Updated regulatory framework for Radio LAN is now ready in Europe

Ongoing work by the Electronic Communications Committee sees regulations renewed for Radio Local Area Networks at 5 and 6 GHz, writes Doriana Guiducci

It may be a well over 18 months since many of us had reason to visit an airport, but if you flew in recent weeks and months, there is a chance that you used a Wireless Access System (WAS) there. A WAS is a broadband radio system, which can be deployed either inside or outside buildings, usually in geographically limited areas – it is often used in places such as airports.

More specifically, at the airport you would have used broadband Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs), a subset of WAS. They are the major type of equipment deployed today and are predominantly used inside buildings.

Even if you haven’t had the opportunity to travel in recent months, you may have seen RLANs in action at your local coffee shop, at a hotel or a shopping centre. They typically include public and private applications also offered in homes, schools, hospitals, railway stations, and so on.

These types of applications are usually intended for connections between traditional business products such as PCs, laptops, servers, printers and other networking equipment, as well as digital consumer electronic equipment in the wireless home network environment.

Since 2003, when the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) first allocated on a primary basis the 5150–5350 MHz and 5470–5725 MHz bands to the mobile service (except aeronautical mobile service), CEPT committed to harmonising the use of frequencies for RLANs in the 5 GHz range.

In 2004, it adopted the ECC Decision (04)08, which defines the harmonised use of the 5 GHz frequency bands for the implementation of WAS/RLAN equipment operating exempt from individual licensing. The Decision has been periodically revised and updated to support the rapid take-up of WAS/RLAN applications on a large scale deployment.

More recently, there has been increasing momentum all over the world to open additional spectrum for WAS/RLANs in the 6 GHz band. The argument to do so is that it will respond to the ever-increasing demand for higher connection speeds and data traffic volumes, which could be more easily met by means of the wider channel bandwidth being available.

Several countries have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, regulation to allow WAS/RLANs in different portions of the 6 GHz band. In CEPT, the ECC Decision (20)01 on the harmonised use of the frequency band 5945-6425 MHz for WAS/RLANs was issued in November 2020.

Figure: Countries enabling RLAN at 6GHz (source WiFi-Alliance)

The update of the regulatory framework at 5 GHz

In July this year, the ECC completed the latest revision of ECC Decision (04)08 on the harmonised use of the 5 GHz frequency bands for the implementation of WAS including RLANs. They are summarised in the figure below. This update follows the WRC-19 decision that existing global conditions in the 5150-5250 MHz band would be relaxed to allow indoor usage in trains and cars, as well as outdoor usage with certain limitations. It was also agreed at WRC-19 that the 5725-5850 MHz band would be extended for use in certain countries outside Europe.

In addition, the updated harmonised conditions in the 5 GHz band take into account the explanatory paper that ECC had already developed to clarify which frequency bands were possible for 5 GHz RLAN usage in vehicles.

Figure: Provisions in ECC Decision (04)08 for the use of WAS/RLANs in the 5 GHz range

Based on the same harmonisation measures, in July ECC also published CEPT Report 79 to provide a response to the European Commission Mandate to CEPT to amend Commission Decision 2005/513/EC.

In order to enable RLAN use on a national basis in the band 5725-5850 MHz, while ensuring the protection of road tolling systems, smart tachograph and radars, ECC is now finalising a new ECC Report. This will provide national administrations with guidance on suitable limitations for appropriate technical conditions, mitigation techniques and regulatory measures.

In ECC Report 277, ECC already addressed the use of short range device applications in cars in the 5725-5875 MHz band. This Report also studied the coexistence between WAS/RLAN systems operated in cars under short range device regulation and intelligent transport systems, as well as road tolling systems.

The careful assessment by ECC in the work highlighted above, has allowed all these systems to operate in the band 5725-5875 MHz at the same or adjacent frequencies.

The new regulatory framework for the 6 GHz band

In November 2020, ECC adopted a new ECC Decision (20)01 for the harmonised use of the frequency band 5945-6425 MHz. This opens 480 MHz of spectrum for the unlicensed use of WAS/RLANs.

ECC also developed two CEPT Reports – CEPT Report 73 and CEPT Report 75 – in response to the European Commission mandate to CEPT to study feasibility and to identify harmonised technical conditions in the 5925-6425 MHz band for the provision of wireless broadband services.

These Reports assess compatibility and coexistence scenarios and study harmonised technical parameters for WAS/RLANs operating, on the basis of a general authorisation, ensuring coexistence with appropriate mitigation techniques and/or operational compatibility or coexistence conditions.

Further to the work of the ECC and the resulting CEPT Reports, in June the European Commission adopted the Commission Implementing Decision on the harmonised use of radio spectrum in the 5945-6425 MHz frequency band for the implementation of WAS including RLANs. The Decision sets the condition for low power indoor WAS/RLAN devices, which can operate indoors with a maximum power of 200 mW, and also for the very low power portable devices which may operate both indoors and outdoors with a maximum power of 25 mW.

ECC started its spectrum engineering studies in 2017 for the definition of the new regulatory framework for WAS/RLAN in the 6 GHz band. Since then, the ECC Report 302 on sharing and compatibility studies for WAS/RLAN in the frequency band 5925-6425 MHz has been published, as well as the ECC Report 316 on sharing studies assessing short-term interference from WAS/RLAN into fixed service in the band.

Currently, ECC is continuing its work to further study out-of-band emissions from very low power WAS/RLAN devices operating in the band 5945–6425 MHz. The purpose of this work is to protect a set of urban rail systems that operate in certain cities in Europe, in the band 5915-5935 MHz. This study should investigate interference scenarios from very low power WAS/RLAN 6 GHz devices to communication-based train control systems. It will address the different types of communication-based train control networks that are currently operated, as well as possible future systems. This work will also provide elements to respond, by June 2024, to the recent EC Mandate to CEPT to review the limit of out-of-band emissions below 5935 MHz applicable to very low power WAS/RLAN devices.