By Elena DeJaco
Every four years, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the regulatory body of the United Nations charged with orchestrating the international spectrum rules of the road, convenes a World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) to update global rules and determine issues worthy of study over the following four years. The 2023 Conference (WRC-23) concluded in December and signified the culmination of years of international negotiation and studies. This herculean effort prevailed despite significant hurdles, including the COVID-19 pandemic and two major wars. Through difficult discussions among the thousands of delegates, the conference finalized dozens of technical and regulatory changes and set the agenda for the next Conference. FTI is already looking ahead to WRC-27, with an eye to the major issues below.
Overall, WRC-27 topics reflect a growing trend in telecommunications to depend more heavily on space-based communication. Thus, all but two items set for study involve some element of space services, and the working groups in charge of fixed satellite service (e.g., satellite broadband) and mobile satellite service (e.g., satellite-to-phone connections or “direct-to-device”) spectrum are charged with 10 of the 19 agenda items. This is a major change in the work volume for the space sector and will result in another round of high-stakes negotiations before and into 2027.
Lunar Spectrum
One of the most interesting topics teed up for WRC-27 is spectrum under study for use in and around the moon. With a new moon race underway, this time including not only nations but also private interests, long-term communication networks will be needed between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. Additionally, spectrum is needed for lunar navigation services.
The side of the moon that is “shielded” from the Earth and our emissions is expected to be the future home of radio astronomy operations focused on deep space observation. Accordingly, studies will also consider which spectrum bands can be used by the space-research service in this “shielded zone” and how to avoid causing harm to planned operations. The international community is considering new or modified allocations for lunar applications of the space research service in eleven different band ranges including: 400 MHz (not in shielded zone), 2.5 GHz, 3.5-3.8 GHz, 5 GHz, 7/8 GHz, and 26 GHz.
NGSO Power Limits
Another major outcome of the 2023 Conference came in the form of an action not taken. Any potential loosening of power limits for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations (e.g., Starlink and OneWeb) was delayed until at least 2031. For decades, administrations and commercial operators have sent satellites tens of thousands of miles above the Earth into geostationary orbit (GSO). These sit above a certain territory and match the speed of the Earth’s rotation. Because they operate at such high altitudes, they can provide broad geographic coverage compared to newer, low-altitude NGSO satellites. However, these more traditional GSO satellites are more expensive to build and launch because of their size and longer lifecycles, and they provide much slower connectivity than the low-altitude NGSO satellites. Still, as it is the more established technology, many administrations have GSO equities which they seek to protect.
Legacy GSO operators (e.g., Intelsat and Viasat) are protected from NGSO operations by way of ITU Radio Regulations Article 22 equivalent power flux density (epfd) limits. Essentially, this measurement limits the aggregate power transmitted from different satellites in an NGSO constellation such that they cannot disrupt the operations of GSO satellites. NGSO operators were hoping to begin an international study to loosen these limits based on technological improvements that have occurred since they were put in place. While GSO operators plausibly argue that they may not be adequately protected, NGSO proponents see the argument as a purely anticompetitive tactic calculated to limit loss of market share. The result is an impasse between the GSO and NGSO satellite operators with various administrations falling on either side of the divide.
In the end, NGSO operators were unable to achieve sufficient support and, at least on paper, will not be permitted to make any regulatory changes until 2031 at the earliest. In fact, GSO operators were able to achieve such significant support that a WRC-23 plenary session (a formal meeting of delegations to make the final decisions at a WRC) included compromise text clarifying that while studies may be done, the plenary believes the work cannot even be submitted under a typical back-up, agenda item 9.1. However, there are indications that NGSO operators may use an option of last resort, agenda item 6, as a regulatory vehicle for urgent or “dire” issues to address it at WRC-27.
This outcome is a reminder that the NGSO mega-constellations filling the skies are still new arrivals. And, because the systems are based in only a few western countries, including the United States and Europe, they are at a large disadvantage in a consensus-driven global agency where most countries do not have NGSO equities. This may change as these systems begin to expand coverage into the global south and capitalize on investment expectations. However, the promise of these systems was not enough at WRC-23, especially against entrenched GSO operators with long-term relationships at the ITU.
Spectrum for 6G
Special attention will be given to the spectrum bands under consideration for 6G. Yes, 6G discussions are already underway! While dozens of countries and regional groups proposed potential bands for 6G, the bands for study emerged following intense negotiations and were not finalized until the end of the Conference. The agreement covers three main bands:
- All countries will consider IMT in most portions of the 7125-8400 MHz band. The band is already used for space operations (see FTI’s 7/8 GHz blog for more information) and is also teed up for study in the United States pursuant to the National Spectrum Strategy;
- Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia (ITU Regions 1 and 3) will consider IMT (in its 6G incarnation) in the 4400-4800 MHz band. The band is already used for some satellite operations, which will need to be considered in these studies. The band was previously studied and rejected for IMT in 2007; and
- All countries will consider IMT in the 14.8-15.3 GHz band.
Other Notable Items at Issue for WRC-27
- Providing more spectrum for satellite-connected networks on airplanes and ships in 47.2-50.2 GHz and 50.4-51.4 GHz;
- Enabling more efficient use of 13.75-14 GHz for satellite uplink;
- Increasing the capacity for satellite-based broadband in 51.4-52.4 GHz while protecting passive services in the adjacent 52.6-54.25 GHz and radio astronomy services in the adjacent 51.4-54.25 GHz;
- Seeking regulatory tools for limiting the occurrence of unauthorized earth station to NGSO transmissions;
- Facilitating and increasing equitable access to FSS spectrum in the Q and V bands, specifically, 37.5-42.5 GHz, 42.5 -43.5 GHz, 47.2-50.2 GHz, and 50.4-51.4 GHz;
- Permitting inter-satellite links in 1518-1544 MHz;
- Enabling direct-to-device applications in 694/698-2700 MHz; and
- Allocating more spectrum for mobile satellite services in 2 GHz.
Administrations from interested countries will spend 2024 primarily defining the parameters of the technical and operational characteristics for these bands and updating interference and co-existence models. 2025 will principally be devoted to conducting studies and contributing their findings to the international Working Groups. In 2026 and 2027, final regulatory positions will start to take shape, and the high-stakes negotiations on final outcomes will unfold.
Over the next four years, the international spectrum community will focus on the abovementioned topics, amongst dozens of others. With so many of the issues incorporating space-based spectrum, the space sector might well rename the next conference WRC-SPACE.
Freedom Technologies is at the forefront of preparations for WRC-27. Contact us to learn more.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.