The Hungarian Communications Market Developments and ...

The Hungarian Communications Market Developments and Regulation between 2004 and 2008
The Authority is responsible for the implementation of the EU and
international principles related to frequency usage and technical
standards in Hungary’s national plans for frequency usage. To this
end, the Authority is in charge of regularly reviewing the National Table
for Frequency Allocations (FNFT) established by Government decree.
Due to actual changes in the rules for band usage and the modifications
of FNFT by Government decree, the legal regulation required
for the introduction of new technologies and changes in procedural
and technical regulations decisive for band usage, the updating of
the ministerial decree on the rules for the use of frequency bands 14 is
carried out in line with the FNFT.
Following 2004, the Authority contributed to the preparation of the
modification of the decree on the Authority’s procedures of civil frequency
management 15 , the decree on radio equipment and telecommunications
terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of the
conformity of such equipment 16 .
The Authority continuously assesses the Hungarian implementation
of EU recommendations and legal regulations as regards
frequency management and continuously reports to ERO (European
Radiocommunications Office).
As part of its frequency management activities, the Authority
continuously makes technical calculations in connection with telecommunications
and broadcasting satellite networks and stations,
carries out frequency planning, and the assessment of satellite
networks and stations regularly published by ITU.
International activities
It is a key responsibility of frequency management to protect the
country’s interests in international organisations and to represent the
Hungarian administration in international organisations in charge of
the regulation of radiocommunication.
As part of this work, the Authority participates in the COCOM subcommittees
in charge of increasing the effectiveness of frequency
usage and harmonised European radio licensing procedures, and in
the DICE project for speeding up the introduction of digital television
broadcasting and incorporating previous experiences, as well
as in the work of EU working committees (RSPG, RSC) dealing with
frequency management policy.
The Authority represents Hungary in the working groups of ITU
organisations dealing with the fixed-location, land mobile and radio
applications as well as with the survey and regulation of the technical
issues of spectrum management. Since 2004, the support the
Authority provided to the working committees of the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Danube Committee and to
the organisation ensuring frequencies for international inland water
transportation (RAINWAT Committee) as well as to the forums
promoting the introduction of digital radio (World DAB) and television
(EBU Forecast) has also been of great importance.
The experts of NHH were also among the participants of the Regional
Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06), a major professional
event of the year 2006, held in Geneva. The importance of the
conference is signified by the fact that it has defined the conditions
for television and radio free-to-air broadcasting for decades to come.
The Geneva achievements mean a total number of eight television
and three radio multiplexes for Hungary. After digital switchover has
been completed, the capacity thus obtained will allow the national
broadcasting of 30 to 40 television and some 20 radio programmes.
In addition to increasing the number of programmes, the frequencies
obtained will facilitate the introduction of new services such as interactive,
high-definition (HDTV) and mobile (DVB-H) television services.
Within the framework of the expert work carried out in CEPT
organisations, the Authority has contributed to the definition of
the technical conditions related to the introduction of new radio
frequency technologies and applications, the establishment of a joint
European frequency information system (WG FM EFIS) as well as to
the efforts of the working groups in charge of preparing the WRC-07
World Radiocommunication Conference and the formulation of a
common European position. One of the topics of WRC-07 also decisive
from a Hungarian point of view was the frequency bands to be
allocated to 3G and beyond-3G mobile systems. This will also have
an impact on the rollout of broadband mobile systems.
Spectrum Strategy
The number of services and applications using radiocommunication
shows a steady rise, generating growing need for spectrum resources.
These facts together with the rapid change in the technologies used
present intensive incentives for flexible and efficient spectrum management.
A modern authority must have a medium term strategy that
guarantees and serves the dynamic development of national radiocommunication
in line with market and professional expectations. NHH
developed its Spectrum Strategy for the period ending in 2010 in view
of the Regulatory Strategy, identifying focus areas such as the development
of public mobile communication, professional radiocommunication,
short-range and long-range broadband wireless data transmission
(WMAN, WiMAX, Wi-Fi) and terrestrial digital broadcasting.
The Authority has contributed to the development of the draft
modification of Dtv. 17 , the National Audiovisual Media Strategy
(NAMS), and the draft regulations concerning digital switchover.
In connection with the NHH strategy and by investigating the
regulatory conditions for flexible frequency use, the Authority has
developed a model system for the simplified licensing of the 76 GHz
broadband data transmission system.
A feasibility study concerning the regulatory conditions for secondary
frequency trading has been presented, together with a codification-level
recommendation for a law modification to facilitate frequency leasing.
In order to facilitate quality broadband data transmission, the
Authority has prepared the use of 5.8 and 3.7 GHz bands for the