Global needs, global solutions
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Veena Rawat (Canada), the first woman to chair a world
radiocommunication conference, receives gold medal from ITU Secretary-
General,
Yoshio Utsumi, in honour of her great service to the Union
ITU 030099/Images de marque |
WRC–03 delivers a blueprint for the current and future needs of
the global radiocommunication sector
Making history
For the first time in the history of ITU, a woman chaired the
World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) that ended on 4 July with a
blueprint reflecting current and future needs of the global radiocommunication
sector. Veena Rawat, a well-known and highly respected figure in the
international radiocommunication community was unanimously elected Chairman of
WRC-03. Ms Rawat is Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at
Communications Research Centre Canada, an appointment she took up recently.
Prior to this, she was Deputy Director-General of Spectrum Engineering at
Industry Canada.
Veena awarded gold medal
At the closing ceremony, ITU Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi,
presented Ms Rawat with a gold medal prepared specially to honour her great
service to the Union. “She has shown great skill in her leadership of the
conference and her ability to find common ground between different parties and
interests. Her knowledge of the issues, as well as her patience and endurance
are worthy of our respect and admiration, not to mention her toughness and
energy,” he said.
Ms Rawat had to deal with an unprecedented work schedule
reflected in a record number of agenda items (48), including three that were
added by the conference itself and related to the coordination and notification
of satellite networks.
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ITU 030097/Images de marque
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Conference structure
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Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Conference
Chairman: Veena Rawat (Canada)
Vice-Chairmen:
Region A: Ms J. Obuchowski (United States)
Region B: F. Rancy (France)
Region C: L. Reiman (Russian Federation)
Region D: W.K. Chepkwony (Kenya)
Region E: G. Xi (China)
Region E: N. Kisrawi (Syrian Arab Republic)
Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Committees
Committee 1 — Steering Committee
This Committee is composed of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of
the Conference and of the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of all the Conference
Committees.
Committee 2 — Credentials
Chairman: J. Edane Nkwele (Gabon)
Vice-Chairman: A. Krutskikh (Russian Federation)
Committee 3 — Budget Control
Chairman: B.A. Gracie (Canada)
Vice-Chairman: S. Glotov (Ukraine)
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Committee 4 — Specified agenda items
Chairman: E. George (Germany)
Vice-Chairmen: B. Nurmatov (Kyrgyzstan)
B. Chaudhuri (India)
J.-B. Yao (Côte d’Ivoire)
Committee 5 — Specified agenda items
Chairman: A.R. Jamieson (New Zealand)
Vice-Chairmen: E. Sestakov (Moldova)
E. Kosaka (Japan)
M. Bessi (Morocco)
Committee 6 — Appendices 30, 30A and 30B
Chairman: K. Arasteh (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Vice-Chairmen: S. Djematene (Algeria)
J.C. Albernaz (Brazil)
Committee 7 — Future agenda
and work programme
Chairman:
A. Nalbandian (Armenia)
Vice-Chairmen: K.J. Wee (Republic of Korea)
R. González Bustamante (Mexico)
Committee 8 — Editorial
Chairman: L. Bourgeat (France)
Vice-Chairmen: L. Barclay (United Kingdom)
C. Menéndez Argüelles (Spain)
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Cooperation, consensus and conservation of time and energy
When the Conference opened on 9 June at the Geneva International
Conference Centre, she told delegates that the sheer size of the agenda made it
imperative that they work with unprecedented efficiency. She asked delegates to
keep in mind three words, “cooperation, consensus and conservation of time and
energy”. She was pleased to note that, “consensus of a significant number of
issues had already developed as a result of the preparatory work, and from
cooperation in various regional and inter-regional forums”. The four-week
conference was opened by Richard Butler, a former Secretary-General of ITU (1982–1989), appointed as the Dean of the event.
Mr Utsumi had this to say to the 2500 delegates at the opening
ceremony: “Since we spend so much time and effort on these matters, we should
be able to say to our families, friends and neighbours that because of our work
in Geneva, all our lives will be improved. I am sure that we can achieve all
this through constructive discussions with mutual cooperation and with
efficiency.”
The need for efficiency was reinforced by the Director of the
Radiocommunication Bureau, Valery Timofeev, who said that the size and scope of
the agenda would “test all of our skills in being able to consider the 2500
individual proposals and within less than four weeks to reach conclusions and
decide on Final Acts to reflect those conclusions”.
WRC-03 took a number of landmark decisions to deal with the
increasing pressure placed on the radio-frequency spectrum — a limited natural
resource belonging to all of humanity.
Summing up the achievements, Ms Rawat said: “I am certain that
the decisions of this conference will have a positive impact on all citizens,
the telecommunication industry and telecommunication service operators.
The following is a synopsis of some of the highlights of WRC-03.
