The conference delivered a broadly positive result for the mobile industry, especially in Europe, although much of spectrum’s ‘low-hanging fruit’ has now been picked
An atypical event, with many issues set for future discussion
On 15 December 2023, the ITU concluded the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23), an event that takes place every four years and at which governments make decisions about the identification and international harmonisation of various spectrum bands. Reports suggest that this year’s conference was a fairly unusual WRC, with many contentious issues coming to a head in – or even being blocked until – the last of the four-week event. On issues where it appeared consensus was not being reached, heads and key staff from regional groups (such as APT and CPT) met separately to negotiate delicate agreements, causing a degree of surprise and tension among some delegates. However, with much of spectrum’s ‘low-hanging fruit’ now gone and national security interests influencing countries’ debates and positions, such high-level discussions could be a shape of things to come for future WRC events. Looking ahead, WRC-23 has also set a new record for the number of future agenda items at WRC-27 and preliminary ones for WRC-31.
Regulators can still explore sharing in the upper 6GHz band despite WRC agreements
Principal among the decisions, WRC-23 identified new spectrum for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), which the ITU believes will be crucial for expanding broadband connectivity and developing mobile services such as 4G, 5G and, in the future, 6G. That spectrum includes the 3300-3400MHz, 3600-3800MHz, 4800-4990MHz and 6425-7125MHz frequency ranges in various countries and regions. 6425-7125MHz – otherwise known as the upper 6GHz band – was identified for mobile in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA, ITU Region 1), as well as Brazil and Mexico, while the top 100MHz (i.e. 7025-7125MHz) was identified for mobile in Asia Pacific (Region 3). Interestingly, the decisions do not prevent national regulators taking a different approach, such as Ofcom in the UK, which is currently exploring the scope for hybrid sharing in this band between licensed mobile and unlicensed uses, including Wi-Fi.
More spectrum to help broaden the reach of mobile services
The conference also saw policymakers define more low-band spectrum in the 470-694MHz range for mobile services in Region 1. According to the GSMA, this secondary allocation will be “an important tool to break down the barriers towards digital equality” in EMEA, helping to lower the connectivity divide between urban and rural areas. However, for the time being at least, terrestrial broadcasting will remain the only primary service allocated to this sub-1GHz band, which will continue to cover PMSE (programme making and special events) applications. In addition, WRC-23 identified the 2GHz and 2.6GHz bands for using high-altitude platform stations as IMT base stations (HIBS), and established regulations for their operation. This technology offers the potential to deliver mobile broadband with minimal infrastructure using the same frequencies and devices as mobile networks. The ITU states that HIBS can contribute to bridging the digital divide in remote and rural areas, while maintaining connectivity during natural disasters.
