Decision 2010/166 - 2010/166/: Commission Decision of 19 March 2010 on harmonised conditions of use of radio spectrum for mobile communication services on board vessels (MCV services) in the EU (notified under document C(2010) 1644) - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 72/38

The i2010 policy, as the strategic framework for a European Information Society (2), promotes an open and competitive digital economy in the European Union and emphasises information and communication technologies as a driver of inclusion and quality of life. The development of additional means of communicating could be beneficial for work productivity and for growth in the mobile telephony market.

Maritime connectivity applications are used on board freight and passenger ships sailing within territorial seas and international waters in the European Union and are often pan-European or inter-State in nature. Systems providing mobile communication services on board vessels (‘MCV services’) aim to complement existing mobile connectivity when operating in those areas of the territorial seas of the European Union Member States, as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, that are not covered by land-based mobile networks, which are subject to Commission Decision 2009/766/EC of 16 October 2009 on the harmonisation of the 900 MHz and 1 800 MHz frequency bands for terrestrial systems capable of providing pan-European electronic communications service in the Community (3). A coordinated approach to the regulation of such MCV services should support the objectives of the single market and potentially improve the availability of GSM services within the European Union.

Harmonisation of the rules on the use of radio spectrum across the European Union should facilitate the deployment and uptake of MCV services within the European Union, the main aims being to avoid harmful interference towards land-based mobile networks and to prevent connection to systems providing MCV services when connection to land-based mobile networks is possible.

Pursuant to Article 4(2) of Decision No 676/2002/EC, the European Commission has given a mandate (4) to the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (hereinafter CEPT) to identify the technical and operational conditions required to ensure the avoidance of harmful interference from GSM systems used on board vessels in the 900 MHz and 1 800 MHz frequency bands in the territorial seas of Member States with the operation of existing land-based mobile networks, also in areas of these territorial seas where services are provided by these networks, and to ensure that land-based mobile terminals are not connected to such a system when it is in use within the territorial seas and that any mobile terminals are not prevented from connecting to land-based networks. This Decision is based on the technical studies undertaken by CEPT under the European Commission mandate, as presented in CEPT Report 28 (5).

The system providing MCV services considered in the CEPT Report consists of one or more pico-cell base stations (vessel-BS) on board a vessel, providing access to a GSM core network via a backhaul link, for example via satellite, which uses different parts of spectrum than the 900 MHz and 1 800 MHz frequency bands. The vessel-BS of such a system serve roaming GSM mobile terminals carried by ship passengers or crew by providing...