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

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.