WMO Steering Group on Radio-Frequency Coordination (SG-RFC)
Report on WRC-07
Meeting: World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07)
Venue and
dates:
SG-RFC
participants*: Roger ATKINSON
(
Roger CARTER (
Markus DREIS (EUMETSAT)
David FRANC (NOAA)
Bob LECK (NOAA)
James MENTZER (NOAA)
Jean-Michel RAINER (WMO)**
Philippe TRISTANT (Météo France)**
Alexandre VASSILIEV (ITU-R)
Jianguo ZHANG, CMA
Zhiqing ZHANG, CMA/ National Satellite Meteorological Center
Franz ZICHY (NOAA)
John ZUZEK (NASA)
Other
participants*:
Henry KARANJA (Kenyan Weather
Service)
Edoardo MARELLI (ESA)
Manfred OTTER (ESA)
Jean PLA (CNES)
Bjorn ROMMEN (ESA)
Klaus RUF (DLR)
* From NMHSs or related national and
international Organizations
** Representing WMO at WRC-07
The World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) had to cope with 21 agenda items among
of which seven items concern frequency bands or issues of prime interest for
meteorology. The positions of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) were
presented in document WRC-07/20 concerning:
– Agenda item 1.2: Extension of the 18 GHz MetSat allocation and protection of the 10.7 and 36 GHz EESS (passive) bands
– Agenda item 1.3: Upgrading and protection of radiolocation in the 9 GHz range, and 200 MHz extension of the Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) allocation at 9 500-9 800 MHz
– Agenda item 1.4: Impact on S-Band meteorological radars and satellite C-band related to future frequency bands for IMT-2000
– Agenda item 1.12: Coordination and notification procedures for Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) (active and passive) sensors
– Agenda item 1.17: Protection of the 1.4 GHz EESS (passive) band
– Agenda item 1.20: Unwanted emissions in EESS (passive) bands
– Agenda item 7.2: WRC-11 agenda
Agenda item 1.2:
Extension of the 18
GHz METSAT allocation: a 100 MHz extension of the current 18.1-18.3 GHz METSAT allocation (see
Footnote 5.519) was under
discussion. Even though a global allocation was preferred by WMO, it appeared
during the discussions that 2 views were opposed and that it would not be
possible to find a common position. At the end, the extension was agreed in the
18-18.3 GHz in Region 2 (North and South Americas) and in the 18.1-18.4 GHz in
Region 1 (Europe,
See detailed outcomes in
annex 1
Protection of the EESS
(passive) in the 10.6-10.68 GHz and 36-37 GHz bands: These bands are shared with active
services and the discussions focused on possible limits to be applied for those
active services in order to ensure the protection of passive sensors.
The positions
between administrations supporting mandatory limits and those supported only
recommended limits were quite balanced and it rapidly appeared that the case of
the band 10.6-10.68 GHz band was a key for finding a solution since it is
currently quite heavily used in some countries or that some administrations
were not willing to modify the current limits as in Footnote 5.482.
A solution
was only found at the end of the third week of the conference where a global
compromise for all passive bands considered under agenda item 1.2 as well as
1.20.
At the end,
for agenda item 1.2, the conclusions were to impose mandatory limits on active
services in the 36-37 GHz band and recommended levels for the band 10.6-10.68
GHz in respectively Resolutions COM5/6
and COM5/5. The recommended levels
in Resolution COM5/5 are associated
with a “noting that EESS (passive) sensors provide worldwide measurements that
benefit all countries, even if these sensors are not operated by their country”
that would hopefully make such administrations deploying active services in
this band have a clear knowledge of the importance of passive sensing.
One can note
that, China, Japan and Latvia deleted their country name from the provision of
Footnote 5.482 excluding themselves
from applications of any limits prior WRC-07, whereas one can note that 12 new
countries added their country name at the end of WRC-07, among of which 8 new
Arab countries.
See detailed outcomes in
annex 2 (10.6 GHz) and annex
3 (36 GHz)
Agenda item 1.20:
Unlike under
agenda item 1.2, agenda item 1.20 was dealing with the protection of passive
sensing (in the 1.4, 24, 31, 50 and 52 GHz band) from unwanted emissions
produced by active services allocated in adjacent bands. This issue has been on
the agenda of the last 3 WRCs and the discussion at WRC-07 also started in an
opposition between administrations supporting mandatory limits and those
supporting only recommended levels or even no limits at all.
