Globally Harmonized Frequencies for IMT Agreed at WRC

The result, from a UHF standpoint, is “a global identification from 790 to 862 MHz with different time elements depending on where you are,” Russell said. A regional identification was made in the Americas from 698 to 862 MHz, “although the new part is 698 to 806” MHz, Russell said. Asia is split, with the region’s most populous countries starting at 698 MHz and other countries starting at 790 MHz, Russell said. Europe allocated and identified 790 to 862 MHz for IMT, Russell said.

Countries in the Americas have both an allocation and IMT identification for 806 to 862 MHz, Russell said. Brazil opted out, a status it can change if it wants, he said. Brazil “agreed to the package, so they agreed to it for their neighbors, which was really the big issue for most countries,” he said.

China, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and India identified 698 to 806 MHz for IMT, but the net impact is through 862 MHz, Russell said. The moves recall what was done in the Americas, he said. Populations of the Asian countries that made the move total 2.8 billion people, he said. China won’t implement IMT in the frequencies until after 2015, he said.

Europe, Africa and the Middle East allocated and identified 790 to 862 MHz for IMT, Russell said. Countries had no prior allocation to mobile, Russell said. Usage kicks in no earlier than 2015, he said.

The Geneva 2006 broadcasting plan drove their decision (CD Oct 23 p4), Russell said. The 2015 date was based on the shift to digital broadcast. Until 2015, analog has priority, said Chris van Diepenbeek, manager of international relations in the Dutch Radio Communications Agency. Van Diepenbeek is the departing chairman of ITU-R study group 8, which coordinated studies of frequencies for IMT, and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations Electronic Communications Committee.

Europe is a frontrunner in the switch to digital, van Diepenbeek said. Holland and Sweden transmit no analog in the band, but sometimes the speed is driven by the slowest one, van Diepenbeek said. Countries have the allocation and identification, but won’t implement the identification until they do the digital transition, Russell said. “The implementation of IMT does not occur until the national regulator switches from analogue to digital,” he said. The IMT implementation kicks in when they need it, he said.

More review of the sharing parameters with the Geneva 2006 broadcasting plan and existing services will be done at the WRC in 2011, van Diepenbeek said. “That gives Europe some time to prepare a European-wide picture on optimized usage of the band,” he said. The aim of the exercise was a large market, said Russell. “We got a large market” with the Americas and 2.8 billion potential IMT consumers in Asia, he said. In the higher UHF bands, “we've got the entire world after 2015,” he said. “Having contiguous bands makes it easier to design equipment.”

A global identification was made for IMT between 2.3 and 2.4 GHz, Russell said. Specific protective measures were included for existing U.S. services, Russell said: “The U.S., Canada and Mexico are submitting a declaration emphasizing the protection of existing systems in those bands.” Much of the world “went into the 2.3 to 2.4 GHz for IMT,” van Diepenbeek said. China is developing IMT technology for the band. Asian countries “were really favoring that,” he said.

A global identification for IMT was made between 450 and 470 MHz with protections for Canada and the U.S., Russell said. “It won’t be used in Canada or the U.S. for IMT,” he said. It’s a first responders band in the U.S. and they're fully protected, he said.

No identification for IMT was made in C-band for the Americas, Russell said. Some countries in the Americas opted into a mobile allocation between 3.4 and 3.5 GHz, he said. The move means they can use IMT in the frequencies, but not identified for IMT, he said: “Identification for IMT is largely used as a marker for industry to tell them this is where you should bring in new IMT systems.” Approved protections require countries to coordinate with neighbors before they can use mobile, he said. The band in the Americas “is already allocated for mobile from 3.5 to 4.2 GHz,” he said.

Opt-in provisions for countries elsewhere are for both allocation and identification for IMT between 3.4 and 3.6 GHz, Russell said. A long list of countries opted in, he said. “It’s generally the more densely populated countries. Most of the European countries have opted in,” he said. Especially in Europe, countries were pressing to use frequencies up to 3.8 GHz, he said.

The opt-in elements include protections for the satellite community, Russell said. Adjoining nations must coordinate to make a mobile allocation, he said. Identification of frequencies for IMT specifies power-flux density limits to protect satellite signals, he said. “It’s intended to protect satellites and ensure that satellites continue to operate in the future in the C-band,” he said.

Terrestrial wireless broadband systems rolling out in the U.S. were protected fully, with hard limits agreed on for new satellites between 2.5 and 2.69 GHz, officials said (CD Nov 15 p11). “It was a complete success,” said Russell. The limits reduce risk of interference with ground-based mobile, including WiMAX.

“It’s a fair result,” said Anthony Baker, vice president at SES New Skies. “It’s a victory for common sense, really. We knew the systems didn’t work together, it’s just a matter of not assigning them to the same frequency bands.” Developed countries needing C-band have access to some, he said. “It’s been a long, hard battle and you always want to do a little better,” Baker said. Satellites are preserved and protected, he said: “We're very happy with the safeguards.”

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) “really drove the debate on these issues,” Russell said. CITEL was the first region with a united plan, he said. The CITEL approach was picked up by the conference, he said. “Being unified as a region made a huge difference for us.”