Challenges Emerge in New ITU-R Structure, WiMAX Approval
GENEVA -- Reorganization of ITU-R study groups into space services and terrestrial services bodies will be better for business and governments, but the volume of work means new challenges, officials here said. Opening new spectrum for WiMAX-like services during the WRC is the next step in the technology’s global deployment, but regulators urgently want to improve the definition of unwanted emissions.
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The study group realignment gathers similar work within each body, officials said at the Oct. 15 to 19 Radiocommunication Assembly. One group will handle satellite services, except for amateur satellite, Valery Timofeev, director of ITU-R told us. The other combines former fixed and mobile services groups into a terrestrial group (CD Jan 30 p5). The former mobile services group, which added the WiMAX radio interface to International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), dealt with nearly twice as many technical documents from countries and business as the next most active body, the broadcasting study group. Some satellite broadcasting work moved over to the satellite group.
Aligning similar work is better than bouncing it between two groups, said an industry source. The two large groups will be challenging for management and could strain resources, assembly participants said. The rearrangement better reflects the changing technical and regulatory environment, Timofeev said. Canada first proposed the realignment in 2000.
Amateur radio and amateur satellite services will stay together, mirroring national bodies, even though each has different spectrum management, coordination and regulation, Timofeev said. The International Amateur Radio Union had pressed to keep the work together. Groups on spectrum management, radio wave propagation, broadcasting and science services remained largely or wholly the same, Timofeev said.
The decision to approve the IEEE 802.16/WiMAX variant (CD Oct 19 p10) as the sixth IMT radio interface only opens the door to developing that technology, Timofeev said. IMT is ITU’s global standard for 3G wireless communications. “The most important decision will be… opening or not, new bands for IMT” which will be debated during the WRC, he said. A decision at the WRC probably will influence development for 15 to 20 years, since spectrum use has a lot of inertia, Timofeev said.
Work will start soon at ITU-R to hone the definition of unwanted emissions on base stations and terminals using IMT radio interfaces, especially to enable movement of terminals, an industry source said. “There is some sense of urgency.” The work likely will be finished next year, he said. ITU-R recommendations then will be updated to guide administrators on rules regarding unwanted emissions, he said. Updates may occur if needed, he said. The Radiocommunication Assembly also named Kouakou Yao of Ivory Coast chairman of the Radiocommunication Advisory Group.
About 3,100 delegates are expected at the WRC, Oct. 22 to Nov. 16. A WRC chairman hasn’t been named, but a compromise is expected before the conference begins, officials said. Industry and diplomatic sources said no surprises are emerging for the WRC. But proposals on hybrid terrestrial-satellite systems may startle some, said an industry source. “Canada and the U.S. are proposing that,” he said.