Although for
the 1.4 GHz band, the positions were more balanced, mainly due to the fact that
a number of active services around this band (Fixed,
At the end,
in a global compromise with agenda item 1.2, the conclusions were to impose
mandatory limits for the active services close to the 24, 31, 50 and 52 GHz
bands and recommended levels for active services around 1.4 GHz in Resolution COM5/4. As in Resolution COM5/5 (for agenda item
1.2), the recommended levels are associated with a “noting that EESS (passive)
sensors provide worldwide measurements that benefit all countries, even if
these sensors are not operated by their country” that would hopefully make such
administrations deploying active services in this band have a clear knowledge
of the importance of passive sensing.
See detailed
outcomes in annex 4
Agenda item 1.3:
The
radiolocation service in the 9300-9500 MHz band has been upgraded to primary
(keeping the priority for Meteorological radars) even though a footnote
provides radionavigation a highest status, but only for radars.
The 9300-9500
MHz has also seen the adoption of the EESS and Space Research (active) service
allocations as an extension of the current 9500-9800 MHz, in accordance with
the WMO position (in view protecting the meteorological radars) since these allocations
are associated with a footnote stating that this extension is limited to those
systems requiring more than 300 MHz bandwidth that cannot be accommodated in
the existing band.
One can also
note that the European proposal to also allocate the 9800-9900 MHz band to EESS
and Space Research (Active) has finally been agreed by the conference, even
though on a secondary basis.
See detailed outcomes in annex
5
Agenda item 1.4:
This agenda
item has been by far the more difficult and discussed issue during WRC-07.
The
Meteorological community was "only" interested in the 2700-2900 MHz
(radars) and 3400-4200 MHz (C-band satellite) bands and the result is positive
for these 2 bands:
-
the
band 2700-2900 MHz band was disregarded for IMT during the first days of the
conference, thanks to a large support from almost all administrations
-
after
difficult and long debates, only the band 3400-3600 MHz has been identified for
IMT systems in a large number of European, Arab and African countries (as well
as in few Asiatic countries) hence safeguarding most commercial C-Band
transponders and in particular those in the 3600-3800 MHz band that are
currently or will be used by the meteorological
community of for GEO
See
detailed outcomes in annex 6
Agenda item 1.12:
Consistently
with the WMO position, the possibility of registration of active and passive
sensors has been agreed with the consistent modifications of RR Appendix 4.
Agenda item 1.17:
Without any
surprise since all positions presented at the conference were going in the same
direction, the secondary MSS feeder link allocation close to the 1.4 GHz
“passive” band has been deleted.
Agenda item 7.2:
A number of
proposed agenda items for the next WRC-11 were made by several administrations
or regional groups and after difficult discussions WRC-07 agreed on an WRC-11
agenda including 25 different items (Resolution
COM6/7), among of which 4 are of direct interest for the meteorological
community:
-
Agenda item 1.6 : passive bands above 275 GHz
(presented by different regional groups and WMO), associated with Resolution 950 (rev WRC-07)
-
Agenda item 1.15 : Oceanographic radars in the HF
bands (presented by the
-
Agenda item 1.16 : lightning detection below 20 kHz
(presented by
-
Agenda item 1.24 : Extension of the METSAT
allocation at 7.8 GHz (presented by Europe and WMO), even though the initial
proposal has been reduced to only consider an extension by 50 MHz in the
7850-7900 MHz, associated with Resolution
COM6/20
One could
also consider that some other agenda items could have some impact on
meteorological interests. Even though it may be early to determine which of
them may have such impacts at the end, one can for example already highlight
1.8, 1.14, 1.22 and 1.25.
See
detailed WRC-11 agenda and related Resolutions in annex 7
The proposal on "Earth Observation Recognition" (presented by Europe
and WMO) was not agreed as a WRC-11 agenda item but has been agreed as a stand
alone Resolution COM6/23 “Radiocommunications
use for Earth observation applications” calling for studies and a report to
WRC-11, recognising that, for this type of issue not calling for any additional
allocation or regulatory measures, it is similar to an agenda item. One can
also note that, in particular, this Resolution already emphasises the importance
of frequencies for Earth Observation and clearly mentions GEO and GEOSS.
See
detailed Resolution COM6/23 in annex 8
Other RR modifications related to
meteorological interests:
A number of
different modifications to the Radio Regulations were also made in bands or to
provisions that are of interest for the meteorological community, mainly in RR
Footnotes in which country names have been deleted.
See
detailed outcomes in annex 9
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