Nigeria Voices Strong Criticism of European Delay for Mobile Allocations

GENEVA -- Nigeria was highly critical of the small digital dividend delivered at WRC-07 and the slow-moving approach European countries are taking to accommodating the needs of lesser developed countries. The comments came in a plenary session at WRC-12. European countries have excellent wired networks and received a sufficient digital dividend at WRC-07, a Nigerian official said, but Africa did not. Germany, Russia and Israel said the matter should be addressed at WRC-15.

Egypt supported Arab and African regional WRC-12 proposals to extend the mobile service below 790 MHz in ITU Region 1 during WRC-12 (CD Jan 24 p7). Many African countries are having trouble rolling out mobile broadband applications in frequencies between 790 and 862 MHz, an Egyptian official said, referring to legacy systems.

Many countries in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region have allocated mobile to 698 to 790 MHz and are planning to roll out mobile broadband at 698 to 862 MHz, the Egyptian official said. A mobile allocation in the band for ITU Region 1, which includes Africa and Europe, would spur access in least developed countries, he said. ITU-R studies under a related WRC-12 agenda item “showed that sharing between the broadcasting and mobile services is possible,” he said, and the results can apply to 698 to 790 MHz “without additional studies.”

The debate is a “division between the haves and the have nots,” a Nigerian official said. WRC-07 only resulted in 16 MHz of TDD spectrum, he said. “We can’t do anything with it,” he said. African countries didn’t get the first digital dividend, he said. European countries are looking for their second digital dividend, he said. “To us, it’s first,” he said. African countries lack wireline services and have “very poor” Internet services, he said. “Affordability is our issue, not their issue,” he said, referring to European countries.

Those countries that already have a digital dividend “shouldn’t work towards depriving … those that haven’t got it,” the Nigerian official said. A lot of countries in Europe have “very advanced fixed wireline services” and access to fiber networks, he said. African countries are the majority in ITU Region 1, he said. Arab country support boosts that majority, he said. Broadcasting won’t be removed from the band, he said.

Israel had “full sympathy” for extending the digital dividend, an official from that country said. The question is can administrations at WRC-12 meet a 2015 deadline to enlarge mobile, he said. “Don’t we need some sharing studies,” he said, referring to channel arrangements. The question is whether it can be dealt with during WRC-12 or at WRC-15, he said.

Some of the “delicate issues” before WRC-12 include a proposal for a mobile allocation below 790 MHz, a German official said. It belongs on the WRC-15 agenda, he said. Some “very important aspects” needs to be considered, the official said. New mobile allocations “are completely out” of the scope of the relevant WRC-12 agenda item, the official said.

The completed ITU-R studies cover 790 to 862 MHz, the German official said. No technical information is available to make new allocations below 790 MHz, he said. “We need further studies before making a decision,” he said. Some of the proposals appear to have been made to avoid national problems, he said. The Radio Regulations are intended only to solve problems of an international nature, he said.

Russia said the allocations can’t be considered during WRC-12. The proposed allocations are for bands not addressed in the related WRC-12 agenda item, a Russian official said. Studies are needed, he said. Enlarging the bands reduces the possibilities for broadcasting services, he said and WRC-15 should address the issue.

The conference chairman will meet with small groups of regional group officials to move the work forward for consideration either during this conference or in 2015. There was not enough time for speakers from Armenia, the Netherlands, the U.K., Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Iran. More than one hour had been spent earlier in the session on the treatment of changes to regulatory footnotes, which are special exemptions that countries take from more general rules. Some speakers suggested a future conference agenda item to address certain changes.