WRC Approves Section of Millimeter Wave Band for Vehicular Safety Radar

World Radiocommunication Conference delegates agreed on a globally harmonized network of vehicular radar in the 77.5-78 GHz frequency band that opens the door to short-range collision avoidance systems, said Decker Anstrom, U.S. ambassador to WRC-15. Given the rise of smart cars and the “still unacceptable levels of traffic accidents or deaths [worldwide] … this will save lives,” Anstrom said on a call with reporters Thursday.

Three weeks into its monthlong meeting, WRC is “reaching a new phase,” with working groups moving measures into plenaries, Anstrom said. High-profile items, like additional spectrum allocations for international mobile telecom (IMT) and other terrestrial broadband applications, "are proceeding steadily toward resolution," Anstrom said.

Lack of controversy over a separate agenda item on possible changes in the coordination, notification and recording procedures for satellite network frequency was “surprising,” Anstrom said. The Satellite Industry Association didn't comment Thursday. The signing of final WRC agreements is scheduled for Nov. 27.

The idea of using some bands allocated to fixed satellite service for control and nonpayload communications of unmanned aircraft systems is seeing “slow but steady movement,” Anstrom said. An experts group has been put together to develop specific proposals because “there’s a great deal of interest in this item, and growing,” though “a handful” of administrations oppose it, he said. Most have concluded some kind of WRC action is necessary, Anstrom said: "People have concluded [no change] is unimaginable. The unmanned aircraft industry is going to move forward in one way or another."

Finding allocation for mobile broadband in the UHF range (570-698 MHz) -- one of the U.S.’s chief priorities (see 1511120035) -- still faces heavy opposition, but increasing numbers of administrations at WRC are interested in the idea or support it, Anstrom said. There have been ad hoc efforts by proponents at developing proposals “so we can have a fair and open discussion” of ways to do such an allocation, he said: “The key point here is that we’re finding an increasing number of administrations are interested in finding a way of using some or all their UHF spectrum for mobile broadband.”

Similar efforts to carve spectrum for wireless broadband out of the C- and L-band remain ongoing, Anstrom said. The satellite industry has said it expected a considerable fight over C-band reallocations for IMT (see 1511110003). Anstrom said there is largely a global consensus on using part of C-band for IMT, though some disagree on whether to limit it to 3400-3600 MHz or to go as high as 3800. The end result might be different approaches for different regions, Anstrom said, but consensus is likely: “Between L-band and the like C-band outcome, we’re looking at … 300 MHz of harmonized spectrum for IMT, and that’s before you get to the question of how UHF will be resolved. We’re looking at a significant amount of spectrum being harmonized for IMT.”

Delegates also agreed Wednesday to a resolution that would put the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) -- the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, based in France -- in charge of the decision of whether to eliminate the manual process for inserting Coordinated Universal Time leap seconds. Eliminating leap seconds has the support of NTIA (see 1511060042). BIPM is “well suited to define and maintain a uniform time scale,” Anstrom said.

U.S. automakers pushed the FCC earlier this year for rules to allow vehicular radar operations in the 76-81 GHz band (see 1504080035). And that 77.5-78 GHz allocation voted up by WRC was worded so as not to preclude existing uses such as radar systems on aircraft wing tips to avoid any collisions during taxiing, said Mike Biggs, Federal Aviation Administration senior engineer-radio frequency interference.