Paris, 26 July 2005
Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) has submitted to the Minister of Industry its report on the implementation of a secondary authorisation market for various frequency bands.
The report is the result of several months' work in collaboration with a working group composed of institutional, academic and economic sector players.
- The concern: how to better use radio spectrums
The possibility of transferring frequency usage authorisations (generally known as the "secondary frequency market") was introduced by the law on electronic communications and audiovisual communication services of 9 July 2004.
Article L.42-3 of the Post and Electronic Communications Code states that the means of transferring authorisations on secondary markets are to be defined by a decree and that the list of frequency bands for which authorisations may be transferred is to be established by the Minister of Telecommunications.
A secondary market would be important for operators wishing to deploy networks using radio frequencies. It would help optimise the use of the spectrum and access to frequencies for players not having received authorisations, while making the management of frequencies more flexible.
- The bands for which a secondary market has been proposed
ARCEP has conducted an in-depth analysis of the frequency bands with regard to their use and their allocation, and has drawn up some general principles based on the types of existing authorisations.
In its report, ARCEP suggests:
- eventually opening the secondary market to all bands allocated by the authority
- immediately authorising transfers for all authorisations, identifying the location of the transmission sites, as well as for authorisations by allotment corresponding to the frequency bands identified for the wireless local loop (3.4-3.8 GHz and 26 GHz bands) and PMR mobile professional networks. Other frequency bands might be opened at a later date, depending on additional studies.
It is now up to the Minister to effectively open the secondary markets with a decree regarding the general conditions for transferring authorisations, and an order for the list of bands concerned.
