Week Three: Some Major Milestones

A number of Resolutions have been negotiated in Committees and approved in Plenary in the third week, thanks in part to the tough negotiations that continued over a record hot weekend (21-22 June). As week three started, the conference hit the accelerator and is now on the main road to the Final Acts: the Radio Regulations. Dr Veena Rawat, the Conference Chairman, says that "a number of extremely important, but delicate issues have been settled within Committee 5, which completed its work on Thursday at noon. She added that "intensive activity is going on to resolve other difficult issues".

Public Protection and Disaster Relief: An Important Breakthrough

A major milestone was reached in Committee 5 with the approval of a new Resolution that will pave the way for the deployment of new technologies for wideband and broadband public protection and disaster relief applications. At present, 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-based (with data rates in the range of 384-500 kbit/s) and/or broadband-based (with data rates in the range of 1-100 Mbit/s). These new technologies are already being developed in various standards organizations. For its part, ITU recently created an information exchange platform named Telecommunication for Disaster Relief and Mitigation Partnership Coordination Panel (TDR-PCP). Among its aims are to monitor the progress of technical standardization work and map the requirements of different users. The platform will enable an invaluable dialogue between standards-development organizations and, most importantly, the users of the equipment that will enable efficient preparation and reaction to disaster events.

It was noted that the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) and the United States Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) have already developed a joint project called MESA (Mobility for Emergency and Safety Applications). MESA is expected to bring cross-border interoperability for coordinating responses to disasters and crises. Also, the Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications (WGET), convened by the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provides an open forum to facilitate the use of telecommunications in the service of humanitarian assistance. WGET comprises United Nations entities, major non-governmental organizations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC), ITU and experts from the private sector and academia.

The new Resolution identifies a number of frequency bands/ranges to achieve regionally harmonized spectrum for advanced public protection and disaster relief solutions. Benefits of spectrum harmonization include increased potential for interoperability, a broader manufacturing base and increased volume of equipment resulting in economies of scale and expanded equipment availability, improved spectrum management and planning and enhanced cross-border coordination and circulation of equipment.

Administrations are encouraged to consider the following identified frequency bands/ranges or parts thereof when undertaking their national planning:

• Region 1: 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.
• Region 2: 746-806 MHz, 806-869 MHz, 4 940-4 990 MHz
• Region 3: 406.1-430 MHz, 440-470 MHz, 806-824/851-869 MHz, 4 940-4 990 MHz and 5 850-5 925 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).

Administrations are urged, through this Resolution, to use regionally harmonized bands for public protection and disaster relief to the maximum extent possible, taking into account the national and regional requirements and also having regard to any needed consultation and cooperation with other concerned countries. They are further called upon to encourage public protection and disaster relief agencies and organizations to utilize relevant ITU-R Recommendations in planning spectrum use and implementing technology and systems supporting public protections and disaster relief.

Manufacturers are encouraged to take this Resolution into account in future equipment designs, including the need for administrations to operate within different parts of the identified bands.

The ITU-R will continue its technical studies and make recommendations, as necessary, to meet the needs of public protection and disaster relief radiocommunication applications. Such studies would also take account of any resulting transition requirements of the existing systems, particularly those of many developing countries, for national and international operations.

Wireless Networks Get Global Allocation at 5 GHz: A Broadband Revolution in the Making?

A big question for this conference 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). Committee 5 has come up with a draft Resolution allocating the bands
5 150-5 350 MHz and 5 470-5 725 MHz on a primary basis to the mobile service for the implementation of WAS, including RLANs. There is a growing trend to use licence-exempt spectrum to create wireless broadband networks. Many of the existing licence-exempt broadband networks operate in the 2.4 GHz band. It has been agreed in Committee 5 that additional, less-heavily used spectrum at 5 GHz is required for wireless broadband networks to unleash their true potential.

An example of these networks at work can be seen at the very heart of the CICG: the venue of this conference. A number of delegates have commented that the work of the conference has been made so much easier, in terms of fast and easy access to documents and to their corporate intranets, thanks to networks using the 5 GHz band. This may revolutionize the way ITU runs its conferences in the future.

Looking far afield, in the United States, Europe and Asia, 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, hotels, hospitals, train stations and conference sites to offer broadband access to the Internet.

The lower part of the 5 GHz spectrum is predominantly to be used for indoor applications with first 100 MHz (5 150-5 250 MHz) restricted to indoor use. Interference mitigation techniques and power limits are imposed to the WAS use to protect existing services in the whole 5 GHz WAS band.

High Altitude Platform Stations: A Compromise Reached

Another issue that has been the subject of much negotiation is the question of high altitude platform stations (HAPS). There are new projects that aim to provide wide-area fixed wireless services from balloon-like devices located in the Earth’s stratosphere. HAPS are in an advanced stage of development and some countries have notified such systems to ITU in the bands 47.2-47.5 GHz and 47.9-48.2 GHz. While the decision to deploy HAPS can be taken on a national basis, such deployment may affect neighbouring administrations, particularly in small countries.

As one delegate put it: "Every Region gave its bit and got its bit" for HAPS to move forward. The development of any new service requires major investment, and HAPS is no exception. Moreover, manufacturers and operators have to be given the confidence to make the necessary investment. And so the compromise reached in Committee 5 sends a good signal to industry.

Part of the compromise includes a new Resolution "on the potential use of the bands 27.5-28.35 GHz and 31-31.3 GHz by HAPS in the fixed service" (Resolution COM5/17). Results of some ITU-R studies indicate that in these bands, sharing between the fixed service systems using HAPS and other conventional fixed service systems in the same area will require that appropriate interference mitigation techniques are developed and implemented. These bands are already heavily used or are planned for use by a number of different services, as well as other types of applications in the fixed service.

