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COM (85) 276 
 
 
 
Vol. 1985/0 121 
  
 
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concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
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file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation. 
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen 
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983, 
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COM M ISSION O F  T H E  EUROPEAN COM M UNITIES
COM(85) ??6 final.
Brussels, JC May 1985·
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL  
ON THE STATUS OF THE COMMUNITY  
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
COM(85) 276 final.

SUMMARY
The Commission's Communication summarizes current progress in
Community telecommunications policy, covering five areas :
a) Creating a  Community market in telecommunications  
terminals and equipment.
b) Carrying out infrastructure projects of common interest.
c) Implementing a  development programme for the technology  
required in the long term for the es  tablishment of future  
wideband networks.
d) Providing the less favoured regions of the Community with  
better access to the advantages offered by the development  
of advanced services and networks.
e) Coordinating negotiating positions within the
international organizations dealing with
telecommunications.
In the conclusions, the Commission requests that the Council:
-  support the network operators' efforts to strengthen the  
potential of the CEPT, in order that the work required of  
this body by the Commission should be accelerated:
examine without delay the two draft directives on
standardization and the draft resolution on the
vidéocommunication project, with a  view to their adoption
at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers for  
Industry;

give a  favourable opinion on the proposed RACE definiti  
pha se ;
adopt a  common position as regards INTELSAT.

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
THE STATUS OF THE COMMUNITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
1· INTRODUCTION
At its meeting on 17 December 1984 the Council approved,
on the basis of a  communication from the Commission, the
major objectives of a  Community telecommunications policy.
These objectives are as follows :
A. Creation of a  Community market for telecommunications  
equipment and terminals.
B. Implementation of infrastructure projects of common  
interest.
C. Launching of a  development programme for the  
technologies required in the long term for the  
establishment of the future broadband networks.
D. Improved access for le ss-favoured regions of the  
Community to the benefits of the development of  
advanced services and networks.
Coordination of negotiating  
international organizations  
telecommunications.positions  
dealingwithin
with

2
Since then the European Council, meeting on 29-30 March  
1985, has confirmed this approach by approving the general  
objective of achieving a  breakthrough in
telecommunications as one of the ways of strengthening the  
technological base and competitiveness of Community  
industry.
The Commission describes below the status of the work on  
these objectives that it is conducting in close  
association with the Senior Officials Group on  
Telecommunications and the Directors-General of the PTTs,  
who met in Brussels on 3  May 1985 at its request.
2. THE STATUS OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
A.  Creation of a  Community market for telecommunications  
equipment and terminals
This includes work on the definition and application of  
common technical specifications and also the  
implementation of procedures for opening-up access to  
calls for tender put out by network operators.
- Standardization activities :
(a) In August 1984 a  Memorandum of Understanding was  
signed between the Commission and the European  
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications  
Administrations (CEPT). The CEPT undertook to  
carry out technical work laading to the drafting  
of common specifications for the type approval of  
telecommunications terminals. following
priorities established by the Community and

3
working on the basis of internationally
recommended standards.
An initial list of priorities drawn up by the  
Commission after consulting the Senior Officials  
Group on Telecommunications was sent to the CEPT  
in mid -19 8  4  and confirmed in January 1  985, as  
provided for in the Memorandum of Understanding.  
It includes in particular the preparation of  
standards for the ISON, OSI and mobile cellular  
telephony.
Discussions are continuing with the CCH (1) and  
SSA (2) of the CEPT in order to lay down a  
precise working timetable for each of the
priorities, as stipulated in the Memorandum of  
Understanding. This timetable should have been  
established by the beginning of February 1985.
(b) Two proposals for Directives, one on
standardization in information technology and  
telecommunications and the other on the mutual  
recognition of the results of conformity tests on  
terminals, have just been sent to the Council.
(1) CCH :  Comité de Coordination de
1'Harmonisation
(2) SSA :  Secrétariat des Spécifications et
Agrément s

