Attendees at the first day of WRC-15. Photo: ITU

[Via Satellite 11-02-2015] The International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) kicked off today in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference, which the telecommunications industry has been preparing for, takes place from Nov. 2 to 27, and will review and revise the international regulatory framework for radio communications.

More than 3,000 participants, representing more than 160 of ITU’s 193 member states, are expected to attend WRC-15, as well as roughly 100 observers from ITU’s 700 private sector members and various international organizations. Among the issues most pertinent to the satellite industry is the possible reallocation of C-band for use by the IMT industry. Major topics to be addressed include mobile broadband communications, emergency communications and disaster relief, monitoring the environment and climate change, unmanned aircraft and wireless avionics systems, global flight tracking for civil aviation, enhanced maritime communications systems, road safety, operation of satellite systems, and modifying Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

“With the relentless expansion of wireless services worldwide, all services relying on radio waves are competing for a share of the radio-frequency spectrum to support new applications, growing user numbers and exploding traffic,” said François Rancy, director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau. “The deliberations at WRC-15 and its outcomes will ensure that we can maintain a stable, predictable and universally applied regulatory environment that secures long-term investments for a multi-trillion dollar industry.”