Brazil Supports Andean Satellite But Hedges Bets
GENEVA -- The Association of Andean Satellites is pressing at the World Radio Conference for a three-year extension to get a Ku-band satellite aloft. Brazil supports the request but is getting ready in case the slot becomes available, officials said after talks between Brazil and Colombia Monday during the WRC. Brazil “almost certainly” will use for public service broadcasting the TV frequencies freed in the switch to digital, the Brazilian Minister of Communications said. Disagreement over frequencies used by the U.S. military will be aired, he said.
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The Association of Andean Satellites plans to put a satellite at 67 degrees west, officials said Monday. The group, led by Colombia, wants an additional years to get it launched, said Maria Rosario Guerra, the Colombian Minister of Communication. The WRC will likely decide the week of Nov. 11 whether to grant the extension, Guerra said. The association has a memorandum of understanding with SES New Skies for a satellite within three years, she said, so it has met the requirements to get the 3-year extension. Colombia replaced Venezuela as the notifying country for the Association of Andean Satellites (CD Feb 15 p8).
Brazil would support the Andeans “in any way” including in the request for an extension at the WRC, said Helio Costa, the Brazilian Minister of Communications. But Brazil has begun planning for the possibility that the Andean group won’t get the satellite in orbit, Costa said. The moves are to protect Brazilian interests, he said: “If they can’t do it… we will do it.”
The Andeans were concerned that a Brazilian satellite going into 68 degrees west might interfere with the Andean Ku-band satellite at 67 degrees, Costa said. The satellite in the 68 degrees west orbit will be a C-band satellite, so it won’t interfere with the Ku-band satellite, he said. Questions about possible interference have been clarified, Guerra said. The companies operating the satellites have to coordinate to avoid interference, Nacif said.
The digital dividend from the move to digital television will most likely go to public TV in Brazil, Costa said: “We almost certainly, are going to use this spectrum that is the digital dividend for this public TV system.” Most cities don’t have spectrum to meet the public TV system’s needs, Costa said. Additional frequencies are needed for broadcasting channels and services, Nacif said: “Although we have digital dividend, we may use it for broadcasting services.” It’s not likely to be used for IMT, Nacif said. Brazil is pressing to identify 450 to 470 MHz and 3,400 to 3,600 MHz globally for IMT-advanced, Nacif said. The frequencies were identified as not posing problems for IMT-advanced, Nacif said.
There’s division over frequencies used by the U.S. military, Costa said. Brazil uses them differently, Costa said: “We're talking about mostly telephone communications, use of the frequencies for WiMAX systems for Internet wireless.” No clarification was immediately available. The WRC runs to Nov. 16.