ITU World Radiocommunication Seminar highlights future communication technologies

Focus on international regulations for spectrum management and satellite orbits

Geneva, 6 December 2010 - The ITU World Radiocommunication Seminar 2010 (WRS-10) opened in Geneva today to discuss international regulations on the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. Discussions during the week will focus as well on some key technological issues, such as future standards for mobile phones.

WRS-10 will also provide participants with essential technical and regulatory background information to assist them to prepare for the upcoming ITU World Radiocommunication Conference to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, 23 January-17 February 2012.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said, “The Seminar will hold important deliberations on international regulations that will shape the future of radiocommunications. WRS-10 marks a significant step on the road to holding the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference.”

Speaking at the opening of WRS-10, ITU Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao paid tribute to outgoing Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, Mr Valery Timofeev who has come to the end of two four-year terms in office. He also welcomed Mr François Rancy of France, who will assume office next January, following his election at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico in October. Mr Timofeev, presiding over his last event as Director, expressed his pleasure at the level of interest in WRS-10, particularly with the participation of several key spectrum management companies. “This is a demonstration of the vitality and strength of the industry that is so important to all of us,” Mr Timofeev said.

Five companies in the radiocommunication sector will showcase their products in an exhibition during the seminar: LS telcom AG, Rohde & Schwarz GmbH, THALES Communications, Transfinite, and Wavefront.

During the coming week, WRS-10 will also focus on progress made in ITU-R Study Groups and provide the latest information on topical issues related to radio standardization and spectrum management.

A highlight of these activities has been the recent decision of the ITU regarding the platform for the next generations of mobile broadband telecommunications, known as IMT-Advanced.

Following a detailed evaluation against stringent technical and operational criteria, ITU has determined that “LTE-Advanced” and “WirelessMAN-Advanced” should be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced. As the most advanced technologies currently defined for global wireless mobile broadband communications, IMT-Advanced is considered as “4G”, although it is recognized that this term, while undefined, may also be applied to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMax, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed. The detailed specifications of the IMT-Advanced technologies will be provided in a new ITU-R Recommendation expected in early 2012.

WRS-10 will also focus on developments in 3D TV, digital broadcasting, aeronautical and maritime services, and the coordination of satellite networks. Workshops will be conducted in parallel on space and terrestrial services.

At the opening of WRS-10 today, Mr Timofeev announced the launch of the Radiocommunication Collection in ITU’s History Portal, which has been developed by ITU’s Library and Archives Division. He said, “This important tool will give us an insight on the historical data related to the radiocommunication conferences and related fields.” The Radiocommunication Collection provides free access to many of the publications and documents that have been produced as the result of various ITU Radiocommunication Conferences including the most recent World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC), World Administrative Radio Conferences (WARC) and many of the early International Radiotelegraph Conferences.

For more information, please contact:

Sanjay Acharya

Chief, Media Relations and Public Information

+41 22 730 5046 +41 79 249 4861 sanjay.acharya@itu.int Grace Petrin

Promotion Officer,

Radiocommunication Bureau

+41 22 730 5810 grace.petrin@itu.int

About ITU...