The WRC-23 meeting in Dubai rejected proposals that would have raised the specter of interference with DoD radars, including that used by the Navy’s Aegis cruisers. (DVIDS)
WASHINGTON — The International Telecommunication Union rule-making summit wrapped up today, with the US delegation scoring a victory by maintaining protections for Defense Department radars from spectrum interference — while at the same time opening up room for expanding spectrum use by 5G and future 6G mobile communications networks, according to US officials.
Steve Lang, State Department deputy assistant secretary for international information and communications policy and lead for the US delegation, told reporters today that the World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC-23), which began Nov. 20 in Dubai, “has been a clear success for US interests.”
The delegation also included representatives from DoD and other government agencies, as well as industry representatives across the telecoms sector.
Over the last four weeks, he said, the US “achieved many important objectives and has advanced our goals of promoting connectivity and innovation, accelerating space science and the space economy and protecting our national security and transportation safety interests as well.”
The 193-nation ITU, a treaty-based organization, manages radio frequency (RF) spectrum usage that crosses borders to prevent interference and ensure that all nations have equal access. That said, each member country has the right to regulate spectrum use inside its borders — as the US does via the semi-independent Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In addition, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the Commerce Department, coordinates spectrum use by federal agencies including the Defense Department.
WRCs occur every three or four years, and are the venue for ITU members to hash out changes to the ITU rules regarding what spectrum can be used by different types of telecom systems — from cell phones to maritime radios to air traffic control radar to satellites across orbital all orbital planes. In particular, DoD had been concerned about proposals at the WRC-23 meeting that could have resulted in RF interference with the radar systems used by Navy’s Aegis Combat System.
In particular, Lang said, the US won ITU approval for its plan to “further harmonized spectrum available for 5G across the Americas” by allowing wireless mobile phone networks to use frequencies in the 3.3 to 3.4 gigahertz and the 3.6 to 3.8 gigahertz bands in the region — freeing up some 500 megahertz of spectrum for 5G wireless use while also “ensuring protection for important incumbent systems.”
Lang added that the WRC-23 also enacted “steps to ensure protection of radio location systems [radar] that are crucial to national defense and identified new frequencies for aviation and maritime transportation safety systems as well.”
Within the US, part of the 3 GHz band is allocated first and foremost to use by radar systems owned by government agencies, particularly DoD.
Charles Cooper, associate administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that coordinates federal government use of spectrum, explained that the WRC-23 decision will keep what is known as “super primary” status for those radar in using that spectrum band. He explained that while this means US neighbors can allow use of the 3 GHz band for 5G wireless communications, “they have to negotiate” with the US about how.
Specifically, he said, “they can’t cause harmful interference to the radio location systems” being used by DoD.
Further, Lang said the US and its allies managed to block a move by China to open up the 6 GHz band Beijing uses for 5G to global use for mobile telecoms but that Washington wanted to keep “unlicensed” under ITU regulations so that providers wifi services — a sector where US firms have a big lead in global innovation — can continue to operate there.
Ethan Lucarelli, chief of the FCC’s Office of International Affairs, said that while a “sliver” of that band at its highest end is open for mobile use in Europe and Asia, China’s bid to shift the bulk of it failed.
The US had also feared that China’s proposal would have put Chinese telecom behemoths, such as such as Huawei and ZTE, even farther ahead on the global market for 5G and future 6G services.
In addition, WRC-23 agreed on new spectrum allocations for both geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellites and those in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), the State Department said in a press release, including for inter-satellite links. It also “updated regulatory procedures to support increased deployment” of mega-constellations in LEO while protecting satellites in GEO and terrestrial mobile networks from interference, the release said.
Lang noted that WRC-23 further endorsed a US proposal for a study of what spectrum should be allocated for future communications systems on the Moon.
“The future agenda item that we proposed on developing a framework and identifying spectrum for communications on the Moon was approved by the conference. That is a particular particular favorite of mine and it will help prepare the way for long term human and robotic presence on the Moon,” he said.
According to an ITU press release, that study provision will look at “possible new or modified space research service (space-to-space) allocations for future development of communications on the lunar surface, and between lunar orbit and the lunar surface.”
However, the US was not successful in its bid to relax controls on the broadcast power of LEO satellites — a bid strongly endorsed by the FCC to support US companies launching mega-constellations, including SpaceX with its Starlink network and Amazon with its Kuiper network for providing internet services.
Lang said that issues surround LEO satellites were “contentious” at the WRC-23 meeting, because “there does seem to be an unfortunate bias against these systems from some member states, despite the amazing potential that they have to expand connectivity globally, and even in the most remote and difficult to serve locations.”
Developing countries have been particular concerned that US mega-constellations are eating up all the spectrum in LEO — in many cases out of concern that they will be locked out of the market for their own future satellites there. But some countries, such as Iran and China, have been trying to block Starlink for political reasons, fearing that their populations could use the network to avoid domestic censorship or be used by opposition leaders in the same manner Ukraine has been using it to resist Russia’s invasion.
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