Protection for C-Band Satellites Unresolved in WRC Talks Over IMT
GENEVA -- A compromise over devoting part of the C band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) hadn’t been reached as the clock ticked down to the World Radiocommunication Conference’s conclusion Nov. 16. Protection of C-band satellites remains a sticking point, officials said. IMT is the ITU global standard for mobile wireless communications.
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A great deal of activity has brought little progress on dedicating part of the C band to IMT, an industry source said. Three options remained under consideration: No change to the C band, a European proposal to use 3.4 to 3.8 GHz for IMT but allowing countries to opt out of the use, and an African compromise that would leave the band as-is except for allowing countries to opt in to using it for IMT.
Asian counties probably will support no change in the C band, said Anthony Baker, vice president at SES New Skies. Countries that wanted change at first probably wouldn’t agree to constraints to protect current services, Baker said: “They might rather have no change and just deploy the services as they are rather than accept the constraints.” Few Asian countries want to opt in to IMT for the C band, Baker said. “The conditions for opting in are technical specifications to protect satellites, so they might just not bother.” South Korea and Japan are isolated geographically, Baker said, “so, they can just do the service with the burden of the protections.”
The Americas probably won’t change C the band -- but countries could opt in for IMT in 3.4 to 3.6 GHz while providing the protections required, Baker said. A few countries may have a special allocation above 3.6 GHz, Baker said: “Mexico seems to want something.” Not much support has been voiced for that, “particularly not from the U.S.,” Baker said. “We don’t see a huge demand” for countries in the Americas to opt in, Baker said.
Europe and Africa are more divided, Baker said. African countries want protection for their satellite services, he said. The Europeans want to roll out IMT, he said, which is “where the battleground is.” A resolution will likely emerge Monday, Baker said. A technical meeting Sunday will try to set protection for satellite activity, he said.
A large number of countries in the no-change group would go for the “opt-in” approach “if there are appropriate and adequate protections for FSS (fixed satellite service) operations near the borders with other countries,” an industry source said.
Protection criteria still need to be defined, an industry source said. Europe is unwilling to give appropriate protections for a compromise, “in particular, a proposal for power flux density limits for IMT at the border with another country,” an industry source said. “The Europeans have refused to … enter into discussion of what PFD they could live with.” Instead, the Europeans want to give a handshake promise “that they will coordinate with neighboring countries when deploying IMT systems,” the source said. Compromise becomes more remote as the days tick down, an industry source said. -- Scott Billquist
WRC Notebook…
Talks over setting new limits on satellites between 2.5 and 2.69 GHz are in danger of falling apart, a WRC participant said Friday. The U.S. has insisted that satellite notifications to be grandfathered in the new limits had to be submitted to ITU before Oct. 19, when the WRC began. Canada objected, saying the deadline should be the end of the conference, the source said. The U.S. is concerned one Canadian operator, whose “system can cause great interference into the U.S.,” is trying to notify/register a system right now, he said. U.S. and Canadian officials met Friday to discuss the problem, the WRC participant said.