2nd ITU Regional Frequency Coordination Meeting on the use of the VHF band (174-216 MHz) and the UHF band (470-806 MHz), 28 August to 1 September 2017, Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Regional Frequency Coordination Meeting for Central America and Caribbean region is intended to facilitate the process of transition from analog to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and allocation of the Digital Dividend.

The first and kick-off meeting took place in Managua, Nicaragua from 8 to 10 March 2017, in close collaboration with the Comisión Técnica Regional de Telecomunicaciones (COMTELCA), the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). It was considered as an important step forward in setting the frequency coordination basis for broadcasting and mobile services in the VHF (174-216 MHz) and UHF (470-806 MHz) bands for Central America and the Caribbean region.

• the need to achieve successful coordination agreements with the neighboring administrations;
• the establishment of the preliminary technical criteria that should be taken into account in the compatibility analysis, based on the previous work of ITU-R Study Groups. These assumptions have been submitted to the relevant ITU-R Working Parties for their approval;
• the software tools provided by the BR (CADisplay and eTools CA_compat) to run and analyze the results of the compatibility analysis;
• the need to notify the frequency assignments in operation to the Master International Frequency Register (MIFR), in conformity with Article 11 of ITU Radio Regulations;
• the need to carry out the planning, coordination and iteration process, held every other week, between meetings;
• the need to harmonize, to the utmost possible, the use of the UHF band, in particular, the use of the 700 MHz band by the Mobile services;
• the importance of informing the BR about the intention to allocate the band 470-698 MHz, or portions thereof, to the Mobile service as soon as possible;
• the gathering of information on the use of the VHF and UHF bands, through a questionnaire prepared by the BR and submitted to the concerned administrations before the second meeting.

The second meeting, which is a follow-up and a continuation of the Central America and Caribbean frequency coordination meeting, will take place in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from 28 August to 1 September 2017.