WRC-12 Preparation
CPG Chairman / fournier@anfr.fr
World Radio Conference
• Conference for the revision of the Radio Regulations
(RR), legal instrument of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) having a treaty status
• WRC are held each 3-5 years with around 3000
delegates from the 192 ITU Member States
• WRC-12 will be held from 23rd January to 17th February
• WRC Agenda are defined at previous WRC and are
strictly listing items for revision of the RR
• Any ITU Members States can submit proposals for
modifications of the RR in response to this Agenda
ITU process for WRC Preparation
• Proposals are generally made through Regional
Organizations recognized by ITU (CEPT, RCC, CITEL,
APT, AMSG, ATU) and resulting from their own
preparation process (including cooperation between
them)
• Each agenda item is subject to technical, regulatory and
procedural studies made in ITU-R working parties:
– Starting immediately after the previous WRC
– Resulting in many technical ITU-R Recommendations and
Reports
– CPM (Conference Preparatory Meeting), held 6 month to 1 year
before WRC, adopts a report with summary results of the ITU
studies and methods to satisfy each agenda item
Radio Regulations
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Radio Regulations deal with questions of worldwide character, ie the right and
obligations of ITU Member States respectively to each other:
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Objectives of the RR :
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International operations : satellite, maritime, aeronautical, HF bands …
Cross-border issues, in particular in case of large interference potential (ie, Broadcasting)
ensure equitable access to spectrum and orbital resources
avoid harmful interference between the radio services of different administrations
each administration keeps the right to use spectrum as it wishes inside its national borders
provided that there is no interference or constraint to other countries
Article 5 of the RR : Table of allocations to radiocommunications services
Other provisions : coordination and notification procedures (in particular for satellites),
technical conditions to protect services of other countries, procedures for international
services and in case of harmful interference …
Harmonisation of spectrum use is normally not dealt with through RR but through
ITU-R Recommendations. Cases of non-mandatory references to certain applications
for encouraging harmonisation (eg, IMT - International Mobile Telecommunications)
Coordination of EU interest in WRC
• RSPG09-294 Opinion on the preparation of ITU World
Radiocommunication Conferences, recommends:
– That the EU and CEPT make all possible efforts to identify, early in the
WRC preparation process and in consultation with stakeholders, the
corresponding policy objectives and associated priorities, in order to
facilitate the involvement of the political level for decision at the earliest
possible stage
– To develop and adopt an RSPG opinion for each WRC, proposing to the
European Parliament, the EU Council and the European Commission
“Common Policy objectives”
• Debate in the EU on the policy approach for WRC-12
– RSPP
– European Parliament resolution on the European Union’s policy approach to the
ITU world Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12)
Common Policy objectives
• Process of development of Common Policy objectives for WRC-12:
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Two RSPG Opinions (09-295 & 10-350)
Joint EC/CEPT workshop in June 2010
Commission Communication (2011)180 of 6 April 2011
Council conclusions 27th May 2011
• This development has:
– taken into account the consensus between EU MS already achieved in
CEPT
– reflected that in some items there are diverging EU interests (and with
other interests of EU Member States)
– resulted in fostering consensus between EU Member States (ie,
inclusion of a mobile service / IMT agenda item for WRC15/16)
• Common Policy objectives are reflecting have given a clear direction
to EU Member States
EU interests in WRC-12 Agenda
• Digital Dividend band: cross-border coordination procedure of
mobile service with broadcasting and aeronautical radionavigation
• International regulations applying to aeronautical services:
– New spectrum for safe operation of unmanned aerial systems in non-segregated
airspace
– Conditions applying to spectrum used by air trafic management project under the
SESAR project to ensure compatibility with FM broadcasting, radionavigation,
satellite radionavigation (Galileo)
– Effectiveness and transparency of the priority for aeronautical mobile satellite in
the « L band » (eg, for the development of the satellite component of SESAR)
• Ensuring flexibility and rights of administration (or EU) in using
spectrum:
– Harmonisation for electronic news gathering through ITU-R Recommendations,
not RR
– Harmonisation for short range device through ITU-R Recommendations, not RR
– ITU-R Studies for Cognitive Radio and Software Defined Radio, but no
Regulations
EU interests in WRC-12 Agenda
• Space services:
– No « a priori » planning of the broadcasting satellite band 21.422 GHz and new allocation for associated feeder links to
facilitate the development of satellite in this band
– New worldwide allocation in the band 2483,5-2500 MHz for
satellite radionavigation (Galileo)
– Improvement of the procedure for satellite declaration to ITU:
WRC-12 is an opportunity for clear level playing field for satellite
operators
• Scientific service: new allocations and technical
conditions for the protection of some existing bands
• Inclusion in WRC15/16 Agenda for the development of
wireless broadband service, seeking new mobile service
allocation and IMT identification
What else at WRC-12?
• Maritime communications : ship and port security and
introduction of digital/data communications in HF and
VHF bands
• Radars (oceanographic, detection of space object,
military)
• Amateur radio
European Common Proposals (ECP)
• The Conference Preparatory Group (CPG), within
CEPT/ECC is responsible for developing ECP and briefs
and for negotiating European positions during WRC
• CPG has adopted 22 European Common Proposals in
July :
– Already posted on the ITU website
– Under process of signatures by CEPT administrations
– The ECP are in line with the EU Common Policy Objectives
• Last CPG meeting in November for about 10 « late »
ECP
European Common Proposals (ECP)
• During WRC-12, each ECP will be presented and
negotiated by a « CEPT coordinator »:
– Involved in the preparation in CEPT and ITU-R since 2008
– Generally from an administration having specific interest in
defending the ECP
• During WRC-12, CEPT coordination is led by CPG
chairman and Vice-chairmen with CEPT Heads of
Delegation meeting on a daily basis, in particular for:
– Any significant change in position (e.g. for the digital dividend
band at WRC-07)
– Any need to trade-off between various proposals
Conclusions
• CPG is on its way to complete the WRC-12 preparation
and WRC-12 negotiation has already started with other
Regional Organizations
• This 4 years preparation relies on the technical and
regulatory work of CEPT experts, in ITU-R and CEPT
meetings
• ECP, which are proposing revisions of the Radio
Regulations, are supportive (when relevant) to EU
common policy objectives
WRC-12 preparation in Europe is, so far, very
successful …