Mobile Broadband, C-band, TV Broadcast and Aeronautical Loom in WRC Debate
GENEVA -- The U.S. expects WiMAX to get a nod of approval during an upcoming ITU meeting of member countries, but debate lies ahead for global harmonization of frequencies for advanced mobile technologies. Limiting potential interference from satellites and protecting C-band are key U.S. issues in the debate, officials said, and harmonization of frequencies for aeronautical telemetry during flight-testing is also being pushed.
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The U.S. expects WiMAX to be included as a radio interface for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), said Richard Russell, U.S. Ambassador to the World Radiocommunication Conference. IMT is ITU’s name for 3G, which is evolving to higher data transmission rates. The decision will be made during the Oct. 15-19 ITU Radiocommunication Assembly. “It’s something that the U.S. has been pushing very hard,” Russell said. Countries that can’t afford to test technologies rely almost exclusively on ITU standards, he said. If WiMAX isn’t included in ITU recommendations, “then they're much less likely to agree to roll out WiMAX.” IMT should be inclusive to speed development and deployment of new technologies, he said.
Harmonizing frequencies for advanced wireless services will be debated during the Oct. 22 to Nov. 16 World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, officials said (CD Sept 7 p10). The quadrennial ITU treaty-making conference will see the culmination of years of technical preparation as delegates revise international radio regulations to accommodate the sometimes conflicting demands of commercial needs, national security, public interest and safety. The aim of the conference is to make sure the radio regulations are providing for the varied uses and increasing demands on the limited supply of radio spectrum.
The U.S. thinks the 700 MHz band is an ideal band for advanced wireless services, Russell said. Harmonizing the 700 MHz band for use by IMT is ideal now because the U.S. will soon switch to digital TV broadcasting. Virtually all other administrations have plans to move to digital broadcasting, he said. “I think… there’s been some traction on the issue,” he said. Frequencies in the UHF band being considered for global harmonization are 698-806 MHz, Russell said. Countries want to make sure tagging frequencies for IMT doesn’t harm broadcasters, he said: “It’s clearly going to require a lot more debate during the WRC.”
C-band shouldn’t be used for IMT, Russell said: “We'll be pushing that point very forcefully during the WRC.” A big debate will be over using frequencies in the 3.4-4.2 GHz range, which the U.S. is trying to protect, he said. The bands are ill suited to IMT because of interference with existing satellite services, he said. C-band satellites can cover a large area and can deal with less than ideal propagation characteristics, such as monsoon conditions. “C-band satellites are particularly important to the developing world and other countries that have a large area with low [population] density,” he said. The U.S. has high and low density areas, he said: “We think it’s important.”
The U.S. and other countries are pushing for new limits on satellite interference so it doesn’t slow roll out of systems, including WiMAX, in the 2.5 GHz range, Russell said. No satellites are licensed to use this band over the U.S., but interference from geostationary satellites in other parts of the world can propagate over the horizon. Satellites in Asia could interfere with a roll out on the west coast, he said. Existing satellites won’t be affected by proposed changes in rules, but future satellites will, he said. The U.S. is working to make sure new limits are used as early possible, he said. There’s strong agreement from Europe and most countries in the Americas, he said. Europe is planning to roll out wireless broadband systems in the bands, he said. Some administrations oppose the limits, he said.
Frequencies are being considered for use in flight telemetry, Russell said. Only countries that design and build planes will use the frequencies and then only near the test ranges, which are few in number, he said. Harmonization reduces development of duplicative testing equipment for the airline industry, he said.
The U.S. has proposed 3 bands for aeronautical telemetry, an official said: 4,400 to 4,940 MHz, 5,091 to 5,150 MHz and 5,925 to 6,700 MHz. Canada and the U.S. are aligned on using all 3 bands, an official said. The 4,400 to 4,940 MHz band is tagged for NATO in North America, the official said. Intelsat opposes using 5,925 to 6,700 MHz for aircraft telemetry, an official said. Consensus is also growing to tag more frequencies for other aeronautical use, he said.
The number of items on the 2007 agenda is down substantially from the previous two conferences, which teetered on unmanageability due to the breadth and scope of the issues and the resulting physical and financial demands on participants and the ITU alike. More than 2,000 delegates and advisors are expected, and the U.S. delegation will consist of 130-140 people, Russell said.