A look back at Frequencies Workshop #10: curtain-raiser on the issues at stake at WRC-27

CMR 28 January 2025

The 10th edition of the ANFR's Frequency Workshops was held on Wednesday 18 December, bringing together more than seventy participants on the theme of "Preparing for WRC-27: issues and French positions in unison".

Three years before the deadline, this workshop provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs). In 2023, it brought together more than 4,000 people for a revision of the Radio Regulations paving the way for numerous innovations in mobile communications, space services, maritime and aeronautical transport and scientific uses of the spectrum.

The ANFR presented the process and the timetable for preparing the WRC-27 within the national, European and international (ITU-R) frameworks, as well as a description of the WRC-27 agenda, which will focus mainly on space issues.

For this edition of the Frequencies Workshop, the Agency invited stakeholders to present their vision of the challenges of WRC-27 for their sector: satellite manufacturers (Thalès Alenia Space and Airbus Défence&Space), satellite operators (Eutelsat and Kinéis), a terrestrial operator (Orange), the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, and all those involved in scientific issues (CNES, MétéoFrance and the French Ministry of Research).

The speakers highlighted the items they felt were essential in this agenda, and the opportunities and risks they saw in it. The discussions sometimes went into detail about the initial French positions coordinated by the Agency, highlighting delicate or conflicting issues and showing that the stakes are already well established. This was the case, for example, for items:

  • 1.2, on constraints for earth stations in the 13.75-14 GHz band shared with defence radars;
  • 1.7, to study the identification of the 4.4-4.8 GHz, 7/8 GHz and 14.8-15.35 GHz bands for IMT, which is of great concern to the current users of those bands (defence and scientists);
  • 1.12, to study new allocations for satellite IoT in 4 bands between 1 and 2.1 GHz;
  • 1.13, on direct satellite connectivity in mobile operator bands,
  • 1.16, on the protection of radio astronomy;
  • 1.19, to study new allocations for Earth-exploration satellite-service for the measurement of the surface of the oceans.

To conclude, it was pointed out that preparations for WRC-27 would continue in greater detail within the framework of the Agency's committees, but that it was planned to organise a second workshop on WRC-27 at the end of 2026 to compare the positions coordinated by the Agency at the final stage of preparations for WRC-27 in order to hear the views of stakeholders, even those not taking part in the committees, before the final validation of the French positions for WRC-27.