Information Society Industry :: Communications :: Mobile and Wireless
Mobile and Wireless Communications
Europe is a world leader in the mobile communications sector, with many of the world’s largest equipment suppliers, mobile phone companies and mobile content producers. This is no accident - it is the result of a concerted, coordinated EU-wide push by the Commission, national governments and industry.
Overview ¦ Relevant Policies ¦ Example Projects
Europe's co-ordinated approach in the development and deployment of the GSM standard has propelled European companies into globally dominant positions in this enormously valuable market. Nowadays around two billion people in over 217 countries and territories use mobile phones based on Europe's GSM standard.
The GSM standard is an European success story: the technical standard itself was developed through EU research and deployment, and encouraged by European regulation of the communications industry. The resulting competition drove further development, driving hardware and call prices down in a virtuous circle from which everyone wins.
"The resulting competition drove ... hardware and call prices down in a virtuous circle from which everyone wins"
The exception is when you use your mobile phone abroad - the Commission is therefore developing a roaming regulation to protect consumers and business people travelling throughout Europe.
The sector, however, is at a turning point, with “second-generation” GSM-based services being replaced by third-generation (3G) networks. By providing high-speed, mobile internet access, these technologies open up a landscape where users can communicate, read, listen, watch and work as they wish, wherever they wish, using mobile services personalised to their interests and even physical location.
These technologies open up immense possibilities in areas as diverse as logistics, news and entertainment. The new landscape could provide all organisations with a keener competitive edge, allowing employees to work more effectively in a wider range of environments, and will generate new opportunities for industries as diverse as software development and Europe’s cultural sector.
These services - and the ones to follow - will drive medium to long-term growth in the sector. A European approach is as essential now as it was to the original success of GSM.
Further Details and Quicklinks
- Policies
- Activities
- See Also
- Relevant Policies
-
Read the Overview of Relevant Policies or jump straight to the following sites:
- i2010: the 'Single
European Information Space' pillar combines regulatory and
other instruments to create a modern, market-oriented regulatory
framework, including:
- Electronic Communications: Europe's rules for the electronic communications industry cover mobile communications;
- Radio Spectrum Policy: part of the above rules cover the use of radio spectrum - a scarce resource which is vital to wireless technologies and other applications;
- Roaming: Despite decreasing calling prices, the costs for using your mobile phone abroad has remained excessively high. Hence the roaming regulation.
- R-LANS: The EC policy towards R-LANs aims to stimulate
their development in two phases:
- a March 2003 Recommendation encouraged Member States to allow deployment of public R-LAN access networks without 'sector specific' conditions, to avoid stifling their growth - read the press release;
- Harmonisation of R-LAN spectrum: at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03), the EU achieved its objective of getting agreement "on world-wide primary allocations ... of a sizeable amount of spectrum ... fostering the uptake of these wireless systems globally." - see Results of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003
- Mobile Content and Services are critical to stimulating
growth in the sector:
- Safer mobile phones for children: Leading European mobile in cooperation with the Commission are committed to protect minors using mobile phones from illicit and illegal content.
- all policies related to digital content - mobile or otherwise - are set out in the Content & Services theme
- i2010: the 'Single
European Information Space' pillar combines regulatory and
other instruments to create a modern, market-oriented regulatory
framework, including:
- Relevant Activities
-
Mobile Communications Research: see the Research & Innovation theme for an introduction to EC research, browse some Example Projects, or jump straight to the following sites:
- Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service Infrastructures is one of the seven main challenges for ICT research during the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7, 2007-2013);
- Under the preceding Sixth Framework Research Programme research programme (FP6, 2002-2006), Strategic Objectives focused on Communication and Network Technologies; Mobile and Wireless Systems and Platforms Beyond 3G; and Broadband for All.
- See Also
-
From the Mobile Communications Newsroom and Library:
- Press Packs on Mobile Roaming Charges
- Press Pack: Radio Spectrum : Commission proposes advancing the single market for radio spectrum use (29/09/2005)
- Factsheet 23: Stimulating Mobile Broadband Services (January 2006)
- For the latest relevant news, publications and more from the Newsroom & Library, see right hand column, or select IS Industry when you subscribe to the Portal Newsroom Update.
Other sites and documents of interest include:
Last Updated March 2007