ITU-R will continue studies on technical and regulatory fronts. Furthermore, it will study power limitations applicable for HAPS ground stations to facilitate sharing with space station receivers. It will also study sharing between systems using HAPS and the radio astronomy service.

At WRC-2000, several countries in Region 3 and one country in Region 1 expressed a need for a lower frequency for HAPS because of the excessive rain attenuation that occurs at 47 GHz in these countries. In order to accommodate this need, WRC-2000 adopted two footnotes (Nos. 5.537A and 5.543A). At this conference, Region 2 countries also expressed an interest in using a lower frequency range than 47.2-47.5 GHz and 47.9-48.2 GHz.

Committee 5 agreed to modify the two footnotes to permit the use of HAPS in the fixed service within 300 MHz of spectrum in the band 27.5-28.35 GHz and in the band 31-31.3 GHz in certain Region 3 countries and in one Region 1 country on a non-harmful interference, non-protection basis.

It was further agreed that provisionally, countries listed in the two footnotes and those countries in Region 2 which intend to implement systems using HAPS in the fixed service in the 30 GHz band shall seek explicit agreement of concerned administrations under the conditions which have been set forth in the new Resolution COM5/17. For the 47 GHz band, administrations should follow the provisions introduced in an existing Resolution from WRC-2000 (Resolution 122) which has been revised.

The question of HAPS and IMT-2000 is being hammered out in Committee 4.

The Budget and Future Conference Agendas

The discussion and results of the Marrakesh Plenipotentiary Conference cannot be ignored at this conference, stresses Bruce Gracie, Chairman of the Budget Control Committee at WRC-03. The ITU Constitution and Convention require conferences to bear in mind the Union’s budget before adopting proposals or taking decisions with financial implications. The bottom line is to ensure that such decisions or proposals do not result in expenses beyond the credits that the ITU governing body, the Council, is empowered to authorize. Delegates have been reminded to be mindful of the current financial situation of the Union, and also of the already limited financial and human resources of the Radiocommunication Bureau that carries out technical and regulatory studies decided upon by world radiocommunication conferences. A joint meeting of the Budget Committee and Committee 7 on agendas of future conferences took place on Thursday (26 June) to ensure that the financial context of the decisions to be taken by the conference are well understood.

Aeronautical Services Find Happy Ending

A new Resolution on the "Use of the band 108-117.975 MHz by aeronautical services" was approved in Committee 5. The Resolution 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. It 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, such 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.

Any additional aeronautical systems planned to operate in the frequency band 108-117.975 MHz will be expected to maintain the protection requirements of FM broadcasting operating in this frequency band. Further, it has been agreed that new aeronautical systems shall place no additional constraints on the broadcasting service or cause harmful interference to stations operating in the bands allocated to the broadcasting service in the frequency range 87-108 MHz.

ITU-R is invited to study any compatibility issues between the broadcasting and aeronautical services that may arise from the introduction of these additional aeronautical systems.

It is proposed that the provisions of this Resolution and of footnote No. 5.BA03 enter into force on 5 July 2003. Once approved in Plenary, the Resolution will be brought to the attention of ICAO.

Aviation Preserves Current Allocations for Microwave Landing Systems

The international civil aviation community has highlighted the need to secure the availability of well-protected spectrum to meet its current needs, as well as future safety of flight applications. This is a position that has been coordinated globally through ICAO, taking due account of the views of other international groups such as the International Air transport Association (IATA), EUROCONTROL and the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).

Aviation’s stated priority to preserve current allocations for Microwave Landing Systems (MLS) has been granted by Committee 5 through an overhaul of an old Resolution passed in 1995 (Resolution 114, WRC-95). The updated Resolution 114 requires studies on compatibility between new systems of the aeronautical radionavigation service and the fixed-satellite service (Earth-to-space) (limited to feeder links of the non-geostationary mobile-satellite service) in the frequency band 5091-5150 MHz. In a nutshell, the current regulatory mechanism for MLS will be maintained, and ICAO’s request to extend from 2010 up to 2018 the date beyond which the fixed-satellite service must revert to secondary status has been accepted.

In Brief

• A new Resolution was approved in Committee 5 to address the special requirements of geographically "small or narrow countries" operating fixed-satellite service (FSS) earth stations in the band 13.75-14 GHz on how best to coordinate land-based radars (Agenda item 1.24). The Resolution encourages administrations deploying maritime and land mobile radiolocation systems in the band 13.75-14 GHz to rapidly reach bilateral agreements relating to the operation of FSS earth stations in this band with the administrations of those geographically small and narrow countries deploying these FSS earth stations.
• Earth stations on board vessels. By mid-week, there was still a fundamental disagreement with regard to earth stations on board vessels (ESV). Should ESV be considered as a fixed-satellite service or a mobile-satellite service? The Arab States say that in 1997, they asked whether ESVs would be mobile or stationary, and the answer was that they would be stationary. But after 2000 they were told that these stations will in fact be mobile. And so, these countries consider ESV to be a mobile maritime satellite service and want the provisions in the Radio Regulations to be amended by this conference to reflect that. Countries of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) regard ESV as a fixed-satellite service. Watch this space!
• Today, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) consists of the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), and the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). There are plans to upgrade these systems to second-generation systems. More than 8 million receivers for radionavigation satellite systems (RNSS) are in use today for applications including safety-of-life, critical navigation on land, at sea and in the air. Spectrum was allocated at WRC-2000 for new RNSS systems like Galileo. The challenge now is to establish technical and regulatory conditions for the operation of these systems and for the protection of existing uses.