WRC‑23: What’s at stake for the space industry?

Isabelle Mauro, Director General, Global Satellite Operators Association

The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC‑23) is taking place at a time of rapid growth and innovation in the satellite sector.

This key part of the space industry is booming, with global investments exceeding USD 10 billion last year — up from USD 300 million in 2012. Today, multiple networks in several orbits are set to work together to provide resilient, secure and continuous Internet coverage in every part of the world.

At the same time, the satellite sector is becoming fully integrated into the telecoms ecosystem. This entails supporting 5G and cloud connectivity — as is reflected with the inclusion of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) in the technical specifications for 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) mobile broadband standards.

For satellite operators and their hundreds of millions of users worldwide, WRC‑23 can unlock further opportunities.

Several agenda items for the conference seek more efficient use of existing radio spectrum for satellites, subject to appropriate safeguards to protect incumbent services. In effect, updating spectrum allocations would extend connectivity to where it is most needed, from landlocked countries and small island developing states to earth stations in motion (ESIM) — mobile telecommunication platforms to connect ships, aircraft and land vehicles.

The merits of satellite connectivity

With access to sufficient spectrum, satellites can provide crucial wide-area connectivity, either through direct links or by providing backhaul for cellular or community Wi-Fi solutions.

Satellites are continually improving people’s access to information, education and health, as well as contributing to sustainable development. By 2030, the number of people connecting to broadband via satellite is set to reach 500 million globally — double the current number — with the related social and economic benefits expected to soar from USD 39 billion last year to USD 250 billion in 2030.

Amid extreme weather and a rising incidence of disasters, space-based systems increasingly provide backup for vital emergency services. The response to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria earlier this year is just one example.

Satellite connectivity is fast improving, with high throughout satellite platforms concentrating power in smaller areas and increasing link performance, allowing repeated reuse of spectrum in existing fixed-satellite service (FSS) allocations.

This technology supports the use of smaller devices, which lowers equipment costs while giving users more bandwidth. In parallel, next-generation software-defined networking is helping to reduce operating costs, enabling greater scale and agility.

How WRC‑23 can help satellite services

While some of the proposed regulatory updates look advantageous for the satellite industry, others appear potentially harmful.

New satellite systems increasingly rely on existing allocations in the L, S, C, Ku- and Ka‑band for fixed and mobile users, while new allocations in Q/V bands are becoming essential for the expansion of gateways to interconnect with terrestrial systems, among other reasons. WRC‑23 agenda items 1.15, 1.16 and 1.18 support these trends.

Satellite frequency allocations at 3600–3800 megahertz (MHz) and 6425–7025 MHz are similarly crucial to safeguard from harmful interference. However, the global expansion of mobile telecom services is putting pressure on these vital spectrum resources.

For this reason, the satellite industry supports no change in response to agenda items 1.2 and 1.3, which propose to identify additional spectrum for terrestrial International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT). Further, our industry is asking to suppress a four-year-old decision on harmonized IMT frequency bands (Resolution 175, WRC‑19) and would support clarifications on Article No. 21.5 of the Radio Regulations to protect space services from aggregated interference from new generations of terrestrial stations.

The industry’s concerns about IMT

Given that demand for satellite services also continues rising, the satellite industry is very concerned about the proposal to harness spectrum for IMT in the already-congested 7–24 GHz frequency range. Proceeding with studies for a possible IMT identification in this range would cause major uncertainty for existing satellite services and could hinder their future development.

In our experience, commercial IMT deployments are not possible without relocating incumbent services from the relevant spectrum band. Furthermore, IMT already has access to around 1.9 gigahertz (GHz) of low and mid-band spectrum globally.

Additionally, much of the 17.25 GHz of mmWave spectrum that was made available at the last World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC‑19) has neither been assigned nationally nor brought into use.

Cooperation on spectrum to connect the unconnected

By working together, we can pool the strengths of terrestrial and non‑terrestrial technologies to connect the 2.6 billion people worldwide who are still offline. To do this, we must ensure adequate spectrum, free from harmful interference, for both existing and new satellite-based services.

We are facing these challenges in a period of unprecedented innovation. With a positive outcome from WRC‑23, the satellite sector can continue making great strides to connect the globe.

Download your copy of the ITU News Magazine: Satellite connectivity.

Header image credit: Adobe Stock