FINAL REPORT - Stakeholders - Ofcom

6.18 R&TTE Directive
Maritime radio equipment which is not covered by the SOLAS Convention is covered by
the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive (R&TTE Directive)
Directive 99/5/EC. This is a “New Approach Directive”. It relies on harmonised standards
developed by recognised European standards bodies, e.g. ETSI, to define technical
characteristics which can be used to meet the essential requirements in accordance with
the Directive. The Directive also applies to receivers (see Article 2(c) of the Directive).
See also section 4.4.
The Directive applies to equipment not covered by the Marine Equipment Directive, i.e.
also for coast station equipment used for safety and distress purposes.
From a UK standpoint the UK Radio Interface Requirements are also pertinent. Under the
Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Regulations 2000, which
implements the R&TTE Directive in the UK, it is a legal requirement that all radio
equipment (with certain specific exceptions) meets the essential requirements of the
Directive. It is the responsibility of any person who places radio equipment on the market
or takes it into service in the UK to ensure that the requirements of the R&TTE Directive
are met. It must be marked with the CE marking which means that a written declaration of
conformity by the manufacturer has been drawn up for it, together with information for the
user on the intended use of the equipment (e.g. Maritime radio).
6.19 Conclusions
The radio frequency spectrum is a finite and extremely valuable resource. It is therefore
important that the commercial and social benefit that can be derived from it is maximised.
The maritime mobile service is primarily an international service. The international
character requires the harmonisation of frequencies, of equipment characteristics and
operational procedures in order to guarantee the smooth interoperability of stations of
different countries that are all using the same portion of the spectrum. The service is
governed by international agreements, such as the Radio Regulations and the
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention) and also by relevant ITU-R
Recommendations. It is therefore only to a limited degree open to diverging national
solutions. Thus, there is only very limited room for the implementation of more spectrally
efficient radiocommunication techniques and technology. Possibilities do certainly exist in
frequency bands, that deliver smaller coverage, inter alia higher bands, such as VHF, or
where usage is rapidly decreasing (HF) due to alternative means of long-distance
communications. On a world-wide level, changes in technology can only be implemented
in the medium-to-long term, because developing countries in particular are very reluctant
to agree to changes due to the high cost involved to replace existing technology.
Professor Martin Cave in his 2002 ‘Review of Radio Spectrum Management’ in the United
Kingdom recommended that the Government should, wherever technically and
operationally feasible, facilitate greater flexibility in the use of a given frequency band.
This recommendation is generally pertinent since if by a combination of regulatory and
technical processes it is possible to improve spectrum efficiency in any frequency band,
congestion may be alleviated, more users accommodated or spectrum could be
transferred to other users or alternative applications. However, in view of the fore-going,
there is not much flexibility for an administration to deviate from the rules agreed
internationally. This has to be taken into account when considering possibilities to
increase the efficiency of frequency usage.
To a certain extent the industry focus for peripheral equipment is still directed towards the
U.S. and this gives their indigenous industry a great advantage. All industries favour large
markets and the attendant economies of scale. The downturn in maritime trade, flags of
convenience and the more diverse nature of ship building has tended to disperse the
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