We are pleased to inform you that the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the
Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) are jointly organizing the Regional Radiocommunication Seminar 2016 for the Americas (RRS-16-Americas), to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 18-22 July 2016.
RRS-16-Americas will be held in the following format:
- A pre-seminar web tutorial will be available, with the basic concepts of spectrum management at national and international levels, their links with ITU Radio Regulations (RR), ITU and ITU-R structures and functions, including the study groups and BR departments, and ITU basic texts, with the main focus on RR and their associated Rules of Procedure (RoP). A good understanding of the pre-seminar web tutorial concepts is required in order to be able to participate actively in the seminar.
- The first two days of the seminar will cover concepts related to spectrum management as well as the procedures associated with the recording of frequency assignments in the Master International Frequency Register (MIFR). The review of the modifications to the RR, associated WRC Resolutions and ITU-R Resolutions decided by the last World Radio Conference (WRC-15) and Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-15) as well as the agenda of the next WRC-19 will follow. These two days will also cover the current regulatory framework for international frequency management and the ITU-R Recommendations and best practices regarding the use of spectrum for both terrestrial and space services, including basic training on ICT tools developed by ITU for frequency notifications for those services and for the technical examinations.
- The 3rd day sessions will be devoted to workshops (terrestrial and space), providing participants with hands-on experience of ITU notification procedures for each type of service, and of the software and electronic publications made available by the Radiocommunication Bureau to the Administrations of Member States and to the ITU-R Sector Members.
- RRS-16-Americas will conclude with a two-day Forum on "WRC-15 outcomes and WRC-19 Agenda: Regional Challenges and Opportunities for Spectrum Harmonisation" that will gather main stakeholders in the region (in particular the Caribbean Spectrum Management Steering Committee and Task Force) in order to prepare the future key spectrum management decisions in the region. The addressed topics will include: i) Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT): Current Status, Switchover and beyond; ii) its derived Digital Dividend (DD); iii) IMT: Regional Status, Harmonization, future bands; iv) Emerging concepts and technologies in spectrum utilization: Dynamic Spectrum Access and Whitespace technologies; v) C-Band based and other satellite services.
- The Friday afternoon will be reserved for a Round Table CTU spectrum Management Steering Committee & Task Force (Open to Committees' members only)
Languages
The lectures and discussions during RRS-15-Americas will be in
English only.
Format
The RRS-16-Americas will be conducted in a "paperless" environment, i.e. the seminar and workshops documentation will be available on the website. Given the amount of practical work expected during the workshops, participants are required to bring their laptops, performing the set of minimal specifications detailed (under the rubric "Information").
Registration
Member States, ITU-R Sector Members, Associates and Academia from Americas region, and CTU membership are invited to attend the RRS-16-Americas. Attendance to this Seminar is free of charge for their representatives.
Registration for this event is carried out exclusively online, through their respective ITU-R designated focal point (DFP). The list of DFPs for ITU-R Activities, including the Seminar, is available at
itu.int/en/ITU-R/information/events. Advance registration of all participants is strongly advised. Unannounced participants might face further delays at the on-site registration desk. For those Member States/Sector Members wishing to modify the indicated DFP or for any further information, please contact the ITU-R Delegate Registration Unit at ITU-R
ITU-R.Registrations@itu.int.
CTU membership are also invited to RRS-16-Americas, free of charge for their representatives; please contact CTU Focal Point for registration (see rubric: "contacts")
Venue, Accommodation and Visas
Information on the RRS-16-Americas venue, accommodation, visa matters and other practical arrangements are provided on the "General Information" document (rubric "Information").
Please take note that citizens of some countries are required to obtain a visa in order to enter in Trinidad and Tobago. In this regard, please refer to instructions given in the above-mentioned document.
Fellowships
Recognizing the difficulties faced by low-income countries, the ITU offers one partial fellowship per eligible country in the Americas Region, with priority to requests from the least developed countries (LDCs). The partial fellowship request form (under the rubric "Information") should be submitted before 1st July 2016.
