Background

Until quite recently, most private mobile networks have existed as professional networks based on narrowband technology such as TETRA, TETRAPOL and GSM. Global standards-making body, 3GPP’s undoubted success in bringing mobile broadband solutions to a global mass market now offers new, powerful technology options to businesses and mission-critical users. As industries, enterprises and Government organisations undergo rapid digital transformation, with 5G providing new, powerful tools, they can now adopt these global standards to take advantage of a large, open, future-proof ecosystem of compatible network components and devices, which will continue to develop.

Public mobile network operators are unlikely to fulfil all the critical communications requirements of enterprises and other service-oriented organisations. Highly specific mobile communications needs for each vertical segment and even individual organisations with strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), create the demand for a new generation of private wireless networks with associated access to spectrum, currently only partially fulfilled across Europe and the rest of the world. The advent of 5G and the implementation of its full capabilities is being largely driven by vertical sectors’ current and future requirements.

It is, of course, possible for mobile operators to extend their services to the so-called vertical sectors with tailored solutions. It is also possible for larger enterprises and organisations to design, develop and deploy their own bespoke solutions. However, an exceptionally large proportion of the public service and business community will not have their specific needs served by public operators and in-house solutions are likely to be prohibitively expensive.

Today, with the liberalization of spectrum for Private 5G in places like United States of America, Japan, Sweden, France, Finland, Germany and United Kingdom, the speed at which these solutions will be deployed will increase dramatically boosting digitalization and competitiveness like never before. This poses a competitive disadvantage to corporations and SMEs in countries where private spectrum is not available. EUWENA intends to serve these communities.

Mission Statement

"Working together with all interested parties, EUWENA acts as a catalyst for the wider adoption of feature-rich private mobile networks across Europe. It advocates sufficient, accessible, affordable, harmonised spectrum and promotes an open, multi-vendor approach to advanced services and applications running in these networks. EUWENA’s ultimate goal through its actions is to make the adoption of such solutions as easy as possible for as many organisations as possible, thereby creating enhanced and sustained value for enterprises and wider society.”

About

EUWENA (European Users Wireless Enterprise Network Association) was set up in April 2021, following a series of parallel conversations during early 2021 between private mobile networks pioneer, Christian Regnier and critical communications industry experts, Peter Clemons and Koen Mioulet, who recognised the urgent need for a European-level initiative to promote the greater uptake of 3GPP-based private mobile networks. Christian, Peter and Koen were joined from the beginning by Antoine van der Sijs, Christopher Gehlen, Kerim Agdaci, Shaun McGinley and Thomas Hervieu, with the support and attendance of Tony Boyle and Johann Schmid at the inaugural meeting in March 2021.

The founding members all share EUWENA’s common values and goals and represent companies from across Europe: AirFrance, Privinnet and LD expertise (France), Quixoticity (United Kingdom), ULWIMO and Strict (Netherlands), Sigma Wireless (Ireland), Opticoms (Germany) and Neutroon (Spain), as well as industry associations, AGURRE (France) and KMBG (Netherlands). It is expected that many more companies and associations will become a part of EUWENA over the coming months and years.

Main Drivers

In recent times, all EUWENA participants have experienced first-hand the challenging, often protracted process of requesting and acquiring spectrum for private wireless network use in their home markets. In a few European countries private and local spectrum for enterprise usage is now available; in a few more countries preparations for private spectrum are ongoing; in many others, no spectrum for private wireless networks has been made available at all yet. In addition, the spectrum that has been made available for private and local networks does differ between countries; which is detrimental for the ecosystem. This lack of spectrum harmonisation across Europe is one of the main drivers for EUWENA.

Focus on Europe, global ambitions

In recent years, the European Union of 27 member states has set out its strategic targets for the future. Climate change, sustainability and digital transformation are high on their agenda. To encourage digital transformation, European DG Connect launched the Horizon 2020 program with 5G as a European technology accelerator. In the development of the digital world, mobile connectivity is a major prerequisite and mobile broadband is a major technology development. This is well understood. The importance of mobile communications therefore makes it evident that sufficient frequency spectrum must be made available to allow all enterprises to complete their digital transformation.

In Europe, the responsibility for frequency spectrum management belongs to the relevant government body of each member state. When we look at the present situation of availability of frequency spectrum for public mobile networks in the EU, there are encouraging signs of a tendency towards a common approach. However, when we look at the present situation of availability and allocation of frequencies for private mobile networks that have meanwhile been allocated and made available, in the EU, we see a far from harmonised approach.

In Europe, the following organisations play an important role in spectrum harmonisation: RSPG (Radio Spectrum Policy Group) is a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy.
RSC (Radio Spectrum Committee) is responsible for specific technical measures required to implement the broader Radio Spectrum Policy. The RSC is composed of Member State representatives and chaired by the European Commission.

CEPT (Conférence européenne des administrations des postes et télécommunications) is the European-wide organization (with 48 countries participating). CEPT’s activities include co-operation on commercial, operational, regulatory and technical standardisation issues.

EUWENA has been set up with the goal of playing a critical role as the trusted adviser for European spectrum policy bodies coordinating and promoting the development of a healthy private mobile networks ecosystem across Europe, as well as representing the European position to global bodies, as well as being the spokes channel across countries and verticals for the demand of enterprises and verticals towards regulators and suppliers.

Representing Verticals

We recognize the need for mobile connectivity in a wide range of public and private enterprises and organisations related to the particular area where the enterprise or organization operates. This need can be geographically determined: from a confined, local area, all the way up to a nationwide and even global footprint; indoor and/or outdoor; application-related such as voice, data or video, from modest IoT messages up to 8k-video-streams, and diverse levels of criticality and latency from basic non-real-time data transmission to the steering of a crane. In multiple scenarios, a best effort solution is simply not good enough, as critical services require high availability with guaranteed service levels.

EUWENA’s role

· To speed up the availability and harmonisation of sufficient frequency spectrum for private wireless networks in Europe, stimulating the creation of an open ecosystem.

· To exchange knowledge and experience on the technology, demand and supply market, to contribute to the digital transformation process, accelerating the adoption of mobile broadband technology by enterprises in Europe and supporting the specific needs of vertical sectors.

· To inform, advise and represent European enterprise users in established European spectrum, regulatory and related organisations and in international interest groups for private networks.

· To help enterprise customers define and deploy the best spectrum and private mobile network strategies.

Membership expectations

Members must be active in the area of enterprise mobile connectivity and/or the development of private mobile network solutions. They undertake to represent EUWENA, uphold its ideals and play an active role in achieving its stated goals. Everyone is welcome, be they end users of private wireless solutions, suppliers, user organisations, institutions, mobile operators or service providers, as long as they express and demonstrate full adherence to EUWENA principles set out in its charter.

EUWENA’s founding members actively promote the importance of EUWENA membership to all those fellow industry organisations and especially vertical industry end-user organisations that share our common values and goals and will benefit from the wider adoption of advanced private mobile networks across Europe.

In fact, all organisations and associations sharing EUWENA’s vision are encouraged to get in touch to find out more and join us on our journey towards enabling a better, more connected, more productive Europe.

EUWENA has created a tiered membership structure to encourage a wide range of public and private enterprises with diverse views and requirements, but a common goal, to join and actively participate in the new association. We uphold the principle of one member, one vote and the importance of reaching consensus on all major decisions.

Become a Member