European Enterprises Should Delay a Deployment

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1 Strategic Planning, S. Real Research Note 3 April 2003 European Enterprises Should Delay a Deployment Inconsistent regulations and an immature standard mean enterprises should not deploy a wireless network equipment in Europe before Those that do risk having to upgrade it earlier than the three-year norm. Core Topic Wireless and Mobile: Mobile Business Issues and Trends Key Issue What challenges will enterprises have to surmount to successfully exploit mobile business opportunities? Strategic Planning Assumption a equipment cannot be expected to reach a useful three-year life until at least year-end 2003 (0.8 probability). Widespread deployment of wireless LANs (WLANs) in Europe lags behind North America, held back by a lack of unified spectrum regulation across Europe. Though European governments have been deregulating the 2.4GHz radio band for WLANs independently, usage specifications are consistent across the region with the exception of Spain and France, which will fall in line soon. The b standard for 2.4GHz is mature. Outdoor and indoor use of 2.4GHz is allowed in most countries, and "hot spots" places for public WLAN access have started to appear. Cost and security issues affecting b-compliant equipment have been mostly resolved. The situation for a, which operates at 5GHz, is different. In the past nine months, the 5GHz radio band has opened up significantly across Western Europe. Public Internet access using WLANs at 5GHz is allowed in most countries, enabling hot-spot services to develop, though the 5.725GHz-5.825GHz band is not expected to be used because of the 25 milliwatts (mw) effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limit. But, as Table 1 shows, WLAN frequency regulations still vary greatly by country. Spectrum allocation across Europe is inconsistent because commercial use of the radio spectrum is governed by differing technical requirements and rules. Where allowed, 5GHz band is restricted to indoor use only for 5.15GHz to 5.35GHz and 5.725GHz to 5.825GHz. Also, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) needs to add transmission power control (TPC) and dynamic frequency selection (DFS) to the a standard to meet European radio regulations. This modification, known as h, will emerge as a new standard for European 5GHz WLANs by mid-2003 (0.7 probability). Enterprises should only invest in 5GHz equipment that has both TPC and DFS. When h becomes a Gartner Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

2 standard, silicon may have to be changed, new products will emerge and certification will follow to guarantee interoperability between products. With h in place and Pan-European regulation emerging, Wi-Fi-certified 5GHz products will increase in the first half of But b will be the mainstay for hot-spot connections through Nevertheless, some WLAN public access providers will additionally support a and g as regulations become more consistent across Europe. 3 April

3 Table 1 Wireless LAN Frequency Regulations for Public Use in Western Europe IEEE Standard a b Radio Frequency Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom Austria Denmark France Greece Spain Switzerland 5.15GHz- 5.25GHz 60mW EIRP with TPC; 30mW EIRP without TPC (DFS not required for either); DFS = dynamic frequency selection EIRP = effective isotropic radiated power TPC = transmission power control Source: Gartner Research (February 2003) 5.25GHz- 5.35GHz Not available 5.47GHz GHz 1W EIRP; Military use; under 1W EIRP; 5.725GHz GHz 2.4GHz GHz Varies by administrative region Most-Deregulated Countries Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom are the mostderegulated countries in Europe. They comply with general rules 3 April

4 set by the European Radiocommunications Committee (ERC) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). In the 5GHz band, WLAN equipment, TPC or both may still be used, but at reduced power levels (see Table 2). But equipment bought now will have to be upgraded when h evolves and changes are requested in WLAN technology designs. In the United Kingdom, the 5GHz band was deregulated in October 2002, following the publication of the Interface Requirement IR 2006 by the Radiocommunications Agency. The 2.4GHz band was deregulated in June Both bands are open for public access services by commercial network operators, and hot-spot deployments in the United Kingdom are poised to take off. Table 2 Conditions of Use for WLAN Equipment Without DFS, TPC or Both Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom Band Equipment With TPC Equipment Without TPC Maximum EIRP Minimum EIRP 5.15GHz-5.35GHz 120mW 30mW 60mW 5.15GHz-5.25GHz 60mW 15mW 30mW Source: Gartner Research (March 2003) Austria Only the 2.4GHz band is available for private and public use. In the 5GHz band, only the 5.15GHz-5.25GHz range is available. DFS is not necessarily required, but maximum power restrictions apply for equipment. Though the 5.25GHz-5.35GHZ and 5.47GHz-5.725GHz bands are closed, this may change depending on discussions at the World Radio Conference The 5.47GHz-5.725GHz band is for military use only. Denmark Denmark s rules comply with the general conditions for Europe laid out in FSB-LD047 (WLAN in accordance with a and HIPERLAN Type 1). However, a maximum power restriction of 50mW () applies for WLAN equipment without TPC and DFS. France France is the only European country with two sets of rules for equipment using 2.4GHz, because the military also use this band. Which set of rules applies depends on departement, or administrative region. In November 2002, the French Telecommunications Regulatory Authority granted 38 administrative regions favored operating conditions. These were 3 April

5 Favored conditions for 58 administrative regions Conditions for the remaining administrative regions Source: Gartner Research (March 2003) joined by 20 more in February 2003 (see The remaining 37 administrative regions in mainland France have stricter regulations, but will gradually be granted the same rights as the others. Table 3 lists the conditions for WLAN equipment use in France. 5GHz is only available indoors. The 5.47GHz-5.725GHz band is closed. Table 3 Conditions of Use for WLAN Equipment in France 2.4GHz-2.454GHz 2.454GHz GHz Indoor/Outdoor Indoor Outdoor 100mW 100mW 10mW 10mW 100mW Not permitted Greece Only the 2.4 GHz band is open. Operators do not need a license, but they must declare equipment for each new site to the National Telecommunciations Commission. The government plans to open the 5GHz band, provided the military forces agree. Spain The 2.4GHz band is only open for private, indoor use. The maximum power authorized is 100mW EIRP, and both b and g are allowed. Public use of 2.4GHz is being considered, along with the opening of the whole 5GHz band. Switzerland Only the 5.15GHz-5.25GHz band is open, but use is limited to 200mW EIRP indoors. The 5.25GHz-5.35GHz and 5.470GHz GHz bands are not available, but this may change after the World Radio Conference Greater consistency, but regulatory issues persist Regulation of European radio frequencies has been getting more consistent, especially in the second half of 2002, with more countries deregulating use of the radio spectrum. Nordic countries are leading the way. However, there is still a long way to go before regulations will be uniform across Europe many countries have not yet finalized regulation for a. 3 April

6 Acronym Key DFS EIRP ERC ETSI IEEE mw TPC WLAN dynamic frequency selection effective isotropic radiated power European Radiocommunications Committee European Telecommunications Standards Institute Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers milliwatt transmission power control wireless LAN Businesses should wait until these regulatory issues are resolved before buying a equipment or risk having to upgrade their equipment earlier than normal. Those that delay purchases will be able to incorporate other maturing technologies, such as Advanced Encryption Standard, simultaneously. Moreover, power levels are significantly reduced for equipment operating on a, making the range at the improved speed levels poor. Businesses should be skeptical of vendors' claims of compliance with a. Gartner believes compliance is doubtful at present, because regulations have not been finalized. Bottom Line: Enterprises should not deploy a equipment until the standard has matured and regulation throughout Europe is consistent. Those that do should not expect their deployments to achieve a useful three-year life. Enterprises should invest in products, which operate on a mature standard and do have an expected life of three years. 3 April