For a number of years preparations for ITU World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs) have been conducted in recognised Regional Telecommunication Organisations (RTOs). These organisations permit participation in each others’ WRC preparatory committees. ITU Region 1 comprises Arab States (ASMG), Africa (ATU), Europe (CEPT) and Commonwealth of Independent States (RCC). ITU Region 2 comprises North and South America (CITEL) and ITU Region 3 comprises the Asia Pacific region (APT).

Some RTOs have a single WRC preparatory committee whilst others convene specialised project teams addressing a number of similar agenda items. This is particularly the case in Europe where CEPT’s Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) has a Conference Preparatory Group (CPG) which for the next WRC in 2023 has established a number of Project Teams – PT1, PTA, PTB, PTC and PTD. 

IARU has decided that regular attendance is necessary in PT1 (IMT-5G issues), PTA (Science and Regulatory) and PTC (aeronautical, maritime and radio-determination). IARU’s overall objective at WRC-23 is wherever possible the defence of existing amateur frequency allocations from an availability and quality standpoint.

Most RTO’s have had their initial meetings to start preparing for WRC-23. IARU-R1 has recently reported on ATU-APM, CEPT CPG and CPG-PTC. Last week IARU participated in a virtual meeting of RCC countries. Its goal was to endorse the decisions of the RCC working Group on the radio frequency spectrum. Information from individual RCC countries with their view on WRC-23 agenda items is currently being collected. The next RCC meeting is scheduled for March-April 2021.

This week CEPT CPG-PTA has its first meeting to study regulatory and scientific WRC agenda items. The items which may impact the amateur service are 1.12 (radar sounders near 50 MHz), 1.14 (passive Earth exploration-satellite in 231 – 252 GHz) and 9.1 issue A (space weather sensors). The outcome from this meeting as it may affect the amateur service will be published on this web-site later this week.

IARU will continue to represent the amateur and amateur-satellite services throughout the electromagnetic spectrum whether virtual or face-to-face meetings are being utilised by regulatory bodies during the coming months. If you are able to do so, please support your IARU Member Society in any national preparatory WRC-23 events.

From 1 – 3 September, IARU participated in the first meeting of Project Team C of the WRC23 CEPT Conference Preparatory Group where the preliminary CEPT position on the international studies into the amateur radio and radio navigation satellite service coexistence was discussed. IARU will continue to play a full role in the discussions on this subject.

The IARUMS Region 1 Newsletter is now available.
Click on the link to read it!

Today the Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of Cameroon opened the first on-line meeting of APM-23, which from 3 – 7 August will commence preparing the African position for the 2023 ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23). IARU is attending the meeting.

It was stated that WRC-23 should build on the successes of WRC-19 for Africa and that regional bodies such as ATU were instrumental in achieving consensus on difficult issues. Furthermore, the ITU Study Groups had also initiated their WRC-23 studies and African participation was welcome.

WRC-23 has a number of agenda items which may impact the amateur and/or amateur satellite services particularly the requirement to determine if additional measures are required to ensure coexistence with the radio-navigation satellite service in the 1 240 – 1 300 MHz frequency band. As ATU is one of the four regional organisations in ITU Region 1, IARU-R1 intends to participate in future WRC-23 APM meetings to protect amateur frequency allocations wherever possible.

A number of speakers stressed the need for the participation of women, youth and academia in telecommunications. IARU supports the need for bringing amateur radio to these sectors in order for example, to help combat digital exclusion and provide communications in emergency situations in the case of natural disasters.

The IARUMS Region 1 Newsletter June 2020 is now available.
Click on the link to read it!