Europe to Oppose IMT ID in Upper 6 GHz Band Unless Conditions Met
Europe won't back mobile identification in the upper part of the 6 GHz band (6425-7125 MHz) unless five conditions are met, the46-member European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) said in its European Common Position (ECP) for the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23). Debate on the band will be intense and complicated and two other agenda items (AIs) are also likely to prove tricky, telecom consultants said. The conference runs Nov. 20-Dec.15 in Dubai.
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One of the most controversial agenda items at WRC-23 dealing with spectrum for IMT is AI 1.2, in which delegations will consider whether to identify 3300-3400 MHz, 3600-3800 MHz, 6425-7025 MHz and 10.0-105 GHz for international mobile telecommunications (IMT), including possible additional allocations to the mobile service on a primary basis.
On the 6425-7125 MHz band in Region 1, CEPT said it's neither proposing nor supporting an IMT identification but will accept it only if certain conditions are "fully met": (1) Protection of relevant primary services is ensured. (2) Continued operation of other services, such as for Earth exploration-satellite services (EESS) (passive) and radio astronomy is addressed via new EESS (passive) primary allocations in 4.2-4.4 GHz and 8.4-8.5 GHz to allow continued operation of sea surface temperature measurements.
The third condition is that no limitation be imposed on existing services and their future development. Fourth is that the IMT Resolution clearly outline opportunities for other broadband applications in mobile services such as wireless access systems and radio local area networks as well as offering enough flexibility for future wireless broadband usage. Finally, CEPT said, WRC-23 shouldn't approve an agenda item for WRC-27 to study additional IMT identifications in frequency bands 7-30 GHz, which could jeopardize important European space and government spectrum.
"Intense discussions" will be needed to reach agreement on AI 1.2 on the 6425-7025 MHz band in Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mongolia and the Middle East west of the Persian Gulf, including Iraq), emailed Analysys Mason telecom consultant Janette Stewart. "This is partly because of the proposals for hybrid sharing between mobile-related uses, for which there are conflicting views, but also there is a link between future use of the upper 6 GHz band and the need for new spectrum for IMT in future years -- specifically, whether future 6G networks might use spectrum in the 6-16 GHz range." Responses to a U.K. Office of Communications consultation on hybrid sharing in the upper 6 GHz band showed, Stewart said, that techniques to enable such sharing "would need to be developed that do not exist currently and so it is by no means clear whether hybrid sharing is possible."
Another complication arises because some countries outside Region 1 have signaled support for an IMT allocation in 6425-7025 MHz, even though the agenda item is limited to Region 1, Stewart said: "This makes the discussions more complicated to bring in a global view."
CEPT's fifth condition (above) is "interesting because it links support for identifying upper 6 GHz for IMT with decisions on future spectrum for IMT," said Stewart. Moreover, it also "seems certain that the WRC-23 decision will not be definitive in terms of how the upper 6 GHz band will be used in future in Europe, since CEPT have commenced studies into the hybrid sharing options, and these studies will continue through 2024." Even if WRC-23 agrees on an IMT identification in the upper part of the band, "there will be further discussion in Europe on how to implement the WRC-23 decision in the European context."
Agenda item 1.5 reviews the spectrum use and needs of existing services in the 470-960 MHz band in Region 1 and considers possible regulatory actions in the 470-694 MHz band. Given the competing priorities in the region, predicting an outcome to negotiations on this band is tricky, said Aetha Consulting telecom consultant Cameron Currin in an interview. Europe remains committed to using the band for digital terrestrial TV until at least 2030 and is likely to push hard for no change to the regulations now, he said. Middle Eastern countries, however, want the band identified. It's possible the two sides will agree to discuss the situation again at the next WRC, he said.
CEPT believes broadcasting services will continue to need access to 470-694 MHz spectrum. However, it proposed a secondary mobile, except aeronautical mobile, allocation in that band in Region 1 to assist some countries in the short- and mid-term to develop other mobile-based applications to meet national needs and interests.
While not an issue for WRC-23, there's general agreement mid-band spectrum for 6G will have some requirements, Currin said. The mobile industry has proposed a range of bands, 7-15 GHz, and the question is whether considering so many different frequencies is reasonable. Currin said he suspects a smaller subset of bands will be identified for discussion at WRC-27.