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IARU speaks at ATU Workshop
· Emergency Comms, Spectrum · Sylvain, F4GKR

IARU was present at the recent ATU African Telecommunications Union / ICT Day 2019 Commemorative Workshop — “Using Technology to Save Lives: Emergency Communications for Disaster Risk Reductions and Management”. The Workshop was held in Maputo, Mozambique and IARU was represented by Brian Jacobs, ZS6YZ and Leon Lessing, ZS6LMG. Brian presented an overview of the amateur capability for emergency communication and some of the pre-conditions for it to be effectively deployed. He also gave a second presentation on the IARU STARS program, which seeks to support and encourage the growth of amateur radio in countries where it is not well established. 

Both presentations were well received, and gave rise to extended discussions about the public service role of amater radio and its role in developing the national skill infrastructure. 

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WRC-19 more details on the 50 MHz changes
· Spectrum · Hans, PB2T

IARU has released a more detailed report on the outcome of Agenda Item 1.1 (50 MHz) at the recent WRC in Egypt. Proposals from administrations and Regional Telecommunications Organisations (RTO) around the world ranged from no allocation at all to the provision of a 4 MHz primary allocation. The IARU position was to seek a 4 MHz primary allocation in Region 1 in common with that in other ITU regions.

Pre WRC situation in Region 1

Prior to WRC 2019, a number of countries in Africa enjoyed a primary allocation in all or part of the band. A number of other countries in Region 1 had secondary allocations on a national non-interference basis.

Post WRC situation in Region 1

A secondary amateur allocation in Region 1 in the band 50 – 52 MHz is included in the Table of Frequency Allocations in the ITU Radio Regulations.
In Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, 50 — 54 MHz on a primary basis with protection from other services. 
In Senegal, 50 — 51 MHz on a primary basis with protection from other services. 
In Angola, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the United Arab Emirates, Gambia, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Uganda, Qatar, South Sudan and Tanzania, the frequency band 50 — 54 MHz is allocated to the amateur service on a primary basis. 
In Djibouti and Lebanon, the frequency band 50 — 52 MHz is allocated to the amateur service on a primary basis.
In Guinea-Bissau, the frequency band 50.0 — 50.5 MHz is allocated to the amateur service on a primary basis. 
In Austria, Cyprus, the Vatican, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and Slovenia, the frequency band 50.0 — 50.5 MHz is allocated to the amateur service on a primary basis.
In the Russian Federation the frequency band 50.080 50.280 MHz is allocated to the amateur service on a secondary basis. 

Main Outcome of WRC-19

Final approval of the outcome was delayed until Thursday 21 November as a consequence of sensitive political issues. However following approval:

  • Pre WRC-19 countries retain their current status in the 50 — 54 MHz frequency band.
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo removed itself from the list of pre WRC-19 countries.
  • The amateur service has a secondary table allocation in most of Region 1 in the 50 — 52 MHz band.
  • 44 Region 1 countries have a primary allocation in all or part of the 50 — 54 MHz band.
  • 14 CEPT countries have a 500 kHz primary allocation in the 50.0 — 50.5 MHz band.
  • The Russian Federation has a 200 kHz secondary allocation in the 50.08 — 50.28 MHz band.
  • The Final Acts of WRC-19 enters into force on 1 January 2021, however administrations may make provisions to provide 50 MHz spectrum at an earlier or later date.
  • Amateur service shall not cause harmful interference to stations of other primary or secondary services, with the exception of the pre-WRC-19 countries.
  • Individual amateurs should not use (unless already licensed to do so) the newly allocated spectrum until their national licensing authority has given the go ahead for its use.
  • Prior to WRC-19 a number of countries in CEPT had authorised national usage in the 50 — 52 MHz band on a non-interference basis to stations of other primary and secondary services. In practice little is likely to change here, although the amateur service with a secondary table allocation in Article 5 of the ITU Radio Regulations (and hopefully the European Common Allocation Table) will now have a higher status internationally in the 50 — 52 MHz frequency band after the entry into force of the Final Acts. Furthermore, amateurs will benefit from the additional stations likely to be authorised in other countries as a consequence of the WRC-19 decisions.

Next Steps

To address the 50 MHz issue at CEPT’s Working Group Frequency Management meeting when the European Common Allocation table is revised.

Country by Country situation

The table at http://​www.iaru-r1.org/wiki​/VHF​#50 – 54_MHz_.286_m.29is IARU’s understanding of the before and after WRC19 position on 50 MHz allocations in Region 1. IARU cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies and the definitive position is the responsibility of individual national administrations.

