said the deadline 2013 must be borne in mind in order to give Europe a chance to keep up with its global competitors. Time is pressing, however, as 2013 is only three years away, he commented.
Presented in September, the Commission proposal aims to establish a five-year strategic programme intended to encourage effective management of the radio spectrum and ensure availability of a sufficient part of the spectrum for cordless broadband services by 2013 in order to ensure high-speed broadband connections are available for those living in remote regions, and in order to provide innovative services throughout Europe. During the last session devoted to telecommunications, the Council of Ministers held a first exchange of views on the question. Although they favourably welcomed the proposal in its broad lines, a number of member states were sceptical about the time frame and stated some reservation regarding the coverage obligations suggested (see EUROPE 10270).
In a joint press release, the traditional operators (ETNO), new operators (ECTA) and mobile phone operators (GSMA) call on the Council and European Parliament to promptly adopt the Commission's proposal aimed at making the digital dividend band available by 2013 for new and innovative mobile services. This, the operators say, “represents a unique opportunity to develop a long-term EU strategy on spectrum”. “Such a strategic planning tool will increase certainty over spectrum availability for all stakeholders across the EU creating a single market for high-speed mobile broadband and enhancing Europe's global competitiveness”, they stress. (I.L./transl.jl)