Some of the major milestones
Mobile wireless access systems get global allocation
A big question for WRC-03 was whether it could make a global
allocation of spectrum at 5 GHz for mobile wireless access systems (WAS),
including radio local area networks (RLAN). WRC-03 successfully established new
frequency allocations on a primary basis to the mobile service in the bands 5150—5350 MHz and 5470—5725 MHz. Wireless devices that do not require individual
licences are being used to create broadband networks in homes, offices and
schools. These networks are also being used in public facilities in so-called
hot spots such as airports, cafés, hotels, hospitals, train stations and
conference sites to offer broadband access to the Internet. An example of the
efficiencies produced by these networks was seen at the heart of the conference
centre itself. The work of the conference was easier, in terms of providing
delegates fast and easy access to documents and to their corporate intranets.
The lower part of the 5 GHz spectrum will be predominantly used
for indoor applications, with the first 100 MHz (5150—5250 MHz) restricted to
indoor use. Further, the use of these frequency bands is conditional to
provisions that provide for interference mitigation mechanisms and power
emission limits to avoid interference into other radiocommunication services
operating in the same spectrum range.
Public protection and disaster relief: A major breakthrough
Today’s public protection and disaster relief applications are
mostly narrow-band supporting voice and low data-rate applications, typically in
channel bandwidths of 25 kHz or less. It is anticipated that many future
applications will be wideband (with data rates in the range of 384—500 kbit/s)
and/or broadband (with data rates in the range of 1—100 Mbit/s). At the
conference, many countries expressed the wish to promote interoperability and
interworking between systems used for public protection and disaster relief,
both nationally and for cross-border operations in emergency situations.
A new Resolution paves the way for the deployment of new
technologies for wideband and broadband public protection and disaster relief
applications. The Resolution also identified the frequency bands/ranges listed
below to achieve regionally harmonized spectrum for advanced public protection
and disaster relief solutions:
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Region 1 (Africa and Europe): 380—470 MHz as the frequency
range within which the band 380—385/390—395 MHz is a preferred core
harmonized band for permanent public protection activities within certain
agreed countries of Region 1.
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Region 2 (Americas): 746—806 MHz, 806—869 MHz, 4940—4990 MHz.
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Region 3 (Asia and Australasia):
406.1—430 MHz, 440—470 MHz,
806—824/851—869 MHz, 4940—4990 MHz and 5850—5925 MHz (some countries
in Region 3 have also identified the bands 380—400 MHz and 746—806 MHz
for public protection and disaster relief applications).
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From left to right (at the closing ceremony):
Hamadoun I. Touré, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau;
Houlin Zhao, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau;
Roberto Blois, ITU Deputy Secretary-General;
Yoshio Utsumi, ITU
Secretary-General; Roger Smith, Secretary of the Conference Plenary; Veena
Rawat, Chairman of the Conference; and Valery Timofeev, Director of the
Radiocommunication Bureau
ITU 030096/Images de marque
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Countries are encouraged to consider these frequency
bands/ranges or parts thereof when undertaking their national planning. They are
also called upon to encourage public protection and disaster relief agencies and
organizations to utilize relevant Recommendations of the ITU Radiocommunication
Sector (ITU–R) in planning spectrum use and implementing technology and systems
supporting public protection and disaster relief.
Manufacturers are encouraged to take this Resolution into
account in future equipment designs, including the need for countries to operate
within different parts of the identified bands.
Global spectrum allocation approved for broadband Internet on
board aircraft
The conference has opened the door for the commercial deployment
of a new mobile information service: the two-way real-time broadband
connectivity to aircraft passengers and crew. Its agreement to extend the
secondary mobile-satellite service allocation in the 14—14.5 GHz band to
include the aeronautical mobile satellite service came into force on 5 July
2003. Prior to WRC-03, this frequency band already included a secondary
allocation to the mobile-satellite service (MSS) — albeit with the exclusion of
the aeronautical mobile-satellite service (AMSS).
With the restriction “except aeronautical mobile-satellite
service” now removed from the 14—14.5 GHz band allocation, companies like
Connexion by Boeing have the green light to provide real-time communications to
and from aircraft in flight.
“Clearing this critical hurdle paves the way for global
introduction of our high-speed in-flight connectivity service beginning next
year,” commented Connexion by Boeing President, Scott Carson. For passengers,
the new service includes e-mail, corporate intranet connectivity, shopping and
travel destination information.
A happy landing for aeronautical services
The need for compatibility between aeronautical and broadcasting
services posed some challenges for WRC-03. Aeronautical systems are converging
towards a digital environment that supports aeronautical navigation and
surveillance functions, which need to be accommodated in existing radio
spectrum. Some countries are planning to introduce digital sound broadcasting
systems in the frequency band at about 87—108 MHz. However, at present, there
are no compatibility criteria between FM broadcasting systems operating in this
band and the planned additional aeronautical systems in the adjacent band 108—117.975 used for aircraft transmission.
