US 'Clearly Achieved' WRC-19 Priorities, Delegation Heads Say

A contentious issue was protection for incumbent earth exploration satellite services in the 24-27 GHz band, with WRC-19 settling on progressive power level restrictions on base stations and mobile equipment that tighten up in 2027 to protect incumbents as IMT deployments presumably will have rocketed, David Botha, ITU-R Study Group 3 counselor, told media. There will be continued monitoring about deployment's effects on other services, he said.

U.S. WRC-19 Ambassador Grace Koh said not including 3.7-4.2 GHz for study for IMT wasn't necessarily a setback. It's difficult to find globally harmonized midband spectrum and most won't be studied for global identification, just regional, because of so many incumbent services, she said, saying the C band potentially could get at least regional harmonization. Not being in the study cycle means it won't face possible restrictions the U.S. might not find necessary, she said: "It's sort of a tradeoff."

Koh said items teed up for 2023 include a review of midband spectrum potentially for 5G, including 3600-3800 MHz, 6425-7025 MHz and 10-10.1 GHz. Some will be studied regionally and some globally, added NTIA Senior Adviser Derek Khlopin. Koh said there also will be additional non-geostationary orbit satellite earth stations in motion work and on suborbital vehicles in 2023, which the U.S. and Europe had proposed. She said the hope is to have an agenda item with spectrum allocations for suborbital vehicles for 2027. The U.S. "clearly achieved our priorities and objectives” such as spectrum for 5G, Khlopin said.

A key outcome included identification of the 24.25-27.5 GHz, 37-43.5 GHz, 45.5-47 GHz, 47.2-48.2 GHz and 66-71 GHz bands for IMT, ITU said. It also revised Wi-Fi rules to accommodate indoor and outdoor use and increased demand for wireless access systems or private core networks, while maintaining satellite service protections, and a resolution on railway radiocommunication systems between trains and trackside, ITU said. It said recommendations were approved to integrate information and communication technologies in intelligent transport systems for connected vehicles, provide new orbital slots for broadcasting satellites, and create a route for developing nations to regain access to spectrum orbit resources with a priority mechanism. There also is now global harmonization of the 50 MHz band with what regions 2 and 3 had allowed, it said.

ITU said items on the 2023 agenda include the possible use of HIBS and high-altitude platform stations using the same frequency bands for mobile broadband connectivity, updated rules for aeronautical high-frequency radio, and possible new allocations to aeronautical mobile satellite service to support aeronautical VHF communications uplinks and downlinks. It said 2023 will also have discussions of additional spectrum and satellite resources to enhance GMDSS capabilities such as e-navigation.

O'Rielly Plans Autopsy

Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said he was in Egypt for six days and had to leave before the meeting ended. He's still looking at whether it was a success for the U.S.

“I do have concerns with what I saw,” O'Rielly told us in Q&A following FCC members' meeting. “I do have concerns with how nations are proceeding in the WRC environment consistent with my past concerns.” He plans more of an "autopsy" on what happened. “I appreciate that we had some successes at WRC and there some parts of it that I’m still digesting,” O’Rielly said.

Everyone at WRC was talking about mid-band for 5G and almost no one about high-band, O’Rielly said. “The only conversation we had about high band was how to stick it to the United States.”

CTIA emailed it's pleased with rules "that, for now, allow wireless operators to deploy 5G in the 24 GHz band while protecting the ability of passive sensors to collect weather data. This is a positive outcome that will speed deployment of next-generation networks while ensuring we all continue to benefit from highly accurate weather forecasts.” Satellite Industry Association Tom Stroup said SIA is gathering information, and operators are generally pleased with preservation of already allocated spectrum and the door being opened for more future allocations.

WRC-19 decisions on existing satellite spectrum and providing access to more "will enable satellites to maintain and grow these and future services with advances in satellite and antenna technologies and increased capacity," the GVF satellite group said. "Individuals will be better able to connect to the internet, businesses will be able to increase the capacity and power of their networks, and governments will be better able to communicate life-saving information to their citizens.” It said key conference actions include enabling deployment of ubiquitous satellite terminals, providing more spectrum for improved satellite-provided services to end users, and protecting satellite communications from harmful interference. Alexandre Vallet, ITU Radiocommunication Bureau space services chief, said about a quarter of the WRC-19 agenda items were space-related.

EchoStar/Hughes deems a notable accomplishment is access to additional fixed satellite service (FSS) spectrum in the 51.4-52.4 GHz band, and more certainty for satellite-delivered Ka-band maritime and aeronautical broadband services. It also likes more certainty for mobile satellite service (MSS) in the S band and for FSS operations that will share with terrestrial telecommunications systems in the above-24 GHz bands; and future agenda items that include access to more FSS and MSS spectrum, plus studying use of the Ka band for satellite-to-satellite links.

Asked about the contents of a letter from President Donald Trump to ITU (see 1911010058), ITU said it didn't say anything more than acknowledging that WRC-19 was going on.

The new NGSO milestone requirements (see 1911200058) will apply to existing systems, not retroactively, Vallet said. He said the requirements take effect in January 2021 and only apply to commercial deployments.