WRC 2019 Agenda Item Details

Agenda Item: Agenda Item 1.14
Resolution(s): Resolution 160 [COM6/21] (WRC-15)
Description of work:

This agenda item relates to consideration, on the basis of ITU-R studies in accordance with Resolution 160 [COM6/21] (WRC-15), of appropriate regulatory actions for high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), within existing fixed-service allocations.

The ITU-R is invited to study:

  1. the additional spectrum needs for gateway and fixed terminal links for HAPS taking into account the existing identifications and deployments of HAPS, deployment scenarios for HAPS, technical and operational characteristics of HAPS,
  2. the suitability of using existing identifications,
  3. appropriate modifications to existing regulations in order to facilitate HAPS use in currently identified frequency bands,
  4. frequency bands 38 - 39.5 GHz globally and in Region 2 21.4 - 22 GHz and 24.25 - 27.5 GHz, already allocated to the FS on a primary basis not subject to Appendices 30, 30A and 30B, to meet any spectrum needs not met by 1. and 2.

These studies shall include sharing and compatibility studies to ensure protection of existing services in the bands identified and if necessary adjacent bands.
Comments: There are a number of existing HAPS bands available that have not been utilised for operational systems. Proponents of HAPS, which include tech companies such as Facebook and Google, suggest that this is due to their being unsuitable, in particular given the high rain loss at the frequencies involved for the equatorial regions which could be the primary market. Therefore there was proposals to look at other bands which might be more suitable to see if there could be compatibility with existing services. Bands used for the FSS, such as 27.5 - 29.5 GHz, had been studied previously and it is generally considered that sharing with operation in the same direction (both uplink or both downlink) is extremely challenging and so these bands were excluded at WRC-15.
Lead Working Party(s): WP 5C
Involved Working Parties: WP 4A, WP 4C, WP 5A, WP 5D, WP 7B, WP 7C
How Visualyse products can help: Visualyse Professional can model the wide range of scenarios that covered by this AI. It is able to model HAPS systems including fixed beams, steerable beams, fixed aircraft location or variable (e.g. station-keeping loops). Users could be fixed or analysed across a region with antenna defined by one of those in the extensive library. It is also able to model a wide range of other systems including fixed (point to point, point to multi-point and multi-point to multi-point), satellite services including FSS, EESS and SRS, and other services such as short range radar, etc. Terrestrial propagation models that could be used include P.452 and P.2001, which takes account of terrain and/or clutter databases, or generic models such as dual slope / triple slope models while air to ground / ground to air links can be modelled using Rec. ITU-R P.528. Analysis can be undertaken using a number of methodologies including static, dynamic, area or Monte Carlo or combinations of these and could be either co-frequency or non-co-frequency using mask integration.
How Transfinite consultants can help: We can undertake studies including analysis of sharing between the services covered by this agenda item, and identify suitable system characteristics and sharing criterias, and provide contributions and representation at the ITU-R WPs. Using our in house Visualyse Professional we can quickly model a very wide range of systems, services and scenarios.
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