UHF, C-band Linked in Talks to Identify More Frequencies for IMT
GENEVA -- Negotiations over C-band and UHF frequencies are increasingly linked in talks at the World Radiocommunication Conference to identify globally harmonized frequencies for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), officials said. Countries reiterated positions during the first two weeks, but are now starting to consider what they can accept, a WRC participant said.
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Japanese negotiators think globally harmonizing 4.4 to 4.99 GHz for IMT is nearly impossible and are sticking to the country’s position until they see some success in identifying C-band frequencies for IMT, said a Geneva diplomat tracking the WRC. Japan sees 3.4 to 3.8 GHz as needed for delivering high amounts of data to densely populated areas. Japan also wants to globally harmonize UHF frequencies but sees them as able to deliver only relatively low amounts of data.
Discussions on a similar tradeoff are taking place over UHF and the C band for IMT, a WRC participant said. “We try to keep issues separate at these conferences, but inevitably you don’t want to go away compromised on everything.” Countries are starting to consider whether they could compromise on UHF, a WRC participant said. The countries that are pressing for much more at UHF frequencies and may have to take much less are “saying that the acceptability of that will depend on what will happen at C band,” a WRC participant said. Negotiations over UHF for IMT are very much up in the air,” he said.
Three areas of compromise are common in talks over new allocations for frequencies, a WRC participant said: reduce the amount of spectrum demanded; draw back from a global allocation to a more limited geographical area; or defer implementation.
Positions on the C band became more entrenched last week, a WRC participant said. New proposals reiterated opposition to changes in the C band, he said. Others asked for more frequencies than they started with, he said: “The range of options and the strength of feelings were hardening rather than softening.” Talks are focusing on how much spectrum is needed, whether it needs to be globally harmonized now, and geographic limitations, he said. A solution could be such a small globally harmonized slice of frequency that it might not be worth having, he said. The European position to use 3.4 to 3.8 GHz for IMT is much more consolidated than for UHF. Weekend talks were more focused on UHF than the C band for IMT, a WRC participant said.
More discussions on compromise are emerging, a WRC participant said: “Things are going to be forced into a decision at some stage, so you better start coming off the fence.”