Both the mobile and satellite industries have sought to claim victory over the future allocation of radio spectrum, following the conclusion of the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva. The key battleground was for the lower portion of the C-band spectrum that is exclusively used by satellite operators.
Both the mobile telecoms and satellite industries have sought to claim victory over the future allocation of radio spectrum, following the conclusion of the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in Geneva.
The key battleground was for the lower portion of the C-band spectrum that is exclusively used by satellite operators. The industry feared terrestrial wireless broadband providers might be given a swathe of the spectrum that would cause significant interference issues, and affect crucial C-band services.
In the end, whilst acknowledging the importance of protecting critical FSS services in the C-band, the conference members decided that the lower 200 MHz of the C-band downlink frequencies (3.4-3.6 GHz) could be made available for mobile broadband services.
This will be the case throughout the ITU’s region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union) and region 2 (the Americas, Greenland and some of the eastern Pacific Islands). However, in region 3 (Asia and Oceania) the vast majority of countries will continue satellite use of this band with no change.
To the satellite sector’s relief, a position of ‘No Change’ was adopted in the band 3.6-4.2 GHz, bar some countries in the Americas which will allow mobile broadband in the 3.6-3.7 GHz band.
The conference also declined to consider a proposal for terrestrial broadband systems in the C- band uplink frequencies (5.9-6.4 GHz).
A similar decision was made for L-band, with the conference deciding that ITU’s radiocommunication sector (ITU-R) should determine the technical measures to ensure that, if terrestrial wireless broadband providers were given access to the 1427-1518 MHz band, they did not cause any interference with mobile satellite service operators who use the adjacent band (1518-1559 MHz).
Another fillip for the satellite sector was the conference’s decision over the potential use of Ka-band for future 5G and mobile terrestrial broadband services. The conference decided that no globally harmonised bands used for satellite services in the C, Ku or Ka band would be included in the scope of a new WRC-19 agenda item, the next conference which aims to identify new frequency bands for future 5G use.
Indeed, a study will take place for WRC-19 looking at additional FSS spectrum in 51.4-52.4 GHz band.
The conference also adopted a resolution which sets the path towards allowing the use of FSS links for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
Mobile lobby group GSMA said it “applauds the strong support from governments in all regions for the global harmonisation of 200 MHz of the C-band (3.4-3.6 GHz) to meet capacity requirements in urban areas. We are also pleased by the decision to globally harmonise the L-band (1427-1518 MHz), a mid-frequency band that provides an ideal blend of coverage and capacity capabilities.”
The GSMA also welcomed the WRC’s commitment to “to identify high-frequency bands above 24GHz for 5G mobile services” at its 2019 event.
For its part, ESOA, the association of all satellite operators in the EMEA region, said: “WRC-15 has been a turning point in the global recognition of the value of satellite services for the future. These decisions provide the stability necessary for the entire satellite industry to fully leverage its strengths in support of the vision expressed by the WRC delegates.”
WRC events take place every three to four years, in order to review and revise Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. Revisions are made on the basis of an agenda determined by the ITU Council, which takes into account recommendations made by previous world radiocommunication conferences.
