The ECO Frequency Information System - EFIS

European Spectrum Information Portal

The huge expansion of communication services available across a wide variety of devices places a real need for robust and authoritative information on spectrum use. As the centre of expertise in electronic communications, the ECO provides a unique and high quality information tool on spectrum use and licensing conditions across Europe to improve understanding and advance regulatory solutions for the future allocation of this scarce public resource.

Background

The ECO Frequency Information System EFIS contains searchable and comparable data from 42 European countries on their national spectrum use; in addition, it contains an ITU table (for Region 1) and the European Common Allocations (ECA) table.

EFIS was conceived and established to enable those with an interest in using radiocommunications at the European level to gain an overview of the regulatory and licensing framework in each European country. This relates also to strategic spectrum management, which is addressed by more recent developments of the tool.

Since its launch in 2002, EFIS has expanded considerably. More of CEPT’s 48 national administrations now publish their data in EFIS, the scope of the content is wider and there are many more features and facilities. The ECC Decision ECC/DEC/(03)05 deals with the publication of national tables of frequency allocations and utilisations, while ECC/DEC/(01)03 on EFIS defines the data that the administrations shall enter and maintain.

In 2007, EFIS became the ‘European Spectrum Information Portal’, fulfilling EC Decision 2007/344/EC on harmonised availability of information regarding spectrum use in the 27 European Union Member States. The main idea behind this was that a single information point – EFIS - would ensure easy access and user-friendly presentation of spectrum information throughout the EU. EU Member States are obliged under this Decision to publish their national frequency data, including radio interface specifications and information on individual rights of use (which may be limited to tradable frequency bands used for the provision of electronic communications services).

Spectrum management information

Since early 2012, strategic spectrum management information has featured much more prominently in EFIS’s development. A ‘non-regulatory’ section was introduced, which includes a wide range of information, mostly in the form of documents linked to the European Table of Frequency Allocations and Applications (known as the 'ECA table' or simply 'ECA'). The ECA table, which was previously stored in a separate database, was fully incorporated into EFIS in 2012, and the ERC Report 25 (containing the ECA table) is now generated from EFIS. CEPT questionnaire summaries for dedicated spectrum inventory purposes, ECC Reports and other useful information about the actual present and future planned spectrum usage are also available. By selecting the frequency range and/or the radio application term, users can find a comprehensive set of relevant documentation for one dedicated frequency range and/or application.

Administration and cooperation

EFIS is administered by the ECO and managed under the supervision of the ECC through its ECO Frequency Information System Maintenance Group (EFIS/MG).

The tasks of the EFIS/MG are, inter alia , to further develop EFIS (taking into account the EC Spectrum Policy Framework and the R&TTE Directive), to prepare revisions of the ECC Decision on EFIS (including to define the terms used in EFIS), to exchange experience between national administrations and liaise with other ECC Working Groups and Project Teams, the European Commission and industry, while keeping under review the maintenance and development of EFIS.

Increasingly, cooperation with third parties, defined as ‘partners’ of CEPT/ECC, i.e. those having a Letter or Memorandum of Understanding with CEPT/ECC, has led to further relevant information being included in EFIS. Examples are system reference documents from ETSI and information on RTTE Equipment Classes (in cooperation with TCAM ADCO) or links to the ITU-R broadcast web. Often such information is linked to the ECA table for the purposes of search and display.

Enhancements and improvements

During 2012, a considerable number of software enhancements were made. Many of these were additional features for and improvement of administrations’ interface with EFIS. The issue of user-friendliness and efficiency in EFIS, also for national administrations, is always a matter of high priority in the development of the tool.

For the user, the visibility of information and clarity of display were improved via an increased use of icons/thumbnails, for example for notes/comments fields, to avoid displays getting too big and to make the appearance tidier. Cross-referencing of information was also introduced (for example display of ECA allocations and applications via thumbnails). Users can now also get auto-translated search results within EFIS.

Mandate and reports

In September 2012, a new ECC Report 180 'Guidance on the interpretation of the requirements of ECC/DEC/(01)03 on EFIS' was published with the aim to provide assistance to administrations to implement this ECC Decision and to upload data to the EFIS database, in similar and comparable ways.

The European Commission in September 2012 gave CEPT another ‘EFIS Mandate’, on inclusion in EFIS of information on rights of use for all uses of spectrum between 400 MHz and 6 GHz. This mandate recognises the existing role of EFIS and the potential to develop it in a way which would enable it to serve as a primary input to the spectrum inventory as defined in the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme adopted by the Council and Parliament of the European Union.

In response to this Mandate the ECC is producing two new CEPT Reports. The first of these, CEPT Report 46, which deals with the first three tasks of the Mandate, was approved by the ECC at its meeting in March 2013. Draft Report 47, dealing with the other two tasks, is expected to be approved at the next ECC meeting in June.

In parallel, EU Member States in the Radio Spectrum Committee decided in March 2013 on the Commission Implementing Decision defining the practical arrangements, uniform formats and a methodology in relation to the radio spectrum inventory. The Decision foresees that Member States shall ensure that the relevant information already collected pursuant to the Commission’s ‘EFIS’ Decision (2007/344/EC) is provided by the European Communications Office to the Commission, so as to minimise the administrative burden, i.e. via EFIS. This latest Implementing Decision will also require Member States to cooperate with the Commission to increase the data available on spectrum use, in comparable formats (e.g. by using CEPT electronic questionnaires) for all frequency bands between 400 MHz and 6 GHz, in a step-by-step approach by 31 December 2015.

Now and near future

EFIS is also being developed to improve the efficiency of some ECC processes. The generation of the ‘Short Range Device Recommendation’, i.e. ERC Recommendation 70-03, using EFIS as the vehicle for data entry, is planned for May-June 2013. This entails inclusion of all data in 70-03, including implementation information, as searchable (and updateable) data in EFIS.

Collection of information via CEPT electronic questionnaires, notably in connection with EFIS’s role as the data collecting point for the EU spectrum inventory (starting summer 2013) is scheduled for implementation early July 2013. EFIS will receive data (in XML format) from the ECC website and store it as searchable data (updateable by administrations). It will be possible to generate summaries/reports. The concept of tagging and thumbnailing will be used to define different types of relevant information from questionnaires and link this to existing data in EFIS. The tags will be shown as thumbnails under applications (for ECA and for individual countries) and will indicate that information of a particular kind is available for that particular frequency band and application.

It is also planned to incorporate in and generate from EFIS the ECO Report 03 - Licensing of Mobile Bands. Implementation is expected to follow some time during 2013.

Yet another feature underway is a graphical presentation of EFIS data, which will provide an easy and user-friendly way to search and display data such as frequency bands + applications, selectable by country, frequency range, application(s), not only displayable on screen, but also printable.

As Europe's central resource for spectrum information, EFIS is constantly developing, not only in terms of the features and facilities it offers users, administrations, industry and other ‘end users’, but also in respect of content. A steadily increasing quantity of information populates the database. However, the ECO and the EFIS/MG, in cooperation with the European Commission and other interested parties, will continue to protect the quality of the data to help us meet the strategic spectrum management goals in support of technological growth.

Pia Hammer Bloch
EFIS project manager and EFIS/MG Chairman