New Coordination Mechanism Proposed for Some Mobile Satellite Networks

Preparations for a 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference agenda item will be discussed next week in the ITU-R working party on efficient orbit and spectrum utilization for the mobile satellite and radio navigation satellite services. Participants are drafting options that countries may use to formulate national or regional proposals to the 2012 conference. The main points in the preliminary discussion are the operator review mechanism to coordinate the various interests, a satellite executive said, and revising a regulatory resolution on use of the 1525-1559 MHz and 1626.5-1660.5 MHz bands by the mobile-satellite service. Ongoing ITU-R studies aim to ensure long-term spectrum availability for the aeronautical mobile-satellite (route) service.

Although the current AMS(R)S allocation is viewed as adequate, some countries have said the spectrum isn’t always available when and where it’s needed, the executive said, and use can’t be preempted even though there’s a regulatory provision. The operator review mechanism discussion is over whether the International Civil Aviation Organization or ITU should be involved, the satellite executive said. The ICAO wants more influence in the operator review process, sources said. One of ICAO’s arguments is that no guarantee can be made for access in the allocated spectrum, the executive said, and that there’s too much secrecy around the current processes of spectrum allocation. Because it’s about safety of life, proponents say spectrum has to be available when it’s needed, he said, and some countries feel they don’t have that guarantee at the moment.

The ICAO-favored option suggests changing the existing operator review process to ensure priority access to AMS(R)S spectrum under a regulatory provision. The option is a welcome and novel approach that offers at least “some hope” for a way forward on an issue with “little substantial progress” since WRC-97, an ICAO spokesman said.

ICAO coordination meetings could be held yearly, the intergovernmental organization said. An outstanding question for ICAO under the option is whether AMS(R)S needs would be based on spectrum or communication requirements, ICAO said in a document submitted to the ITU-R meeting. Estimation of spectrum requirements by ICAO is preferred because they would be directly applicable to coordination meetings and not subject to dilution or misinterpretation in the process, ICAO said. A meeting report would then be circulated to the two operator review meetings covering global operations, one for the Americas, and one for other territories, ICAO said. The operator review meeting would then agree on how to provide spectrum assignments for each AMS(R)S network to meet requirements defined by the ICAO meeting, it said.

The U.S. and other countries with satellite operators aren’t so interested in a new coordination mechanism, the satellite executive said. Many satellite operators are partially backing existing procedures, he said, with no change to the radio regulations at WRC-12. MSS operators say existing processes and mechanisms are sufficient, he said. They say since no formal complaints have been made after negotiations, it appears there are no problems and therefore the agenda item isn’t necessary, he said.

MSS interests have a fear about a potential new mechanism, the satellite executive said, and they are fighting hard against it. ICAO carries “quite a lot of weight” generally and also with countries that don’t often become actively involved in WRCs, he said. ICAO’s great negotiating strength is it says it represents safety of life services and users, he said. “And that’s quite a powerful card to play.”