WRITTEN QUESTION E-2306/01 by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission. IEEE 802.11a standard for wireless networks.
Date: 2001-07-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: computer network, harmonisation of standards, systems interconnection, technical standard, telecommunications industry, transmission network, waveband

4.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/149

The initial results of the study are expected to be available in the first six months of 2002. The study has
been extended to take a year. The Commission hopes that a discussion will ensue once the results are
made public.

Pending these results, the Commission notes the Honourable Member(cid:146)s suggestions, on which, however, it
cannot give its views for the moment. This is because questions on the setting up of a European agency for
islands and the idea of siting such an agency on the Balearic Islands are premature at the present stage.

(2002/C 81 E/174)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2306/01

by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: IEEE 802.11a standard for wireless networks

(31 July 2001)

Wireless networks for computers and other devices are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in
companies because recabling when they move premises is expensive and because there are increasing
numbers of mobile workers.

In the United States products are being developed to the IEEE 802.11a standard for wireless networks. This
is a technology that provides very high speed wireless links between PCs. At the moment the IEEE 802.11b
standard is being used in Europe. This technology is slower and interferes with Bluetooth. In the near
future most mobile telephones will be fitted with Bluetooth. Wireless networks will operate extremely
slowly if a mobile telephone fitted with Bluetooth is in the vicinity. The changeover to IEEE 802.11a is
therefore imminent. Unfortunately, the frequency for this standard is not available for general use in
Europe. Consequently, ETSI is working on its own standard HiperLan2. However, because of the small
market, this makes IEEE 802.11a cards more expensive (perhaps three times as expensive) as in The United
States, and it will therefore be introduced slowly.

1.

Is the Commission aware of the anticipated developments in the area of wireless networks?

Is the Commission aware that the IEEE 802.11a bandwidth is reserved for military purposes in

2.
Europe?

3.
If so, is the Commission planning to bring about any changes in this area? Or is the Commission
going to allow Europe to lag further behind the United States in the ICT field by imposing protectionist
requirements on wireless LANs?

Does the Commission agree that the expenditure that would have to be made in the defence sector

4.
should not outweigh the economic advantages of 802.11a?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(26 October 2001)

The Commission is aware of the various types of equipment for wireless networks and the technological
developments in this area.

In the Community, spectrum for wireless local area networks (LANs) is available in the 2,4 Gigaherz (GHz)
Industrial Scientific and Medical frequency band and in the less congested 5 GHz band, which is also used
by some military applications, however not on an exclusive basis. A common allocation in the latter band
is being recommended by the European Radiocommunications Committee (ERC) of
the European
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), where radio regulators of the
Community and other European states confer. This allocation is however not legally binding upon Member
States in the absence of Community instruments. Its application is currently incomplete. A proposal for a
Parliament and Council Decision on a regulatory framework for
radio spectrum policy in the
Community (1) has been presented by the Commission and should soon be subject to second reading in
Parliament. This Decision will enable to assess at Community level the use of radio spectrum where

C 81 E/150

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

in particular through
required for Community policies,
mandates to CEPT, and make such harmonisation legally binding upon Member States. The question raised
by the Honourable Member shows the urgent need to put in place such type of mechanism.

to harmonise such use in the Community,

The 2,4 GHz band is very popular, as it is one of the few bands that is reasonably harmonised globally.
For this reason, Bluetooth is planning to operate in this band together with many other applications,
including wireless LANs following the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b
standard but also microwave ovens and identification systems. In the Community this band is harmonised
with the exception of France, where part of the band is used for military applications. Because of its
popularity it is however also increasingly congested, thereby making it progressively less attractive for
wireless LANs.

The 5 GHz band, both in Europe and in the United States, is to be shared with feeder links for satellite
services and some radar applications. It is true to say that some Member States originally intended to
reserve the 5 GHz band exclusively for products conforming to the European Telecommunications
Standardization Institute (ETSI) Hiperlan standard. Directive 1999/5/EC, of the Parliament and of the
Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the
mutual recognition of their conformity (2), however ensures fair and equitable market access for all
products which meet its requirements. Such requirements are technology independent and, among others,
ensure that equipment does not cause interference to other users of the radio frequency spectrum. The
Commission has, in the context of the procedures obliging Member States to notify technical regulations,
objected to such restrictions as not complying with the EC Treaty, Directive 1999/5/EC and with
obligations of the Community in the context of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Member States have
accepted these arguments and the Commission is not aware that products complying with the IEEE
802.11a standard operating in this band have been barred access to national markets and spectrum in
Member States that implemented the recommendation from the ERC.

Products conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standards thus will be able to operate in spectrum allocated for
wireless local area networks under the same conditions as products conforming to the ETSI or other
standards. As the usage of spectrum in Europe is slightly different from that of the United States,
conditions may vary between Europe and the United States. There are no indications however that these
differences (notably linked to power levels) will have an impact on the market potential in the Community
for any type of equipment compliant to IEEE 802.11 standards.

In order to facilitate the implementation of Directive 1999/5/EC, the Commission has mandated ETSI to
develop standards, compliance with which will ensure that products meet the requirements of the Directive
and thus can properly share the spectrum in these bands. It is understood that manufacturers of IEEE
802.11 compliant products are already contributing to the drafting of these standards to ensure their
compatibility with that technology. It is true that developing such standards would be facilitated if there
was no need to take account of other users of the spectrum, e.g. military applications. It seems however,
that sharing with these other applications is technically possible without excessive extra cost for wireless
LAN products. Hence, it does not seem necessary to consider removing applications from the defence
sector from the 5 GHz band.

(1) OJ C 365 E, 19.12.2000.
(2) OJ L 91, 7.4.1999.

(2002/C 81 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2313/01

by Dominique Vlasto (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 July 2001)

Subject: Aid for SMUs in the tourism sector

SMUs in the tourism sector have been identified as the key factor in the sustainable development of the
regions of Europe. Such SMUs need to secure funding in order to renew their equipment and maintain
their attractiveness, thereby helping to attain the objective of sustainable development in Europe.