WRC07 Revises Band Allocations

Michael Hedges March 1, 2008

The month long diplomatic conference on world-wide telecommunications gave broadcasters a respite in the war with mobile telephone operators over scarce and valuable spectrum. The World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC07) was held in Geneva, Switzerland under the auspices of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Nearly 3000 delegates from 160 countries debated proposals on virtually every spot on the spectrum.

“Everyone will benefit from the digital dividend that will emerge as a result of this conference,” said new ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Touré at the conference opening.

Far and away the most important discussion to delegates was setting rules for wireless and mobile services. Several of the proposals drafted over the past four years raised serious concerns among broadcasters. As a diplomatic conference rules adopted by WRC07 have the force of an international treaty. The international treaty, the ‘Radio Regulations,’ governs all radio frequency spectrum allocations and is updated each four years.

Discussions about Band C attracted considerable attention as national delegates, in regional blocks, debated present and future for satellite users most widely coveted spectrum block, 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz. The proposal was to reallocate Band C for use by International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), wireless mobile services like WiMax. Broadcasters make extensive use of Band C and cite engineering concerns about interference issues from high power and highly packed IMT services. Band C is not considered by the ITU as a broadcast band.

Another WRC07 agenda item would open Bands IV and V (470 MHz to 862 MHz) to mobile telephony in Europe (east to Mongolia), Africa and parts of the Middle East – ITU Region 1. Currently these blocks are allocated to broadcasting in all ITU regions. Region 2 includes North and South America.  Region 3 includes Asia, Iran and Oceana.

Strong opposition was mounted by broadcaster organizations, led by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), citing troubling interference issues. EBU Technical Director Lieven Vermaele, in a press briefing during the WRC07’s final week, noted the successful take-up of broadcasting services in these spectrum blocks. “However”, he added, “this success story could be jeopardized by the introduction of mobile phone services in broadcasting frequency bands.”

In 2005 the US Federal Communications Commission passed a law requiring television broadcasters to abandon by February 2009 analogue UHF channels 52 through 69, a large block of Band V, referred to as the 700 MHz band. The FCC will auction this block of spectrum in January 2008.  Differences between the US government and other national regulators on the rapid change-over of the 700 MHz band from broadcasting to other services led to the FCC sending only low-level representatives to WRC07.

WRC07 concluded by approving IMT allocations worldwide in the 450-470 MHz block of Band IV and the 2.3-2.4 Ghz block of Band C. Other IMT allocations were far more divided, reflecting successful lobbying from broadcasters and regional constituents.  The whole of Band IV in Region 2 (Americas) and nine countries of Region 3 (Asia, Oceana) will have IMT allocations. The 790 – 892 MHz block of Band V will have IMT allocations in Region 1(Europe, Africa) and Region 3.

DigitalRadio Mondiale (DRM) – the digital standard designed for broadcasting below 30 MHz – got a boost from the WRC07 delegates. The conference approved DRM for broadcasting in the 3200 – 5900 kHz ‘tropical zone’ bands. The region is roughly between 30 degrees north and south latitudes and includes many countries in the developing world using the ‘tropical’ band for national and regional broadcasting.

The next World Radiocommunication Conference will meet in 2011.

Previously published in Radio World International, February 2008, in a slightly different form.