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| Фото: ITU |
The next ITU World Radiocommunication Conference
will take place in Geneva on 23 January−17 February
2012, preceded by the
Radiocommunication Assembly
on 16−20 January. The conference
(WRC-12) has the very
important task of reviewing the
international treaty that governs
radiocommunications — the
ITU Radio Regulations.
The review will need to reflect the major developments
that will have taken place
since the previous conference
(WRC-07), held in late 2007. For
example, there has been convergence
of some radio services
due to the deployment of nextgeneration
networks (NGN),
while new radio applications
and technologies are arriving on
the scene.
A major focus of WRC-12
will be on fi nding appropriate
mechanisms for sharing the
radio-frequency spectrum that is being freed up by the move from analogue to digital
television broadcasting (see article in ITU News
of September 2009). It will also
identify the spectrum requirements
for services to increase
security for maritime and aeronautical
transport. Additional
spectrum resources will be identifi
ed for scientifi c and other
radiocommunication services,
specifi cally related to the environment,
meteorology and
climatology, as well as disaster
prediction, mitigation and relief.
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| photo credit: ITU/V. Martin |
The meeting was “geared towards achieving a common position for the African continent”.
Akossi Akossi, Secretary-General of the African Telecommunication Union |
Preparing the way, with a focus on Africa
Because of the far-reaching
agenda (with 25 specific issues
and eight permanent items),
thorough preparation is needed
for WRC-12, as well as a clear
understanding of the complexities.
To assist with this, ITU is
organizing a series of meetings
where governments and industry can address the issues
on a fl exible and preliminary
basis, ahead of the formal
Conference Preparatory Meeting
in 2011. The first of these preliminary
meetings was held in
Geneva on 14–16 September
2009, in collaboration with
the African Telecommunication
Union (ATU). It was chaired by
Aboubakar Zourmba, Assistant
Director General of the
Telecommunications Regulatory
Board of Cameroon.
In addition to participants from ATU, the five
other regional telecommunication organizations
were represented: the Arab Spectrum Management
Group (ASMG); the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
(APT); the European Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT); the
Inter-American Telecommunication Commission
(CITEL), and the Regional Commonwealth in the Field
of Communications (RCC).
Some 200 participants were able to learn more
about the preparations being made for WRC-12 by
ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau (BR). They also exchanged
information and views on the ongoing studies
regarding agenda items, as well as on the common
proposals of the regional groups and other organizations.
Discussions at the meeting helped to identify
those agenda items of particular interest for African
countries, including such sensitive issues as the operation
of security systems for ships and ports, and the
shared use of the planned digital television spectrum.
BR Director Valery Timofeev noted that the agenda
for WRC-12 is likely to be as complex as that for
WRC-07. He underlined the need to continue the trend towards increasing the
number of common and coordinated
proposals. “This process,
which highlights the great spirit
of international cooperation
and consensus building at ITU,
has proved to be increasingly
successful in the WRC process.”
Mr Timofeev went on to add
that the level of participation at
the meeting indicated the importance
of the WRC process
in the effort “to improve regulatory
procedures, to provide
frequency and orbit resources for new technologies,
and to strengthen the technical framework for the
operation of services.”
ATU Secretary-General Akossi Akossi described
the first preparatory meeting for WRC-12 as “geared
towards achieving a common position for the African
continent”.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said
that WRC-12 will be an important event for the future
of information and communication technologies
(ICT), and a landmark in achieving ITU’s connectivity
targets. “WRC-12 will be held only three years ahead
of 2015 — the target date set by the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) to connect all villages,
towns and cities, and universities and schools
of the world and to achieve the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals,” emphasized the
Secretary-General. “If there is a chance to meet these
goals, we must rely on ICT to accelerate the process
and bridge the digital divide,” he concluded, and radiocommunications
will be central in this effort.
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