The 2019 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-19) left the satellite industry filled with concerns over an uncertain future, as multiple competing industries and nations compete for a limited supply of spectrum.
WRC-19, held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, raised concerns such as the exposure of mid-band spectrum to new risks and the plan to protect existing assets. Delegates established an allocation of UHF spectrum to mobile, while protecting the high range of C-band spectrum for broadcasters.
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During SATELLITE 2020’s “Taking Stock of WRC-19: Risks & Opportunities for Satellite Operators” session, panelists offered insights on challenges and opportunities between now and WRC-23.
Hazem Moakkit, VP of Spectrum Strategy for Intelsat U.S., said: “What worries us is the intensity of deployment, how they want to deploy. We worry about Wi-Fi and we worry about IMT.”
Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, OneWeb’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, said buildout milestones were “particularly important to the new constellations. Several of us are in a neck and neck race to be the first to provide the first global NGSO in LEO.” She predicted WRC-23 milestones would “thin the herd of the weakest.” She added: “By 2023, one of these LEOs will be up and running and that will change the conversation dramatically. Connectivity is becoming a human right. Only space-based [communications technology] is going to fill every spot in the air.” VS