CITEL and ATU sign
cooperation agreement at WRC-03
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The American and African regional organizations, known as the
Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization
of American States and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU),
signed a cooperation agreement at WRC-03.
The countries of the Americas and Africa have agreed to work
together to build closer cooperation ties between themselves and ITU. Both
parties will coordinate, as far as possible, their positions on matters of
common interest. In particular, they will focus their efforts in areas of
telecommunication development in both regions, exchanging experience and
relevant documentation. |
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ITU 030100
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Pictured during the signing ceremony (from left to right) are:
Hezron Olouch (representing the Chairman of the ATU Conference of
Plenipotentiaries); Jan Mutai, Secretary-General of ATU; Ambassador
Janice Obuchowski, Head of the US delegation to WRC-03; Veena Rawat,
Chairman of WRC-03; Paula Cordoba (representing the Chairman of COM/CITEL);
Clovis Baptista Neto, Executive Secretary of CITEL; and Yoshio Utsumi,
ITU Secretary-General. The agreement was signed by messrs Baptista and
Mutai
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A new Resolution on the “Use of the band 108—117.975 MHz by
aeronautical services” recognizes the need for the aeronautical community to
provide additional services in order to enhance navigation and surveillance
systems through a future communication data link. This Resolution also takes
account of the need for the broadcasting community to provide digital
terrestrial sound broadcasting.
A new footnote was also approved (5.BA03) that allows the
additional use of the band 108—117.975 MHz by the aeronautical mobile
radionavigation service on a primary basis. However, this use is limited to
systems that transmit navigational information in support of air navigation and
surveillance functions in accordance with recognized international aviation
standards. Surveillance functions include the observation of aircraft location,
velocity and weather conditions for the purpose of air traffic control and
situational awareness/collision avoidance between aircraft.
Future development of IMT–2000 systems and beyond
IMT–2000 systems are third-generation (3G) mobile systems, which
provide access to a plethora of services supported by fixed telecommunication
networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), integrated
services digital network (ISDN) and the Internet Protocol (IP).
As the industry moves beyond IMT–2000 systems, the demand for
multimedia applications, such as high-speed data, IP-packet and video are
expected to increase. ITU has reaffirmed its support for the continuing
development of mobile wireless communications by recognizing the need to provide
a global vision for the future development of IMT–2000 and systems beyond IMT–2000. As part of this commitment, ITU will study technical and operational
issues on how these systems will evolve, and develop Recommendations as
required. It will also study, in time for WRC–07, frequency-related matters for
the future development of these systems. The studies will focus on the:
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evolving user needs, including the growth in demand for IMT–2000 services;
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evolution of IMT–2000 and pre-IMT–2000 systems through
advances in technology;
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bands currently identified for IMT–2000;
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time-frame in which spectrum would be needed;
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period for migration from existing to future systems;
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extensive use of frequencies below those identified in the
Radio Regulations for IMT–2000.
These studies will take into account the particular needs of
developing countries, including the use of the satellite component of IMT–2000.
Earth stations located on board vessels
The question of whether earth stations on board vessels (ESV)
should be considered as a fixed-satellite service or a mobile-satellite service
generated a great deal of debate. On one side of the argument were countries who
considered ESV as a mobile maritime satellite service. On the other were those
who argued that ESV is a fixed-satellite service.
There is a demand for global wideband satellite communication
services on vessels. And the technology exists that enables ESVs to use
fixed-satellite service (FSS) networks to provide a wide variety of
communication services such as Internet access, including high-speed data, voice
and video applications. However, the provision of such services creates
regulatory challenges for some countries, as ESVs have the potential to cause
unacceptable interference to other services, notably in the bands 5925—6425
MHz and 14—14.5 GHz. The conference considered that without special regulatory
provisions, ESVs could end up causing a heavy coordination burden, especially
for countries in the developing world. In the end, the conference agreed on the
regulatory and operational provisions and technical limitations for ESVs
transmitting in FSS bands 5925—6425 MHz and 14—14.5 GHz.
Radio astronomy
The science of radio astronomy plays a fundamental role in
increasing our understanding of the universe. Radio astronomy is a so-called “passive
service” in the sense that it never causes interference to other users of
radio. But it is becoming very difficult to protect radio astronomy
observatories from man-made interference as the use of the radio-frequency
spectrum on Earth and in space becomes heavily congested. Unwanted emissions
produced by stations of the active space services may cause unacceptable
interference to stations of the radio astronomy service (RAS).
At this conference, RAS was looking for protection from the
satellite downlink allocations in bands adjacent to radio astronomy bands.
