Spectrum Management: Paper Satellites

Since the beginning of the age of satellite communications, with the
Extraordinary World Administrative Conference in 1959 when the ITU first
allocated frequencies for space telecom services, there has been a continuing
quest for more and more spectrum. Today, the backlog of satellites awaiting
coordination stands at 1,200, with ITU receiving 400—500 requests for new
systems every year. According to ITU, the worldwide demand for satellite-based
services has grown steadily over the past 15 years. This has been a boon for
service providers and consumers alike, but it has resulted in a densely packed
orbital space neighborhood and a scramble for desirable orbital slots. One of
the causes for increased demand is that high-tech satellites are being used not
only to support  national and international telephone operators, but also
to broadcast radio and television networks.

The body believes that the new services, such as third generation mobile
telephony and broadband access systems are also increasing the global demand for
satellite orbits and frequencies. Likewise, developing countries are also
turning to satellite-based communication to cost-effectively overcome the
challenges of digital divide.

In
order to meet the rising demand for orbit space, ITU has taken almost each and
every possible step to provide more spectrum, including expansion of allocated
bands, allocation of new and higher frequencies, frequency re-use, closer
spacing of satellites in geo-synchronous orbit, etc. Nevertheless, these
techniques have failed to satisfy the increasing demand for more and more space
services of a broadband nature.

The shortage of available frequencies and orbital slots has given rise to
filings with the ITU of the so-called ‘paper satellites’. These are filings
which appear to lay claim to a particular band of spectrum and orbital slots by
parties who are anticipating filings from others for the same bands and slots,
in the hope that they can obtain compensation for their early filings. This has
led to an over-filing of demand for satellite spectrum.

This problem of over-filing also makes the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau’s
coordination work difficult, as ‘paper satellites’ block access to spectrum
and orbital resources.

In an attempt to solve the problem, two proposals were tabled at World Radio
Conference 97. First, an administrative due diligence procedure, and second, a
financial due diligence procedure. After a prolonged debate, it was decided that
a financial deposit that is sufficiently important to be a deterrent to
frivolous filings but not so high as to be a deterrent to the development of ‘real’
networks is a must. A deposit of about 1 percent of the cost of building and
launching a satellite into service was considered to be an adequate balance.
This proposal, however, sparked another debate that whether ITU was entitled to
impose any financial fee on a natural resource. The proponents of financial
diligence procedure have stressed that one of the consequences of the current
situation, for administrations and satellite operators, is the very large number
of satellite networks that are identified as potentially affected when new
notices for real systems are submitted. This, they argue, would force the
network operators to either attempt to coordinate with the many ‘paper
satellite networks’ with substantial costs, or make risky assessments as to
which networks are likely to be ‘real’ and those that are likely to remain
‘paper’.

Four years ago, at the Plenipotentiary Conference, a top policy-making body
of the ITU, a sliding scale fee was implemented. While the fee and the other
efficiencies implemented by ITU have gone some way to discourage casual filing,
over-filing of ‘paper satellites’ still remains an issue.

In recognition of the urgent need to clear a backlog that continues to
seriously hamper operator’s business plans and users’ access to new
services, ITU Council 2001 established the Satellite Backlog Action Group. The
recommendations of this group will form the basis of much of the discussion at
Marrakesh, and include proposals for revising the processing fee schedule.

With the Union under increasing pressure, many delegates at Marrakesh are
expected to support a substantial increase to the current fee, which remains
extremely low in relation to total system costs. This would not only act as a
strong and an effective disincentive to future spurious filings, but would help
boost available resources for additional trained personnel, new and improved
software systems and better administrative support.

The challenge for ITU is that as no two radio systems including satellite
responders, can operate on exactly the same frequency and in the same orbital
position without causing harmful interference to one another, global
coordination of radio frequency applications is essential.

Nishu Rastogi