National Frequency Agency creation
The National Frequency Agency, a public administrative body, was set up by the Telecommunications Regulation Act of 26 July 1996 to plan, manage and monitor the use of public radio frequencies in France. On 1st January 1997, the ANFR was created by merging the Comité de Coordination des Télécommunications (CCT), the Service National des Radiocommunications (SNR) and part of the Post and Telecommunications department.
The Agency’s missions
The ANFR is a government agency that manages all radio frequencies in France. Frequencies are used for all wireless communications and entire sectors of the economy depend on them: mobile communications, transport, the Internet of Things, television, national defence, industry, etc. The services and equipment using frequencies are increasing in number and constantly evolving, which means that the Agency must anticipate those developments to guarantee access for all to this non-extendible resource.
The Agency is also in charge of ensuring the coexistence of all frequency uses for all users.
At the international level
The ANFR has a role to cooperate and negotiate France's positions on the broad guidelines for access to the frequency spectrum. As true "spectrum diplomats”, its staff prepare and defend French interests in the various bodies in which European and international frameworks are defined. The Agency is also the entry point for satellite operators to record their frequencies on the ITU international frequency file.
At the national level
The ANFR is the contact for the major frequency spectrum users. It issues agreements for the creation of radio sites while guaranteeing electromagnetic compatibility. Since 2020, it has been closely monitoring the deployment of 5G in France. All the radio sites are listed on the Cartoradio.fr website, so that everyone can follow the roll-out of the networks.
As well as managing site creation authorisations, the ANFR is in charge of monitoring the use of frequencies. It guarantees that the frequencies assigned to users are actually available, thanks to the day-to-day work of its field staff. As the guardian of the spectrum, the Agency takes preventive action through monitoring and awareness-raising operations, and curative action by the resolution of interference. During major events, which have high frequency demands, the ANFR acts to organise and control the use of temporary frequency assignments in the area concerned and to make sure the event runs smoothly.
The ANFR's work with the general public is essential:
- It monitors public exposure to radio waves and enforces compliance with the limit values that guarantee the absence of adverse health effects;
- it also checks the compliance of radio equipment and terminals on the market by measuring their Specific Absorption Rate (SAR);
- It makes sure DTT reception is protected and processes viewers' complaints when they have difficulties receiving DTT, provided that those difficulties are not related to their individual equipment.