ITU Membership to determine future use of RF spectrum and satellite orbits

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) will open in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 28 October to 22 November 2019. Preceding WRC-19, the Radiocommunication Assembly 2019 (RA-19) will be held in the same venue from 21 to 25 October 2019.

The outcomes of the international treaty-making conference (WRC-19) and the RA-19 will have a global impact in the field of communications. Wireless, and especially space-based, connectivity is helping make smart societies a reality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (including intelligent transport systems, e-government, tele-education, e-health, e-logistics, smart energy, smart agriculture), in both developed and developing countries, and particularly in rural and remote areas. WRC-19 will facilitate the management of scarce orbit/spectrum resources in the interest of end-users, with global implications for both policy-makers and the industry.

WRC-19 will focus on:

* Reviewing and revising the international regulatory framework for radiocommunications – the Radio Regulations – to reflect the increasing convergence in radio services arising from the rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT).

* The management of scarce radio-frequency spectrum to provide new opportunities for radiocommunication services, including those for maritime and aeronautical transport, as well as for scientific purposes related to the environment, meteorology and climatology, disaster prediction, mitigation and relief.

* The management of satellite orbital slots and associated spectrum resources (Earth stations in motion – ESIM, Non-geostationary fixed-satellite service (FSS) systems and small satellites).

* IMT-2020 and beyond (in marketing terms called 5G - Fifth Generation of Mobile Technologies), High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), mobile broadband and other advanced technologies.