Presented by Raj Sivalingam, Executive Director, techUK

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Space/Satellite Spectrum Updates – 14th April 2015
Raj Sivalingam, Executive Director, techUK

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Spectrum Policy Forum: UK Spectrum Usage & Demand
Insight: UK Spectrum Usage & Demand in Space and Satellites
Download report here.

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Recognised Spectrum Access (RSA) for Receive Only Earth
Stations
This document outlines Ofcom’s decision to extend Recognised
Spectrum Access (RSA) to two new frequency bands in order to
promote the more efficient use of spectrum. RSA is a means for Ofcom,
in its national spectrum planning, to take into account the use of
frequencies for the reception of services that do not need to be
licensed.
We are extending RSA to ‘receive-only earth stations’ operating in the
7850 - 7900 MHz band and the 25.5 - 26.5 GHz band. These receive-only
earth stations are ground based terminals used to receive signals from
meteorological satellites, earth exploration satellites and space missions.
As their name suggests, they receive but do not transmit.
We also include a consultation on the proposed draft regulations to give
effect to our policy decisions. The consultation closes on 5 May 2015.

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Hot topics for WRC-15 discussion
The main discussions that affect the satellite industry
are:
• ‘L’ band - 1492 – 1518MHz
• Global allocation for ‘C’ band spectrum
(3.4GHz – 4.2GHz)
• 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz has already been allocated by some
countries
• At WRC-07, a lot of countries allocated 3.4-3.6GHz to IMT
• ‘C’ band (5925 – 6425MHz)
• Ku band?
• Ka band?

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WRC-15 Agenda item 1.1 (1492 – 1518 MHz)

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WRC-15 Agenda item 1.1 (3.4 – 4.2 GHz)

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WRC-15 Agenda item 1.1 (5925 – 6425 MHz)

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Current Other Spectrum related Consultations
• Notice of proposals to make the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence
Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (Closing Date: 11 May) –
Link
• Inclusion of the 1452 – 1492 MHz, 2350-2390 MHz and 3410-3600 MHz
bands in the Mobile Trading Regulations - Further consultation and
notice of proposal to make regulations (Closing Date: 8 May) – Link
• Manually configurable white space devices (Closing Date: 24 April) –
Link
• Annual licence fees for 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum: Provisional
decision and further consultation (Closing Date: 17 April) - Link

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Swiss scientist wants spectrum to help clear space
debris
A new “space-space radar” service should be written into the Radio Regulations so that spectrum can be
allocated at WRC-15 and then made available for a satellite that will clear space debris, according to
Dominique Bovey of the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland.
The project's eventual goal is to de-orbit SwissCube, a cubesat that was developed by Swiss university
students but has since failed to leave Low Earth Orbit. The cubesat has effectively become another piece of
space debris, the man-made space litter that is an existential threat to many satellites. A single cubesat
travelling through space is estimated to have the same potential impact on a colliding satellite as 6 kg of TNT
– or 24.5 megajoules.
In order to track down and de-orbit the satellite, Bovey thinks he will need two small satellites equipped with
both long range radar (LRR) and short range radar (SRR). He calculates that his LRR application will probably
have to be around 300 MHz or at least 100 MHz wide.
His tentative thoughts are that parts of the X-band (8–12 GHz) and the Ku-band (12–18 GHz) could be used
for LRR, and parts of the Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz) could be used for SRR. In particular, he suggested the 9.5–9.8
GHz band should be considered for the service as there is an allocation for space research already in this
band. There is even a footnote allowing applications to use the band immediately below it if more
bandwidth is required.
In the Ku-band, Bovey tentatively proposed the use of the 14–14.25 GHz band, and in the Ka-band he
suggested that the 22.55–23.55 GHz band – an “inter-satellite” band – should be considered.
Source: Policy Tracker (Subscription required)