5. Submarine cable: any physical medium for telecommunications signals which uses the marine
environment as a passageway for cables.
Such a medium shall be termed international when it links two or more countries.
6. Terminal: any appliance, installation or set of installations destined for connection to a terminal
point of a network and which emits, receives or processes telecommunications signals. This shall not
include equipment which gives access to audiovisual communication services transmitted by radio
waves or by cable, save when such equipment also makes it possible to access telecommunciations
services.
7. Basic requirements: requirements necessary to guarantee, in the general interest:
- the safety of users and of personnel operating telecommunications networks;
- the protection of networks and, in particular, the exchange of control and management information
related thereto,
- the proper use of the radio spectrum, if need be;
- interoperability between the services and terminals, as well as the protection of data.
8. Management of the radio frequency spectrum: all the administrative and technical actions
aimed at ensuring rational utilization of the radio frequency spectrum by users.
9. Homologation: a process which makes it possible to evaluate the conformity of GMPCS or other
terminals to statutory technical prescription. Such prescriptions mainly aim at ensuring that GMPCS
and other terminals are not detrimental to the networks, GMPCS users, other users or other
equipment.
10. Interconnection: reciprocal services provided by two telecommunications operators through
networks open to the public that enable all users to communicate freely with each other, regardless
of the networks to which they are connected or the services they use.
11. Interoperability between terminals: the capacity of terminals to function with the network,
on the one hand and with other terminals which give access to the same services on the other.
12. Radio installation, station or equipment: any telecommunications installation, station or
equipment which uses radio frequencies for the propagation of waves in free space.
Radio installations shall, in particular, include networks using satellite capacity.
13. Licensing: the issue of a licence or any other permit in accordance with the laws and regulations
in force and with the provisions of the radiocommunications regulations of the International
Telecommunications Union.
14. Operator: any individual or corporate body operating a telecommunications network open to the
public or providing a telecommunications service to the public.
15. Interministerial frequency management body: an interministerial committee responsible for
allocating radio frequency bands.
16. Terminal points: physical connection points which conform to the technical specifications
necessary to gain access to and communicate efficiently through a telecommunications network it.
They are an integral part of the network.
When a telecommunications network is connected to a foreign network, the points of connection to
the latter are considered terminal points.
When a telecommunications network is destined for the transmission of signals to radiobroadcasting
installations, the points of connection to such installations shall be considered terminal points.