WASHINGTON-U.S. officials in Geneva declared victory at the close of the World Radiocommunication Conference last week, securing key spectrum agreements to foster deployment of unlicensed wireless technologies, airline high-speed Internet access and modern global positioning system service.
WRC-03, which ended Friday with a signing ceremony finalizing the treaty-level conference, was held at a time when the United States finds itself at political odds with countries around the world on issues as diverse as the war against Iraq to global warming. Spectrum issues, while contentious at times, provided common ground for cooperation among conference delegates.
“The mood of the conference was business-like, upbeat,” U.S. Ambassador Janice Obuchowski told reporters by telephone last Thursday. Obuchowski said WRC-03 was largely devoid of political overtones, noting that the U.S. delegation was warmly received by its counterparts.
Delegates at the month-long conference grappled with nearly 50 agenda items, some more contentious than others. “We delivered a meaningful success on each of those issues,” said Obuchowski.
The stakes at WRC-03 were as high for the U.S. wireless industry as for the Pentagon and other federal agencies that rely heavily on the airwaves.
The breakthrough on unlicensed frequencies has huge commercial applications here and overseas, where hard-hit high-tech firms are anxious to extend the reach of Internet access with cost-effective wireless solutions. WRC-03 approved a global allocation of 455 megahertz at 5 GHz that is expected to be commercially exploited in the United States and overseas for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed wireless broadband applications.
Making frequencies available around the world for radio local area networks will enable manufacturers to achieve economies of scale and lower deployment costs for networks. While the U.S. and Europe are hotly pursuing wireless Internet solutions, developing countries-which have poor telecom infrastructure-could be the biggest beneficiaries of the WRC-03 action.
All told, the conference allocated the 5150-5250 MHz, 5250-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz bands for license-exempt wireless applications. Outdoor use of 5250-5350 MHz band is subject to conditions designed to prevent Wi-Fi interference with satellite operations.
The Federal Communications Commission in May launched a proceeding to craft 5 GHz unlicensed wireless rules. House and Senate bills are pressing for additional 5 GHz spectrum to fuel wireless Internet development in the nation.
One of the most contentious issues at WRC-03 involved coordination of radionavigation satellite systems, like the U.S. military-controlled GPS system, Russia’s Glosnass and Europe’s planned Galileo system. U.S. officials said the coordination approach pushed by Europe would have harmed existing GPS services and U.S. efforts to modernize the technology, which is embedded in some mobile phones to enable emergency dispatchers to locate consumers who make wireless 911 calls.
The next WRC meeting is scheduled for 2007, though there is some discussion about holding it a year later for budgetary purposes. Karl Nebbia, deputy associate director of spectrum management at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said fourth-generation mobile-phone spectrum issues will be on the agenda at the next conference.
Nebbia cautioned, however, that definitions of services have become tricky as wireless technologies and applications evolve.
Nebbia said conference delegates approved a resolution to study whether there needs to be a framework developed to address ultra-wideband and software-defined radio technologies, which do not fit neatly into any WRC category.
