The European Commission announced new decisions to open up additional frequencies for the provision of 5G services in the European Union.
The body decided that the 900 MHz and 1.8 GHz bands will be used for the provision of 5G in member countries. These radio bands are currently employed for 2G, 3G and 4G services.
“The Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) identified the need to make the bands used for earlier generations of mobile communications (2G, 3G, 4G) also available for the latest technology developments. Updating the technical and regulatory conditions for these bands will contribute to creating an environment ready to welcome innovative applications, the European Commission said in a release.
The Commission said noted that this decision on 900 MHz and 1.8 GHz bands will also ensure technology and service neutrality. “This will enable better connectivity for critical applications in health monitoring, diagnosis and care; smart homes and optimized energy consumption; and connected and automated mobility for safer and more efficient transport systems,” the EC said.
In its 2016 Action Plan, the European Commission set a deadline of 2025 for 5G services to be rolled out across all urban areas and all major transport routes across member countries. In March last year, the body set the target of achieving EU-wide 5G coverage by 2030.
However, the majority EU member states are not on track with the deployment of their 5G networks and lack a common approach to security concerns linked to high-risk non-EU vendors, according to a special audit report published last month by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
“Our audit showed that there are delays in member states’ rollout of 5G networks. By the end of 2020, 23 member states had launched commercial 5G services and achieved the intermediate objective of at least one major city with 5G access. However, not all member states refer to the EU’s 2025 and 2030 objectives in their national 5G strategies or broadband plans,” ECA said.
“Moreover, in several countries the European Electronic Communications Code has not yet been transposed into national law and the assignment of 5G spectrum has been delayed. These delays in assigning the spectrum can be attributed to different reasons: a weak demand by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), cross-border coordination issues with non-EU countries along the eastern borders, the impact of COVID-19 on the auction schedules and uncertainty about how to deal with security issues,” ECA added.
In its recent report, ECA recommended the European Commission to promote the even and timely deployment of 5G networks within the EU, to foster a concerted approach to 5G security among member states and monitor member states’ approaches towards 5G security.
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