Higher PEM levels and 5G start in Poland in 2020

Ten post dostępny jest także w języku: polski

The Polish government wants to significantly raise the PEM standards. The company “Polskie 5G” is to be established. Operators are testing 5G, and the commercial launch is to take place in 2020 after the allocation of frequencies.

Higher PEM standards

Recently, more and more is being done on the development of the 5G network in Poland. The Ministry of Health has published a draft regulation amending the standards of electromagnetic radiation (PEM). The new draft regulation regulating electromagnetic radiation (PEM) standards was prepared by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Digitization. According to mobile operators, without these changes, the construction of a commercial 5G network in Poland would be a business-unsustainable project, if at all possible.

The project proposes new PEM standards for frequencies available in Poland. In the frequency range from 2 to 300 GHz, the power density of the network has been set at 10 W/m2. This is a 100-fold relaxation of the standard currently in force in the 300 MHz to 3 GHz band, in which the permissible power density has been set at a maximum of 0.1 W/m2. The power density for other bands is to be calculated separately for each frequency according to the project. In the case of 1800 MHz band it will be 9 W/m2, and in the 800 MHz band – 4 W/m2.

The “Polskie 5G” company

At the end of October 2019 in the seat of the Ministry of Digitization a memorandum on the establishment of the company “Polskie 5G” was signed. The project is to reduce the costs of building the 5G network and maintain competitive prices of services. Among the priorities set out in the signed memorandum is also the provision of infrastructure allowing for the development of the digital economy and ensuring a high level of cyber security.

In the signed document, all parties declared their willingness to cooperate in the establishment of one wholesale operator of the nationwide 5G network operating in the 700 MHz band. The Memorandum was signed by representatives of the Polish Development Fund (PFR) and companies Exatel, Orange Polska, Polkomtel and T-Mobile Polska.

The list of signatories includes the Play network – the largest mobile operator in Poland in terms of the number of customers. However, its representatives were present at the signing of the document and declare that they intend to participate in further works.

67 test 5G stations in Poland – commercial launch in 2020

The European Commission wants the EU countries to have a wide coverage of the 5G technology network by 2025. According to its guidelines, by 2020 the 5G network is to be available on commercial terms for at least one large city in each country, including Poland. This date does not seem to be endangered, provided that, according to the plan, UKE (market regulator) will allocate the 3.4-3.8 GHz frequencies on which the first commercial 5G services in Poland are to be launched.

Preparing for the introduction of next-generation services, the largest Polish operators have been conducting trials related to this network in some locations for several months now. Today, there are 67 test stations of the 5G network in Poland, operated by Orange, P4, T-Mobile and the Łódź University of Technology with Ericsson.