ALLPIRG/4-WP/17

12/1/01

FOURTH MEETING OF THE ALLPIRG/ADVISORY GROUP

Montreal, 6 to 8 February 2001

Agenda Item	2.3:	Interregional coordination and harmonization mechanism – Other issues which have global ramifications

RESULTS OF THE ITU WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATION CONFERENCE (2000) (WRC-2000) AND
ICAO PREPARATION FOR WRC-2003

(Presented by the Secretariat)

SUMMARY
This paper presents the results of the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (2000)(WRC-2000), which was held from 8 May to 2 June 2000 in Istanbul, Turkey, and the preparations for the ITU WRC-2003, which is expected to be held in June/July 2003.

1.	INTRODUCTION

1.1	The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the specialized agency of the United Nations for telecommunications matters. International agreements on the allocation and use of the radio frequency spectrum are made within the framework of ITU at World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs) and are incorporated in the ITU Radio Regulations, which specify the allocation of radio frequency spectrum to user services.

1.2	ICAO is recognized by States as the international body with the competence to coordinate the aeronautical input to ITU meetings on radio frequency spectrum matters. The ICAO position at WRCs, where ICAO is accorded observer status, reflects the coordinated requirements of the international civil aviation community and is approved by the ICAO Council.

1.3	Section 2 of this paper reports on the results of the most recent WRC (WRC-2000). Section 3 reports on current preparations for the next WRC (WRC-2003).

2.	REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF WRC-2000

2.1	Background

2.1.1	WRC-2000 was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 8 May to 2 June 2000. An ICAO delegation participated and coordinated the aviation position with aviation representatives from ICAO Contracting States and international organizations. The ICAO delegation included Dr. A. Kotaite, President of the Council and Head of the ICAO delegation, Mr. R.C. Costa Pereira, Secretary General of ICAO, Mr. J. Howell, D/ANB, Mr. C. Eigl, RD, EUR/NAT Office, Mr. R. Kruger, RO/CNS, EUR/NAT Office and Mr. A. Capretti, (TO/CNS), and Mr. J. Chagas (C/CNS) and Mr. R. Witzen (TO/CNS).

2.1.2	The WRC-2000 was opened on 8 May 2000 by Mr. D. Bahceli, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey. The Chairman of the conference was Mr. F.M. Yurdal, Director-General of Turk Telecom. During the first plenary meeting of the conference, Dr. A. Kotaite gave a statement underlining the need to secure adequate and protected spectrum for aviation.

2.2	Aeronautical participation and coordination

2.2.1	The ICAO position was developed by the Air Navigation Commission (ANC), assisted by Working Group F of the Aeronautical Mobile Communications Panel (AMCP) and by the Global Navigation Satellite System Panel on issues related to GNSS. The draft ICAO position was initially reviewed by the Air Navigation Commission on 1 December 1998 (ANC 149-9) and sent to States and relevant international organizations for comments in State letter E 3/5-98/98, dated 31 December 1998. A final review by the Air Navigation Commission, with consideration of the comments received from States and international organizations, took place on 1 June 1999 (ANC 151-7). The Council approved the ICAO position on 18 June 1999 (C 157/9).

2.2.2	The ICAO position was sent to States and relevant international organizations in State letter E 3/5-99/74, dated 9 July 1999, and was submitted to the ITU on 26 October 1999. Subsequently, three addenda and one corrigendum to the ICAO position were submitted to the ITU, after having been reviewed by the Air Navigation Commission on 20 April 2000 (ANC 154-2).

2.2.3	In total, about 2 300 delegates from 120 ITU Member States and thirty-six international organizations participated in the work of the conference. Aviation participation was substantial: about 120 aviation experts participated in the various delegations of ITU Member States and Observers. This is a significant improvement in comparison with the previous conferences.

2.2.4	Five aviation coordination meetings were organized by the ICAO delegation. The meetings addressed all the aviation-related issues on the agenda of the conference and were considered by the participants as providing an invaluable opportunity for coordinating aviation's participation to the conference.

2.3	Results of the conference on the agenda items related to international civil aviation

2.3.1	In summary, the main results for civil aviation are:

a)	with regard to the future use of the GNSS frequency band 1 559 - 1 567 MHz, the conference agreed that no allocation should be made to the mobile satellite service in this band. Furthermore, Resolution 220, which called for further studies on the compatibility between the radionavigation satellite service and the mobile satellite service (space-to-Earth), was suppressed. With these steps, one of the most controversial discussions in ITU, initiated at WRC-97, was concluded in a fully satisfactory manner for civil aviation. The conference also agreed to downgrade the fixed service, which operates in the GNSS band in a number of countries, to a secondary status after 1 January 2005 (except in some countries, which could only agree to this downgrading with effect from 1 January 2010);

b)	the conference agreed to amend the provisions of the Radio Regulations to improve civil aviation access to the satellite frequency bands that WRC-97 had allocated on a generic basis to the mobile satellite service. In a Resolution, States agreed to ensure that mobile satellite service operators carrying non-safety related traffic yield capacity (spectrum) as and when necessary, to accommodate the spectrum requirements of the aeronautical mobile satellite (R) service;

c)	proposals to introduce a new allocation to the (terrestrial) mobile service in the band 2 700 - 2 900 MHz were not accepted. This band is heavily used for primary radar systems. Due to the broad opposition from aviation to this proposal, further review was deferred to a future conference;

d)	new allocations were made to the radionavigation satellite service in various bands. These provisions enable the introduction of GPS L5 and of the Galileo system. Since the allocations were made in bands used by the aeronautical radionavigation service (DME, radar and MLS), regulatory provisions were incorporated in the Radio Regulations to ensure protection of these services.

