Germany — why the EU band is not the national permission.
The European Union harmonised 5875–5935 MHz. It does not follow that any member state has opened all of it, and Germany is the clearest demonstration. Its general assignment covers 40 MHz, everything above it needs an individual assignment, and the assignment itself has an expiry date.
Forty megahertz, generally assigned — not sixty.
The instrument is the Bundesnetzagentur's general assignment for safety-related radio applications of intelligent transport systems, Vfg. 48/2021, last amended by Vfg. 102/2025, in its November 2025 consolidated form. It is issued under section 55 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz and states that it partially implements Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1426 in Germany.
A general assignment means no individual licence and no application: the frequencies are assigned to the public at large. What is assigned is 5875–5915 MHz. That is 40 MHz. The EU-harmonised band is 60 MHz wide and makes 50 MHz of it available to road ITS, so the national permission is narrower than the European designation — which is the single most useful fact on this page, and the reason it exists.
- Maximum spectral EIRP density: 23 dBm/MHz, equivalently 200 mW/MHz, as mean EIRP.
- Maximum EIRP: 33 dBm, equivalently 2 W, as mean EIRP.
- Transmit power control: a control range of at least 30 dB.
- Priority: road ITS applications take priority over urban rail ITS applications, so that road ITS is protected.
- Frequency arrangement: 10 MHz blocks starting at 5875 MHz; road and urban rail ITS use channels within each block boundary; channel bandwidth may be lower than 10 MHz.
It runs out, and the top of the band is not in it.
The assignment is time-limited and expires on 31 December 2026. It says so in as many words. Anyone planning German operation beyond that date should look for its successor rather than assume the arrangement rolls forward unchanged.
5915–5935 MHz is not covered. For that sub-range the assignment states that every ITS radio application must apply to the Bundesnetzagentur for a frequency assignment, with technical conditions taken from the administrative rule for non-public mobile land radio. General assignment below 5915 MHz; individual assignment above it.
Nothing here yet implements the 2026 widening. The frequency arrangement in this November 2025 text is 10 MHz blocks with no provision for combining two of them — the 20 MHz channel that Decision (EU) 2026/1800 introduced at Union level in July 2026. Whether and when the German assignment follows is not established here, and a 20 MHz German deployment should not be planned on the strength of the EU Decision alone.
Germany is in this catalogue as the worked example of a general rule: a national implementation record is added only when the regulator's own instrument has been read. The EU-wide range is never copied onto a member state's page as unconditional permission.
The documents, one record each.
Each identifier links to its canonical record in the V2X standards library, where the edition, dates, band, access conditions and verification note are held once. Status and binding effect are separate: a published document is not automatically a legal requirement.
| Document | Title | Type | Status | Binding effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vfg. 48/2021, last amended by Vfg. 102/2025 | General assignment of frequencies for safety-related radio applications of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in the 5875–5915 MHz frequency range | Spectrum | Published final | Mandatory |
Where this fits.
European Union
The harmonised band this assignment implements, and the 2026 amendment that widened its channels.
Spectrum
Every allocation in this catalogue, with band edges, channel plans and power limits.
Standards library
The document-level catalogue behind this page, filterable by country and type.
Last reviewed: 29 September 2026. The consolidated Vfg. 48/2021 as amended by Vfg. 102/2025 was read at source on that date.
Questions this page answers.
Which frequencies can ITS use in Germany without an individual licence?
5875–5915 MHz, under the Bundesnetzagentur general assignment Vfg. 48/2021 as last amended by Vfg. 102/2025, issued under section 55 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz. That is 40 MHz, not the 60 MHz of the EU-harmonised band and not the 50 MHz the EU makes available to road ITS.
What about 5915–5935 MHz in Germany?
It is not in the general assignment. The assignment states that for the 5915–5935 MHz sub-range every ITS radio application must apply to the Bundesnetzagentur for a frequency assignment, with the technical conditions taken from the administrative rule for non-public mobile land radio.
What are the German power limits?
A maximum spectral equivalent radiated power density of 23 dBm/MHz, equivalently 200 mW/MHz, and a maximum equivalent radiated power of 33 dBm, equivalently 2 W, both as mean EIRP, with transmit power control over a range of at least 30 dB.
Does Germany permit 20 MHz ITS channels?
Not under this assignment. Its frequency arrangement is 10 MHz blocks starting at 5875 MHz, with road and urban rail ITS using channels within each block boundary and a bandwidth that may be lower than 10 MHz. There is no provision for combining two blocks, which is what Decision (EU) 2026/1800 introduced at Union level in July 2026. Whether and when the national assignment follows is not established here.
Does the German assignment expire?
Yes, and this is the condition most easily missed. The assignment states that it is time-limited until 31 December 2026. Anyone planning German operation past that date should check for its successor rather than assume continuity.
Last updated 2026-09-29 · Technical reference maintained by Ambimat Electronics, Ahmedabad, India. Corrections: neel.shah@ambimat.com