2015 World Radio Communication Conference

Opens In Geneva
By Innocent Mungy,Geneva, 3 November 2015
The 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference, the international treatymaking Conference, opened in Geneva yesterday. The treaty-making
Conference is expected to allocate spectrum for rapidly evolving ICTs
The conference which started yesterday 2nd November to 27 November, will
review the international regulatory framework for radiocommunications the
Radio Regulations and revise them as needed. This process will take into
account the rapid evolution of information and communication technologies
(ICT), ensuring the global management of the radio-frequency spectrum and
satellite orbits, and enabling people to live and travel safely while enjoying
high performance radiocommunications.
During the opening Ceremony, Mr Festus Yusufu Narai Daudu of Nigeria was
appointed Chairman of the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference
along with six Vice Chairmen: Mr A. Jamieson (New Zealand), Mr Y. Al-Bulushi
(Oman), Mr D. Obam (Kenya), Ms D. Tomimura (Brazil), Mr A. Khn
(Germany), and Mr N. Nikiforov (Russian Federation).
3800 delegates, representing more than 160 out of ITUs 193 Member States
are attending the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15).
About 100 observers from among ITUs 700 private sector members along
with international organizations also attending the conference.
ITU Secretary General during the opening ceremony said the 2015 World
Radio Conference will set new and better ways to regulate radio services and
applications.
The 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference will define new and better
ways to regulate radio services and applications, said ITU Secretary-General
Houlin Zhao. In a world where radiocommunications play an increasingly
important role in connecting people, I am convinced that the outcome of the
conference will contribute towards making the world a better place for all.
He added.
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 Franois Rancy, Director of ITUs Radiocommunication Bureau in
his speech during the beginning of the conference.
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. Said Mr. Rancy.
Tanzania, an ITU member is participating in 2015 World Radio conference
with participants from Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology,
Ministry of Infrastructure (Zanzibar Government), TTCL, Tanzania Maritime
Agency, TCRA and other stakeholders.
World radiocommunication conferences (WRC) are held every three to four
years. It is the job of WRC to review, and, if necessary, revise the Radio
Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radiofrequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationarysatellite orbits. Revisions are made on the basis of an agenda determined by
the ITU Council, which takes into account recommendations made by
previous world radiocommunication conferences.
The general scope of the agenda of world radiocommunication conferences
is established four to six years in advance, with the final agenda set by the
ITU Council two years before the conference, with the concurrence of a
majority of Member States.
Background Information To Media Houses:
WRC-15 will address a number of key issues, in particular:
Mobile broadband communications: Provision of additional frequencies
to meet the rapidly growing demand for mobile broadband
communications.
Emergency communications and disaster relief: Allocation
frequencies for advanced public protection and disaster relief.

of

Monitoring the environment and climate change: New allocations for

earth-exploration satellite services with higher resolution radar
imagery for improved global environmental monitoring.
Unmanned aircraft and wireless avionics systems: Spectrum for the
aeronautical sector, related to the use of unmanned aircraft systems,
and wireless avionics intra-communications to allow for the heavy and
expensive wiring used in aircraft to be replaced by wireless systems.
Global flight tracking for civil aviation: WRC-15 will consider allocating
spectrum for global flight tracking for improved safety.
Enhanced
maritime
communications
systems:
Maritime
communications, facilitating the use of on-board digital transmissions
and automatic identification system on vessels for improved navigation

safety.
Road Safety: Allocation of frequencies for short range, high-resolution
radars for collision avoidance systems in vehicles for increased road
safety.
Operation of satellite systems: Allocation of spectrum for broadband
satellite systems; providing for earth stations on-board moving
platforms, such as ships and aircraft; and improving coordination
procedures to make more efficient use of spectrum and satellite orbits.
Universal Time: examining the feasibility of achieving a continuous
reference time-scale, by modifying Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).