This article is part of the Spectrum Policy Trends 2024 report. Download the full report for a handy compilation of the top six spectrum policy trends for 2024.
The agenda for the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027 (WRC-27), held under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has already been agreed, having been finalised by the previous conference, WRC-23. This agreement has initiated a new cycle of technical spectrum studies and starts to give clarity on the likely roadmap for spectrum bands supporting future mobile technologies. WRC-27 will also look at a range of other issues, one of which will be connectivity between satellite and mobile handsets, known as Direct-to-Device (D2D).
Why it matters?
The identification of harmonised frequencies at the ITU has allowed mobile to evolve and develop, creating global marketplaces and huge economies of scale that enable widespread mobile use. The WRC cycle allows countries to identify their needs, participate in the international regulatory processes and plan their roadmaps to allow citizens and industry to get full value from new technologies.
Mobile operators and equipment manufacturers require predictable access to spectrum and providing this certainty helps encourage the long-term investments needed to meet growing demand and increase innovation.
What are the policy considerations?
The agenda for WRC-27 includes new studies for mobile in the bands 4400-4800 MHz; 7125-8400 MHz and 14.8-15.35 GHz. These bands may be identified for International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) by WRC-27 to provide future harmonised capacity for mobile. By the 2030s, a new era of connectivity will carry its own spectrum requirements, and these bands will represent a potential resource for the next stage in mobile evolution.
Figure 1: WRC-27 IMT bands under consideration
In addition to possible new IMT bands, the WRC-27 agenda will consider studies on other radio services, including direct connectivity between satellites and mobile devices to complement terrestrial network coverage. Direct-to-Device (D2D) technologies allow satellites to have direct connectivity to standard mobile phones. This concept has been considered a possible technical solution to closing the coverage gap for many years, but the handset scale has always been a barrier.
However, following equipment developments and 3GPP standardisation, it is now technically possible for consumers to have satellite connectivity using their standard smartphone, without purchasing a dish or large receiving equipment.
This new topic in the agenda will have to study various aspects regarding its feasibility, including sharing and compatibility with other services and technical and operational measures to avoid interference. But it also faces challenges regarding cross-border spectrum management, roaming and national licensing. D2D is a new and highly complex issue, and the ITU work on spectrum is only a small part of the new regulatory and technical activity which will be required.
On top of D2D in mobile bands, WRC-27 will also study new mobile satellite bands, which may provide a similar service in either bespoke or tailored mobile handsets.
Figure 2: WRC-27 Mobile-satellite service (MSS) bands under consideration
What to expect in the year ahead
The start of the new WRC cycle will see a year of organisation and understanding of the new topics. Studies that need to be carried out include coexistence, spectrum use, and needs. For mobile evolution, this will involve understanding new mobile use cases and their spectrum requirements.
We will also see more focus on D2D connectivity. A growing number of partnerships between terrestrial and satellite networks are being announced globally. While such partnerships can support the coverage gap and be a driver for digital inclusion, regulatory issues surrounding regulatory parity, spectrum acquisition, licensing conditions, and quality of service will have to be discussed to understand how harmonised regulatory frameworks can benefit all. There will also be a reality check on this new technology, and consideration of how it will impact global connectivity. The global population in the coverage gap is also likely to be in the mobile usage gap – people who live within coverage but do not use it. The 5% of the global population that lives outside coverage could, in theory, be connected by D2D, but rural communities are much more impacted by the usage gap, and the actual impact of D2D in connecting the unconnected is likely to be small.
The spectrum conversation will guide global policy, ensuring a balanced approach to connectivity governance that serves the broader goal of digital inclusion.
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