4
The main aims of these two proposals are :
1 .  to set up satisfactory procedures for the
preparation by specialized technical bodies of  
standards (in information technology) and common  
technical specifications (in telecommunications)  
given priority status by the Community, by means  
of suitable internal procedures and allowing  
harmonized implementation of international  
standards within the Community;
2. to ensure that plans to issue regulations
concerning data exchange and systems
interoperability in information technology and  
telecommunications are subject to procedures  
supplementing those in Directive 83/189/EEC so 
that work done at Community level is not  
duplicated and/or hampered by work conducted in  
parallel in the individual countries;
3 .  to ensure that European information technology
standards and common telecommunications
specifications are used as a  reference for public  
procurement by Community and Member State  
institutions ;
4. in telecommunications, to ensure the progressive  
establishment of a  procedure for the mutual  
recognition of tests carried out in approved  
laboratories in the Member States on the basis of  
common specifications adopted at Community level;  
this procedure is a  first stage towards the mutual  
recognition of terminal type approval.

5
Prior to the entry into force of the Directive on  
mutual recognition of conformity tests, the  
Commission :
-  will seek with the CEPT ways of speeding up the  
work on the definition of common conformity test  
specifications needed by approved laboratories to  
carry out their tests;
-  will promote operations leading to the approval of  
laboratories and the establishment of a climate of  
confidence necessary for mutual recognition of the  
results of their work.
Openino-up of calls for tender bv network operators :
On 12 November 198^ the Council approved a  
recommendation for an experimental two-year period  
during which network operators will give unrestricted  
access to their calls for tender for all new  
terminals and for 10 '/. in value of their total annual  
orders for switching and transmission apparatus and  
conventional terminals.
After discussion, the Senior Officials Group on  
Telecommunications finalized procedures for
publishing the network operators' procurement plans  
in the Official Journal of the European Communities  
so as to establish transparency. The Member States  
also have to submit in June 1985 an initial report on  
the application of this recommendation.

6
B.  Implementation of infrastructure projects __of--common
in
terest
Studies that are at different stages of completion are  
now in progress on three common projects :
- Intergovernmental vidéocommunications project :
The feasibility study on this project requested by  
the Council in February 1984 was carried out by the  
Commission with the help of Community network  
operators and was recently sent to the Council  
together with a  draft resolution. In addition an  
initial demonstration was held on 15 November 1984  
between five Community towns; a  second demonstration  
will be held in the next few weeks.
The resolution proposes that the Council, on the  
basis of the conclusions of the feasibility study,  
should approve the initial implementation of the  
system and encourage the Member States to expand  
their existing installations for that purpose. It  
also suggests that network operators be encouraged  
rapidly to set up a  transnational broadband backbone  
that would enable the final intergovernmental  
vidéocommunications service to be set up, that a  
report on the experience gained be sent to the  
Council by the end of 1986 and that the Commission  
endeavour to solve outstanding technical problems ith  
the Member States.

7
-  Transnational broadband backbone in the Community :
The main axes forming the backbone of the future  
high-capacity network in the Community are being  
studied by a  consortium formed by consultancy firms  
working closely with the telecommunications  
administrations. The study will be completed in  
October 1985 but significant results should be  
available by July. From September the network  
operators will have to make available resources for  
the evaluation of the options put forward and  
discussion of methods of cooperation.
- Second-generation mobile cellular telephony system :
The study on the conditions for establishing this  
system on the basis of a  single specification for the  
whole Community will be completed in May 1985. The  
GSM (1) of the CEPT will finalize the detailed  
specifications of the system and, at the request of  
the Directors-General of the telecommunications  
administrations, this should be completed by the end  
of 1987. The Commission has asked the GSM to set up a  
permanent team as soon as possible so as to expedite  
the finalization of the specifications.
(1) Groupe Spécial Téléphonie Mobile

