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On August 3, 2011, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) an inquiry was submitted to the Radio Regulatory Council (Chairman: Hiroshi Harashima, emeritus professor at The University of Tokyo) concerning a ministerial ordinance plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations (1950 Radio Regulatory Council Regulation No. 14) and Wireless Equipment Regulations (1950 Radio Regulatory Council Regulation No. 18) together with a ministerial ordinance plan for partial modification of the Frequency Allocation Program (2008 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Bulletin No. 714) in order to carry out service maintenance in connection with frequency expansion for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band and reform accompanying the partial enforcement of the Law for Partial Revision of the Radio Law (Act No. 60 of 2011 Law; to be enforced within three months of promulgation of the Law), and a reply was received from the Council stating its approval of the matters outlined in the inquiry.
An appeal for opinions on these plans was held from July 2 to August 1, 2011, in response to which two opinions were submitted, and these are officially announced herein along with the views of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).
1. Background to inquiry
(1) Plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations accompanying partial enforcement of Law for Partial Revision of the Radio Law
The Law for Partial Revision of the Radio Law (hereinafter, the "Revised Radio Law") was established at the 177th National Diet and promulgated on June 1, 2011.
The same Law dictates that provisions set forth in Article 1, Clause 2 of the supplementary provisions are to be enforced within three months from the date of the promulgation of the Law (June 1, 2011), and there will be maintenance, etc. of regulations that are necessary to achieve this.
(2) Plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations etc. accompanying 2GHz expansion of frequencies for 60GHz-band special low-power radio stations
In recent years there have been rapidly advancing technological developments and international standardization for 60GHz-band (59-66GHz) special low-power radio stations (for which system maintenance was carried out in August 2000). A report compiled on November 30, 2010 by the "Working Group for Study of Frequencies for Implementation of Wireless Broadband" (opened last year by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC)) stated the following: "We should consider expanding the usable bandwidth in the 60GHz band by 2GHz to cover 57-66GHz, ideally by 2012, in order to service home and office broadband environments." This plan will now expand the usable bandwidth based on the above.
The image below shows the 60GHz frequency bands for which licenses are unnecessary in various countries and regions. This expansion of usable bandwidth will mean that channel 4 of channels 1-4 as established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) will become available; further mutual utilization of other countries' machinery will become possible; and it will contribute to improved user-friendliness and reinforced international competitiveness.
2. Outline of revision plans
(1) Plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations accompanying partial enforcement of Law for Partial Revision of the Radio Law
This plan establishes the period of validity for authorization of establishment plans in Radio Law Enforcement Regulations. This period is established in Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) orders but must not exceed 10 years. In the Revised Radio Law, this period covers situations where special base stations use frequencies for which limits for use are established in frequency allocation plans, and the frequencies are used by actual existing radio stations.
(2) Plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations accompanying 2GHz expansion of frequencies for 60GHz-band special low-power radio stations
· Ministerial ordinance plan for partial revision of Radio Law Enforcement Regulations
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Ministerial ordinance plan for partial revision of Radio Equipment Regulations
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Ministerial ordinance plan for partial revision of Technical Standards Compliance Verification, etc. in Special Wireless Equipment
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
· Bulletin plan for partial revision of the Frequency Allocation Program
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Bulletin plan for partial revision of item establishing utility of special low-power radio stations, radio wave types frequencies, and electric power for antennas (1989 Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Bulletin No. 42)
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Bulletin plan for partial revision of item establishing frequency bands assigned to wireless equipment for in-house radio stations, special low-power radio stations and Ultra Wide Band system radio stations (2010 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Bulletin No. 212)
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Bulletin plan for partial modification of item establishing permissible values for frequency bandwidth occupied by wireless equipment of separately established special low-power radio stations (2006 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Bulletin No. 659)
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
·Directive plan for partial reform of Radio Law-related inspection standards (2001 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Directive No. 67)
Service maintenance will be carried out to accompany the 2GHz expansion of frequencies for special low-power radio stations in the 60GHz band.
3. Results from appeal for opinions
The opinions submitted and the views of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) are as per the enclosed document.
4. Schedule
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will promptly carry out system maintenance based on the reply from the Radio Regulatory Council and results of the appeal for opinions.
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For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
https://www.soumu.go.jp/common/english_opinions.html
International Policy Division,
Global ICT Strategy Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5374 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924 |
