By: Bob Brewin
From:
computerworld
Global coordination of frequency bands for wireless LANs, spectrum for the European Union-backed Galileo satellite navigation system, and global frequency allocations for a broadband Internet service for airline passengers top the agenda at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03), which began yesterday in Geneva.
The month-long event, which UN agency the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) holds every several years, allocates and manages the radio spectrum on a global basis for a variety of wireless uses, products and technology. It involves representation from more than 180 nations and runs through July 4.
The ITU said in a background paper that the nations participating in WRC-03 will work to ensure "fair and efficient use" of global spectrum resources needed for emerging technologies such as WLANs while protecting older services that use the same frequency bands.
The ITU said proposals for new frequency allocations for WLANs are expected to generate considerable discussion at the conference as delegates work to accommodate "new allocations into an already tightly packed frequency table" in the 5150-to-5725-MHz band, which is also used by radar, aircraft navigation systems and earth-sensing satellites.
In the view of the 172-member U.S. delegation to WRC-03, led by Ambassador Janice Obuchowski, the WRC-03 agenda "touches on nearly every spectrum-dependent service and application that will drive the technological developments of the 21st century," according to a statement released by spokesman John Alden.
New spectrum for WLANs systems -- an industry that's expected to generate $5.2 billion in hardware sales by 2005, according to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission -- tops the WRC-03 agenda for the U.S. delegation (download PDF). But global coordination of the WLAN spectrum is as important as allocating new frequencies, said Michael Green, manager of global product compliance at WLAN chip manufacturer Atheros Communications Inc.
Currently, WLANs in the U.S. that operate under the 802.11a protocol use frequencies in the 5150-to-5350- and 5725-to-5825-MHz bands. But not all countries use those bands, Green said. The EU and the U.S. have different rules for the 5250-to-5350-MHz slice, with the EU restricting it to indoor use and the U.S. allowing both indoor and outdoor use.
The EU already allows WLANs in the 5470-to-5725-MHz band, whereas the FCC just last week kicked off an administrative procedure aimed at permitting WLANs in those bands, Green said (download PDF). The FCC said it plans to add WLAN service in those bands "consistent with U.S. proposals to WRC-03."
Dennis Eaton, chairman of the Mountain View, Calif.-based Wi-Fi Alliance, said WRC-03 approval of a global standard for WLAN spectrum use would reduce confusion for wireless users who cross borders because there would be standard frequencies in the 5-GHz band in every country. That could lead to lower manufacturing costs, lower-priced products and global economies of scale.
Allocation of frequencies for the EU-backed Galileo satellite navigation system in the 1164-to-1214-, the 1260-to-1300- and the 1560-to-1595-MHz bands, as well as rules for power output from new Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites the U.S. plans to launch, could emerge as another contentious issue, according to the ITU (see story). In its background paper, the ITU said that although the Galileo system got a green light at the WRC event three years ago, "a number of follow-up items remain that could again turn up the heat."
This includes a new generation of higher-powered GPS satellites that the U.S. plans to launch to defeat enemy jamming. Alden said the U.S. believes that it has successfully resolved these issues, but the International Civil Organization, another UN agency, said in its WRC-03 position paper (download PDF) that it wants power limits on all satellite navigation systems to protect existing terrestrial navigation systems using the same bands.
Another key item for the U.S. delegation is gaining a frequency allocation in the 14-to-14.5-GHz band for the Connexion by Boeing satellite-based broadband Internet service for airline passengers (download PDF). Terrance Scott, a spokesman for The Boeing Co., said the satellite broadband service, which Lufthansa AG launched last month (see story), now operates under an experimental license.
If WRC-03 approves the allocation, Chicago-based Boeing and its customers would have a global frequency for the service, he said. Boeing expects the frequency allocation to be approved, Scott said.
Source: Computerworld
The Wi-Fi Technology Forum collects, receives and gathers news globally. Although we do check and confirm sources for reliability, we have no control over contents particularly from outside sources. Our Wi-Fi news service will remain partial and independent for as long as it takes, and that can only be achieved without seeking payments, fees or incentives.
To contact us for news and press releases, use the The Wi-Fi Technology Forum Contact Form: http://www.wi-fitechnology.com/contact.shtml , you can also safely include the press release as the "Enquiry Details" if in a hurry (indicating the timing for release), or our Press and news contact.
Members can post their releases for review directly here http://www.wi-fitechnology.com/wi-fi_forum_submit_news.shtml
All company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.
| Forums:
