6 GHz, UHF Spectrum Candidates for Controversy for WRC-23
Two issues expected to be contentious at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference involve potential spectrum sharing in the 6 GHz and the UHF bands, speakers said Thursday at a European spectrum management conference. Agenda item (AI) 1.2 calls for identifying several bands, among them the 6425-7025 MHz band in Region 1, and the 7025-7125 MHz band globally, for mobile services. AI 1.5 considers potential sharing between users such as broadcasting services and mobile applications in the UHF 470-960 MHz band. Other keenly watched discussions include satellite and transport communications issues, they said. Agenda items are here.
For the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), priorities include earth stations in motion in the Ku and Ka bands, and AI 1.17 on technical and operational issues and rules for satellite-to-satellite links in the 11.7-012.7 GHz, 18.1-18.6 GHz, 18.8-20.2 GHz and 27.5-30 GHz bands, said FCC WRC Director Dante Ibarra. The space links are important to the satellite industry because that will make their operations more efficient, he said. The U.S. is also interested in AI 1.12, which could see a new secondary allocation to the earth exploration-satellite active service for space-borne radar sounders in frequencies around 45 MHz, he said. CITEL continues to consider frequency bands for terrestrial services, he said.
Priorities for the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations involve four areas, said Alexandre Kholod, head of international frequency planning, Swiss Federal Office of Communications: Making more mobile broadband spectrum available, including in mid-band spectrum such as 6 GHz; satellite questions on Ka-band earth stations in motion; transport issues, including aeronautical and maritime communications; and science topics, such as AI 1.14, on frequency allocations for the Earth exploration satellite service.
For the Arab Spectrum Management Group, key issues include spectrum for mobile services, whether the 6 GHz band will be allocated to mobile or Wi-Fi services, and UHF, said Tariq Al Awadhi, United Arab Emirates Telecommunications Regulatory Authority executive director-spectrum affairs. The 6 GHz and UHF items will be issues during WRC-23, said Al Awadhi. UHF band issues aren't new, but the pandemic sparked questions about how many people continue to watch digital terrestrial television (DTT) at home, he said: Viewing audiences decreased, while broadband audiences rose. He urged the WRC to look at technologies for a new generation that watches data rather than TV.
The 6 GHz band is a distinct ecosystem with many uses that need protection, said Ibarra: CITEL struggled to find common ground on the band but eventually agreed not to study it for mobile services, and the FCC has already approved rules for unlicensed use of 1200 MHz in the band and wants to help promote the unlicensed industry.
Satellite operators consider WRC-23 an opportunity to enhance the use of their existing allocations, said Patrick Van Niftrik for the Global Satellite Coalition. But they also want to ensure continuing protection of their allocations and are monitoring proposals for mobile service in the 3/6/7 GHz band and in 3600-3800 MHz, he said. DTT is a worldwide success, now in 153 countries, said Jean-Pierre Faisan, vice-chairman of Broadcast Networks Europe. Terrestrial TV has "surprising staying power," but DTT is at stake at WRC-23, he said: It's essential to Europe for content and cultural industries, which need long-term access to the 470-694 MHz band.
Mobile operator TeliaCompany's Mats Ohman urged governments to implement the decisions made at WRC-19 not to limit usage of the spectrum more than necessary to make full performance of 5G possible, and not to fragment the spectrum available for 5G. Intel is watching the 6 GHz debate closely because it wants to ensure the availability of unlicensed spectrum, said Jayne Stancavage, executive director-communications policy.
Europeans won’t be able to benefit from all that Wi-Fi has to offer without more spectrum, said Bruno Martin, Facebook director-wireless augmented and virtual reality. “We do need to harmonize our usage of the 6 GHz” worldwide, Martin said. Just allocating 500 MHz “will enable the first wave of products using the spectrum, but the world needs to go 1,200 megahertz,” he said. “It’s going to enable applications that we can just dream of now.”