23. 2. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 43/11 
Revised proposal for a Council Directive on the frequency bands to be reserved for toe coor­
dinated introduction of pan-European land-based public radio paging in die Community (l) 
COM(90) 32 final - SYN 193 
(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to the third paragraph of Article 149 of the EEC Treaty on 
9 February 1990) 
(90/C 43/08) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing, the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 100a 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Council recommendation 84/549/EEC (2) calls 
for the introduction of services on the basis of a common 
harmonized approach in the field of telecommunications; 
Whereas the resources offered by modern telecommuni­
cations networks should be utilized to the full for the 
economic development of the Community; 
Whereas radio paging services are the only low cost 
means of alerting and/or sending messages to users on 
the move; 
Whereas radio paging services depend on the allocation 
and availability of frequency bands in order to transmit 
and receive between fixed-base stations and radio paging 
receivers respectively; 
Whereas the frequencies and land-based public radio 
paging systems currently in use in the Community vary 
widely and do not allow all users on the move to reap 
the benefits of European wide services and 
European-wide markets; 
Whereas the change-over to the more advanced radio 
paging system code named European radio messaging 
system (Ermes) being specified by the European 
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Adminis­
trations (CEPT), will provide a unique opportunity of 
establishing a truly pan-European radio paging service; 
Whereas CEPT has identified the unpaired frequency 
band 169,4 to 169,8 MHz as the most suitable band for 
public radio paging; Whereas parts of the frequency band are being used or 
are intended for use by certain Member States for other 
radio services; 
Whereas the progressive availability of the full range of 
the frequency band set out above will be indispensable 
for the establishment of a truly pan-European radio 
paging service; 
Whereas some flexibility will be needed in order to take 
account of different frequency requirements in different 
Member States; it will be necessary to ensure that such 
flexibility does not slow down the expansion of a 
pan-European system; 
Whereas coordination procedures will have to be estab­
lished between neighbouring countries as required; 
Whereas the implementation of Council recommendation 
... on the coordinated introduction of pan-European 
land-based public radio paging in the Community will 
ensure the start of a pan-European system by 1 January 
1992 at the latest; 
Whereas on the basis of present technological and 
market trends, it appears realistic to envisage the desig­
nation fo the 169,4 to 169,8 MHz frequency band as the 
band from which frequencies are selected as required for 
the implementation and expansion of a pan-European 
radio paging system; 
Whereas Council Directive 86/361/EEC of 24 July 1986 
on the initial stage of the mutual recognition of type 
approval for telecommunications terminal equipment (J) 
will allow the rapid establishment of common conformity 
specifications for the pan-European land-based public 
radio paging system; 
Whereas the report on public mobile communication 
drawn up by the Analysis and Forecasting Group (GAP) 
for the Senior Officials Group of Telecommunications 
(SOG-T), strongly recommends that administrations 
reach an agreement to use the same radio frequencies as 
a precondition for pan-European public radio paging (4); 
O OJ No C 193, 31. 7. 1989, p. 12. 
O OJ No L 298, 16. 11. 1984, p. 49. O OJ No L 217, 5. 8. 1986, p. 21. 
(4) Proposals by the Analysis and Forecasting Group (GAP) for 
the Coordinated Introduction of Public Mobile Communi­
cations in the Community (5. 12. 1985). 
No C 43/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 23. 2. 90 
Whereas favourable opinions on this report have been 
delivered by the telecommunications administrations and 
by the CEPT; 
Whereas radio paging is a particularly spectrum efficient 
communications method for alerting and/or sending 
messages to users on the move, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
For the purposes of this Directive, pan-European 
land-based public radio paging service shall mean a 
public radio paging service based on a terrestrial infra­
structure, provided in each of the Member States to a 
common specification which allows persons wishing to 
send and/or receive an alert and/or numeric or alpha­
numeric messages anywhere within the coverage of the 
service in the Community. 
Article 2 
Member States shall designate on a priority and 
protected basis, four channels within the band 169,4 to 
169,8 MHz preferably: 
— 169,6 MHz, 
— 169,65 MHz, 
— 169,7 MHz, 
— 169,75 MHz for the pan-European land-based public radio paging 
service by 1 January 1992 at the latest. 
Member States shall ensure that plans are prepared as 
quickly as possible to enable the pan-European 
land-based public radio paging service to occupy the 
whole of the band 169,4 to 169,8 MHz according to 
commercial demand. 
Article 3 
The Commission shall report to the Council on the 
implementation of this Directive not later than the end 
of 1996. 
Article 4 
1. Member States shall bring into force the provisions 
necessary to comply with this Directive not later than 
1 July 1991. They shall forthwith inform the Commission 
thereof. 
The provisions adopted pursuant to the first 
subparagraph shall make express reference to this 
Directive. 
2. Member States shall communicate to the 
Commission the text of the provisions of national law 
which they adopt in the field governed by this Directive. 
Article 5 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.