2.3.2	In general, the conference results fully satisfied the ICAO position. A significant element in the ICAO preparatory activities for this conference was the early awareness and involvement of Contracting States in the development of the ICAO position. Major factors contributing to this achievement included:

a)	the early development and dissemination of the ICAO position;

b)	the active participation by ICAO experts in the preparatory work of the ITU, including the relevant meetings of the ITU-R;

c)	the increased participation by ICAO experts in the meetings of the regional telecommunication organizations (APT, CEPT, CITEL, African group). The involvement of the regional offices, with the assistance from Headquarters when required, proved important in supporting the development of regional proposals to the conference that were satisfactory for civil aviation; and

d)	higher profile of spectrum management issues in accordance with Assembly Resolution A32-13 through the actions of the governing bodies and actions by the President of the Council and the Secretary General.

3.	ICAO PREPARATIONS FOR WRC-2003

3.1	The ITU WRC-2003 is expected to be held in June/July 2003 in a location to be determined. The agenda for WRC-2003 includes a number of items of interest to international civil aviation. ICAO preparatory activities have already started and they are summarized in this section of the paper.

3.2	The Air Navigation Commission, at the seventh meeting of its 155th Session, held on 16 November 2000, considered proposals on the ICAO position for WRC-2003. The Air Navigation Commission undertook a preliminary review of the proposed ICAO position, which had been developed by the Secretariat with the assistance of the Aeronautical Mobile Communications Panel (AMCP).

3.3	Items of main concern to aviation, which will be addressed at the WRC-2003, include the protection of distance measuring equipment (DME) and primary radar systems operating in the frequency range 900 - 1 300 MHz. Also, the protection of spectrum for high frequency (HF) communications and for the microwave landing system (MLS) in the band 5 091 - 5 150 MHz requires special attention.

3.4	The Air Navigation Commission agreed that the draft ICAO position for WRC-2003 be submitted to all ICAO Contracting States and relevant international organizations for comment and use in preparation for the Conference (State letter E 3/5-00/101, dated 8 December 2000, refers). The Commission will undertake a final review of the draft ICAO position, in light of the comments received, and will make its recommendations on the subject to Council in May/June 2001. Following approval by Council, the ICAO position for the WRC-2003 will be dispatched to all Contracting States and relevant international organizations and submitted to the ITU WRC-2003.

3.5	It is of utmost importance to civil aviation that the ICAO position, as contained in the attachment to State Letter E 3/5-00/101, be considered for incorporation into the proposals of Contracting States to the ITU. This support is indispensable to ensure that the aviation interests are safeguarded when the ITU Radio Regulations are amended. In addition, active support in the upcoming meetings of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector, which is undertaking a variety of technical studies relevant to the work of the WRC-2003, will contribute significantly towards the realization of aviation interests.

3.6	With a view to increasing the awareness of and support for the aviation requirements at the ITU WRC-2003, the Air Navigation Commission requested the Secretary General to involve the regional offices of ICAO in WRC-2003 preparatory activities and to present the proposed ICAO position to the regional air navigation meetings, meetings of the directors general of civil aviation, and the regional planning groups. The Air Navigation Commission also agreed that the support from other international organizations could provide the necessary source of support to the ICAO position, both at a national level during the national preparatory activities for developing proposals for the Conference as well as at an international level.

3.7	ICAO will undertake, wherever possible, to present its position to regional telecommunication organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the African Telecommunication Union (ATU), the Conférence Européenne des Administrations des Postes et des Télécommunications (CEPT) and the Conferencia Interamericana de Telecomunicaciones (CITEL). The active participation of aeronautical experts from ICAO Contracting States in support of this activity is required.

3.8	The Air Navigation Commission also reviewed a strategy for establishing and promoting the ICAO position for future ITU WRCs. The strategy contains the basis for the development of the ICAO position and the approach to be followed to secure support at ITU WRCs. Such an approach includes full implementation of Assembly Resolution A32-13, early dissemination of the ICAO position to Contracting States and to regional telecommunication organizations, participation in WRC preparatory activities conducted by ITU, regional ICAO coordination meetings and close coordination with other specialized agencies of the United Nations. It also addresses the need for coordination with other international aviation organizations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The strategy takes into account the new levels in spectrum management and their impact on the allocation of spectrum. The strategy will be reviewed by the Council for presentation to the 33rd Session of the Assembly.

4.	ACTION BY ALLPIRG

4.1	ALLPIRG is invited to:

a)	note the results achieved at WRC-2000;

b)	note ICAO activities in preparation for WRC-2003; and

c)	maintain regional involvement in WRC preparatory activities and support for the ICAO position at future WRCs.

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