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WRC-19 Approves Region 1 50 MHz Amateur Allocation
· Spectrum · Hans, PB2T

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 21 November 2019

The World Radiocommunication Conference WRC-19 has approved an allocation in the 50 MHz band for amateurs in Region 1. The decision will now be incorporated in the Final Acts of the conference.

The decision comes after more than three weeks of strenuous negotiations to reconcile widely disparate views of Region 1 administrations. The result is a dramatic improvement in the international Radio Regulations for amateurs in Region 1. Before WRC-19 there were only 11 countries in Africa with a primary allocation in the band. When the Final Acts take effect, on a date that has not yet been determined, there will be 44 countries in Region 1 with a primary allocation of at least 500 kHz including 26 countries with a primary allocation of the entire band 50 – 54 MHz. The entire region will have an amateur secondary allocation of 50 – 52 MHz except in the Russian Federation, whose administration opted for only 50.080−50.280 MHz on a secondary basis. There are provisions to protect the other existing services that use the band in Region 1 and neighboring countries in Region 3. The existing primary allocation of 50 – 54 MHz in Regions 2 and 3 is unaffected. The exact manner in which the allocations will be implemented in Region 1 countries will be determined by each administration and may be either more generous or less, depending on national considerations.

The WRC-19 decision on its agenda item 1.1 is the culmination of years of effort by the IARU and its member-societies, mainly in Region 1 but with support from the other two regions. The ITU Radiocommunication Sector working group in which preparations were conducted was chaired by Dale Hughes, VK1DSH, of Australia who also was chosen to chair the sub working group dealing with the item at the WRC. The sub working group, designated 4C1, held 10 meetings before reaching an agreement that could be forwarded to Working Group 4C where additional discussions and adjustments took place. Committee 4 received the output of 4C on Tuesday, 12 November and performed additional fine-tuning before recommending the results for adoption by the conference Plenary. Consideration by the Plenary was delayed while a narrow issue in one footnote was resolved.

IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, who is attending the WRC as a member of the Norwegian delegation, observed: “The successful outcome on Agenda Item 1.1 could only have come about through a team effort by the IARU member-societies and regional organizations, and especially by the volunteers who have devoted countless hours to preparing documents and attending meetings over the past three years. Our thanks go to everyone who has contributed to this effort, including the radio amateurs who support the IARU through membership in the IARU member-society in their country.” LA2RR coordinated overall IARU preparations for WRC-19. Dave Court, EI3IO, led the IARU effort on Agenda Item 1.1 which engaged all six regional telecommunications organizations: ASMG for the Arab States, ATU for Africa, CEPT for Europe, RCC for Russia and several countries of the former Soviet Union, CITEL for Region 2, and APT for Region 3. Region 1 Secretary Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, was coordinator for the item on behalf of CEPT on whose proposal the ultimate compromise was largely based.

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WRC-19 Grinds On: Week 3
· Spectrum · Hans, PB2T

With just three and a half days left for substantive work – the final session of the Plenary to approve texts to be included in the Final Acts is scheduled to end at noon Thursday, 21 November – delegates at WRC-19 face a daunting workload as the conferees try to reach consensus on several remaining issues including the agenda for the next WRC.

Future agenda items:

As of now, no choices have been made as to which of more than three dozen proposed topics will be placed on the WRC-23 agenda. Each of the proposed agenda items would require studies to be conducted in the 2020 – 2023 timeframe, but ITU resources will not accommodate more than about half. Some face strong opposition and others remain ill-defined even at this late stage of the conference. The responsible committee is scheduled to complete its work in just one more day. It will be a long day.

Short Duration Satellites:

There is still no agreement on how to protect existing services and uses of the uplink frequency band proposed for telemetry, tracking and command of these “simple” satellites.
5725 – 5850 MHz: This part of the amateur secondary allocation, which includes an amateur-satellite downlink at 5830 – 5850 MHz, is the subject of an unresolved conflict over parameters for wireless access systems including radio local area networks.

Frequencies above 275 GHz:

This upper frequency range is not allocated but several bands are identified for passive (receive-only) use and administrations are encouraged to protect them from harmful interference. With that in mind, WRC-19 has identified other bands above 275 GHz for the implementation of land mobile and fixed service applications. The use of these bands for applications in other services, including amateur experimentation, is not precluded.

50 MHz in Region 1:

The compromise agreement reported last week survived review at the Working Group and Committee levels and awaits approval in Plenary. 
With the 50 MHz issue essentially settled the IARU team is devoting most of its energy to explaining why the proposed agenda item for 1240 – 1300 MHz described in last week’s release is unnecessary and undesirable.

While IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, left the conference at the end of the second week he is still a visible presence as a six-minute video interview is replayed on monitors scattered around the halls of the conference center. See it for yourself at https://​www​.youtube​.com/watch​?v=gqphjb0Cds4&t=6s.

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