PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR WRC-12

[Fansome]

From the ARRL email letter:

==> PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR WRC-12

Approximately 200 participants came together in an ITU preliminary
meeting that ended September 16 in Geneva, Switzerland to help African
countries prepare for the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference
(WRC-12)
<http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/index.asp?category=conferences&rlink=wrc-12%C3
%83%C2%A2%C3%82%C5%92%C3%82%C2%A9=en>. The six regional
telecommunications organizations -- APT (Asia-Pacific), ASMG (Arab
States), ATU (Africa), CEPT (Europe), CITEL (the Americas) and RCC
(independent states of the former Soviet Union) -- were represented at
the meeting. This meeting was part of a series of ongoing international
and regional preparatory meetings to allow government and industry to
address the far-reaching and complex agenda of the WRC-12. ARRL
Technical Relations Specialist Jonathan Siverling, WB3ERA, and IARU
Region 1 Vice President Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, were among the participants.

WRC-12, which will be held in Geneva from January 23-February 17, 2012,
will review the international treaty that governs radiocommunications --
the ITU Radio Regulations <http://www.itu.int/publ/R-REG-RR-2008/en>.
The conference will be preceded by the Radiocommunication Assembly
(RA-12), also to be held in Geneva, January 16-20, 2012.

The agenda for WRC-12, developed by the delegates at the last WRC in
Geneva in 2007 (WRC-07), was formally adopted by the ITU Council in
2008. There are 25 agenda items addressing potential new or revised
spectrum allocations to existing services. A key objective is the review
of the international regulatory framework applicable to
radiocommunications. This review should reflect the convergence of some
radio services arising from the development of next-generation networks
(NGN) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Generation_Networking>, as well
as new radio applications and technologies. Of most interest to amateurs
is agenda item 1.23, "to consider an allocation of about 15 kHz in parts
of the band 415-526.5 kHz to the amateur service on a secondary basis,
taking into account the need to protect existing services."

"This agenda item is the highest item on my long term priority list,"
said ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX. "We are
fortunate that this upcoming WRC presents an opportunity for a new
secondary allocation in the medium waves. While the outcome is far from
certain, our experience in other bands -- most notably 30 meters --
indicates Amateur Radio's compatibility with certain other services as a
secondary user."

According to the ITU, WRC-12 will focus on appropriate spectrum sharing
mechanisms to make the best use of the digital dividend in the UHF and
other frequency bands, providing new opportunities for
radiocommunication services. It will also identify the spectrum
requirements to increase security for both maritime and aeronautical
transport services. Additional spectrum resources will also be
identified for scientific and other radiocommunication services,
specifically related to the environment, meteorology and climatology, as
well as disaster prediction, mitigation and relief. Along with the
introduction of more efficient digital services requiring less power
consumption, WRC-12 will be a milestone to meet ITU's commitment to
achieve climate neutrality with the use of Information and
Communications Technologies (ICTs)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communication_technologies
> > as effective tools to combat climate change and its effects.

Along with IARU volunteers worldwide, Price and Siverling are monitoring
developments on a number of other agenda items that could affect Amateur
Radio if they take unanticipated turns, including:
* Agenda item 1.14, considering requirements for and implementation of
the radiolocation service (radar) between 30-300 MHz.
* Agenda item 1.15, considering possible allocations between 3-50 MHz
for oceanographic radar applications.
* Agenda item 1.19, considering regulatory measures to enable
software-defined and cognitive radio systems.
* Agenda item 1.22, examining the effect of emissions from short-range
devices.

"Oceanographic radar is perhaps our biggest defensive issue," Price
said. "Fortunately, its proponents have acknowledged that sharing with
Amateur Radio would be problematic."

The ITU preparatory meetings ahead of WRC-12 provide an opportunity to
exchange information and views on the ongoing studies regarding WRC-12
agenda items, as well as on the common proposals and positions of the
regional groups and other organizations. The discussions in this meeting
addressed all WRC-12 agenda items and identified those deserving special
consideration for African countries, including the sensitive issue
related to the operation of security systems for ships and ports and the
shared use of the planned digital TV spectrum by other services.

The Director of ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau Valery Timofeev noted
that the agenda for WRC-12 was likely to be as complex as the previous
World Radiocommunication Conference held in 2007. "We need to continue
the trend toward increasing the number of common and coordinated
proposals," he explained. "This process, which highlights the great
spirit of international cooperation and consensus building at ITU, has
proved to be increasingly successful in the WRC process." Timofeev added
that the level of participation at the meeting indicated the importance
of the WRC process "to improve regulatory procedures, to provide
frequency and orbit resources for new technologies and to strengthen the
technical framework for the operation of services."

Recognizing that WRC-12 is an important event for the future of
information and communication technologies, ITU Secretary-General
Hamadoun Toure, HB9EHT, said the forthcoming conference will be a
landmark in achieving ITU's connectivity targets: "WRC-12 will be held
only three years ahead of 2015 -- the target date to connect all
villages, towns and cities, universities and schools in the world and to
achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
<http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/>. If there is any chance to meet
these goals, we must rely on ICTs -- omnipresent tools with profound
implications for all economic sectors -- to accelerate the process and
bridge the digital divide."  -- Thanks to the ITU for some information