Europe is currently studying the possibility of low power audio “Programme Making and Special Events” (PMSE) equipment in the 960 – 1164 MHz band of the spectrum, which is currently reserved for aeronautical use.
Sharing this portion of the spectrum with other users would potentially affect systems widely used in civil aviation like Secondary Radar, DME, ADS-B, Multi-
Aviation equipment has to comply with strict requirements and stringent rules apply to personnel training and licensing. Sharing a frequency spectrum that was so far reserved for a tightly regulated activity such as aviation raises many questions. The technical requirements for equipment is one aspect, but there are concerns on liability in case of accidents or incidents, where aviation systems suffer from interference from non-aviation equipment; or on the validity of safety cases developed before the entrance of these new stakeholders.
It is vital for safety that aviation systems are not compromised by sharing of a frequency band. To esnure these concerns are listened to before a final decision is taken, IFATCA and other major stakeholders have forwarded their concerns. In addition, IFATCA has requested its European Member Associations to contact their Aviation Authorities and invite them to participate in the Public Consultation that will end in September 2019.