8
Each of these projects is examined by an Analysis and  
Forecasting Group (GAP) ,  a  forum for more general  
considerations on common objectives for the development  
of telecommunications in the Community, This group is  
preparing to issue in June recommendations on the  
establishment of the ISDN in the Community. These will  
be sent to the Council in the second half of 1985,  
after discussion by the Senior Officials Group on  
Telecommunications and the Directors-Genera 1 of the  
telecommunications administrations, another meeting of  
which is scheduled for September.
The group will then start similar work on mobile  
cellular telephony.
Launching of a  technological development programme
With the help of manufacturers and the  
telecommunications administrations' research centres,  
the Commission produced in the second half of 198A a  
list of R&D requirements that must be met if it is to  
be possible to introduce Integrated Broadband  
Communications (IBC) throughout the Community from  
1995. The definition of and procedures for implementing  
a  programme for the development of advanced  
telecommunications technologies (the RACE programme)  
have been discussed with the Senior Officials Group on  
Telecommunications. These talks showed that it was  
first necessary to proceed with a  definition phase for  
the RACE programme. A proposal on the definition phase  
was sent to the Council on 25 March 1985.
It is in two parts :  construction of a  reference model  
and exploratory R&D activities. The definition phase  
would last eighteen months and require Community  
financing of 22.1 million ECU. The proposal is now

being examined by the European Parliament, the Economic  
and Social Committee and the Council bodies.
The conditions prevailing in the telecommunications  
sector in the Community and the situation in rival  
countries (USA and Japan) make the launching of this  
programme a  matter of urgency; although modest, it is  
vital for the definition of common guidelines on  
advanced applications, networks and terminals. The  
Commission hopes that the Council will be able to take  
a  decision on the programme at its meetings on 3-4  
June.
Improved access for less-favoured regions of the  
Community to the benefits of the development of  
advanced services and networks
A study is now in progress to identify activities to be  
promoted with the support of Community financial  
instruments so as to enable the less-favoured regions  
of the Community to benefit from the development of  
advanced telecommunications in the Community. It is  
being carried out by consultants working closely with  
the telecommunications administrations and by regional  
development experts in the Community member countries.  
The main emphasis is on the requirements of Greece,  
Ireland and Southern Italy. The results are expected by  
July 1985. After being discussed by the Senior  
Officials Group on Telecommunications, its  
recommendations will be taken as a  basis for a  report  
to the Council and for the provision of support for  
telecommunications infrastructure development  
activities through the Community's financial  
ins trumen ts.

E  ·  Coordination of ____negotiating ____positions ____within
in
ternational ______orgàni zations ______dealing______with
te
lecommunications
This coordination appears extremely important at a  time  
when the organization of telecommunications at world  
level is changing rapidly and various initiatives are  
being taken, such as that of the ITU's Independent  
Commission for World Wide Telecommunications  
Development.
It is desirable that these initiatives be evaluated at  
Community level and that the Member States endeavour to  
reach a  common position on them.
The threat hanging over the future of INTELSAT because  
of the decision by the US President to move towards  
private competition with the INTELSAT system for
certain international satellite communications appears  
to call for very rapid coordination.
CONCLUSIONS
The Council is requested :
to support the efforts of the network operators, in  
particular at the plenary meeting of Commission T  of the  
CEPT in Nice in June, to ensure that the CEPT makes the  
necessary organizational arrangements for the
preparation as quickly as possible of the common  
standards and specifications used for conformity tests
on priority terminals and for the approval of test  
laboratories;

1  1
-  rapidly to examine the proposals for Directives on
standardization in information technology and 
telecommunications and on the mutual recognition of 
conformity tests on telecommunications terminals, and 
the resolution on the intergovernmental
vidéocommunications project with a view the adoption of 
these proposals at the next meeting of the Council of 
Ministers for Industry;
- to approve the rapid implementation of the RACE 
definition phase;
- to adopt a common position at their meeting on 3 June as 
regards INTELSAT.