Page 6 - ITU Journal: Volume 2, No. 1 - Special issue - Propagation modelling for advanced future radio systems - Challenges for a congested radio spectrum

ITU Journal: ICT Discoveries, Vol. 2(1), December 2019

Foreword

ITU plays a central role in ensuring the efficient use of
radiofrequency spectrum. The omnipresence of radio
services highlights the enduring importance of this work.

Radiowave propagation enables mobile-wireless, fixed
and satellite communication, radio and television
broadcasting, satellite navigation, connected cars, global
positioning systems, the monitoring of our environment,
emergency communications, and even deep-space
research.

Radio has become essential to business and daily life, and
critical to safety on land, at sea and in the sky.

However, radio-frequency spectrum is a shared – and
finite – global resource. Spectrum is in very high demand,
the available spectrum is congested, and access to
spectrum for commercial use is expensive.
Innovation to increase spectral efficiency is fundamental to the sustainable growth of
radiocommunications. Radio services must operate as efficiently as possible, using the minimum-
possible amount of spectrum and avoiding interference with other services.
This third special issue of the ITU Journal shares insight into the latest developments in radiowave
propagation.
Papers highlight advances in propagation modelling and our understanding of related phenomena,
addressing their implications for radio systems’ performance, availability and reliability, the efficient
use of radio-frequency spectrum, and the planning of radio systems and networks.
I would like to thank all contributors to this third issue of the ITU Journal for their will to share their
insight with the broader ITU community.
The work of ITU provides the technical foundations for ICTs to improve lives worldwide. Academia is
making an important contribution to this work, and I look forward to our continued work together to
nurture ITU-academia collaboration.

Mario Maniewicz
Director
ITU Radiocommunication Bureau

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