Proposals on this matter ranged from “no change” to the current Radio
Regulations to placing hard limits for the unwanted emissions from satellites.
The conference reached a compromise by suggesting threshold levels for unwanted
emissions in certain bands and requirement for consultation in the event these
levels are exceeded. This matter will be a subject of further ITU–R studies.
Radio amateur matters
The amateur service was looking for an exclusive, worldwide
allocation in the vicinity of 7 MHz of no less than 300 kHz. WRC-03 considered
the realignment of allocations to the amateur, amateur-satellite and
broadcasting services around 7 MHz on a worldwide basis. At the time of the
Washington International Radiotelegraph Conference in 1927, the width of the
amateur 7–MHz band was set at 300 kHz worldwide. This 300–kHz band remained a
worldwide, exclusive amateur allocation until the Cairo Conference of 1938, when
the top portion of the band was made available for broadcasting outside the
Americas (Region 2). Since then, only the amateur service in Region 2 had access
to 300 kHz.
Initial discussions on the 7 MHz realignment showed fundamental
differences of opinion between proponents of realignment and those advocating
“no change” on the grounds that disruptions to the broadcasting and fixed
services would outweigh any benefits. As a first step towards balancing amateur
service needs and broadcasting interests, WRC-03 took a landmark decision to add
100 kHz of bandwidth on a global basis.
The conference also agreed to shift broadcasting stations in
Regions 1 and 3 from the 7100—7200 kHz band and to reallocate this band to the
amateur service in those two Regions. This change will take effect on 29 March
2009. In Region 2, the allocation of 7000—7300 kHz remains exclusively for the
amateur service.
Footnotes were also agreed upon to give some countries the
flexibility with respect to their fixed, mobile and broadcasting services.
Morse code proficiency, now a matter of discretion for
individual countries
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Revisions to Article 25 of the Radio Regulations now leave it to
the discretion of individual countries to decide whether a person seeking a
licence to operate an amateur station needs to demonstrate the ability to send
and receive texts in Morse code signals. Before WRC-03, it was a mandatory,
international regulatory requirement to master Morse code as a prerequisite for
obtaining an amateur radio operator’s licence to operate below 30 MHz.
Another revision to this Article makes it possible for amateur
stations to be used for transmitting international communications on behalf of
third parties, but only in cases of emergencies or disaster relief. Again, it is
up to individual countries to determine the applicability of this provision to
amateur stations under their jurisdiction.
Broadcasting-satellite service — BSS (sound): The sharing
challenge
Another hotly debated issue was the use of the 2.5 GHz band. The
conference reviewed the results of studies concerning frequency sharing between
BSS (sound) and terrestrial services in the band 2630—2655 MHz. This issue
relates to the protection of terrestrial IMT-2000 systems from geostationary and
non-geostationary satellite BSS systems. The key challenge here was the request
by Japan and the Republic of Korea to seek spectrum allocations and regulatory
provisions for BSS (sound) services in frequencies in this range. It was a
difficult task balancing the interests of these countries in Region 3 to
implement BSS (sound) while protecting the future use of this band by the
terrestrial component of IMT-2000. The matter was resolved to the satisfaction
of all.
Radionavigation-satellite systems
Today, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) consists of
the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), and Russia’s Global
Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). There are plans to upgrade these systems
to second-generation systems. Meanwhile, spectrum was allocated at WRC–2000 for
new radionavigation-satellite service (RNSS) systems like Galileo. But while the green
light was given to Europe’s Galileo project at WRC–2000 — which Europe wanted
in order to reduce its dependency upon a single global system — a number of
follow-up items turned up the heat on this debate, making this one of the most
difficult issues of the conference.
An important challenge was to establish technical and regulatory
conditions for the operation of these systems and for the protection of existing
uses. The conference confirmed the technical provisions for the use of the new
bands for RNSS (i.e., GPS, GLONASS and Galileo). It also established regulatory
provisions for consultation and coordination of the different RNSS systems.
Meeting the needs of small terminals in FSS in the 13.75—14
GHz band
The special requirements of geographically “small or narrow
countries” operating fixed-satellite service (FSS) earth stations in the band
13.75—14 GHz have been addressed through a new Resolution, which provides a
way forward on how best to coordinate land-based radars. There had been much
discussion on finding a technical solution for sharing between radiolocation,
radionavigation and space research and FSS in the band 13.75—14 GHz. The main
issue was how to relax the current limit on earth stations operating with GSO
satellite networks from 4.5 m to a smaller antenna used by very small aperture
terminals (VSAT). At the same time, since the band is used by land, ship and
airborne radars, it was critical to ensure protection of these radars. The
conference established technical conditions to ensure compatible operation of
these uses.
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