ASIA-PACIFIC TELECOMMUNITYThe 3rd Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-15 (APG15-3)

DocumentAPG15-3/INP-21

09 – 13 June 2014, Brisbane, Australia 28 May 2014

Papua New Guinea, Republic of Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands & Tuvalu

THE CRITICALITY OF C-BAND FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

Background

The fixed satellite service (FSS) delivers a variety of critical communication services in C-band including international and domestic telecommunications and broadcasting to the Pacific Islands.

C-band frequencies are widely used in the Pacific Islands by Government and industry, for two way communications services and for video program relay for broadcasting and direct-to-home television broadcasting, amongst other services.

Pacific Island countries generally comprise many small isolated islands which in most cases are connected only by satellite. C-band frequencies are used for critical communication services by most Pacific Island countries because of technical propagation advantages include a greatly superior rain fade margin in a tropical climate, and availability of wide satellite coverage.

The use of C-Band is now under challenge from the terrestrial IMT community which sees C-Band as a candidate band for expansion of IMT services.

Whilst sharing studies in the ITU (Joint Task Group 4-5-6-7) to date between potential terrestrial IMT services and satellite services have shown some compatibility under conditions of separation distances between the services, it is nevertheless impossible or impractical to apply the exclusion zones proposed by the case studies for the sharing of IMT and C-Band FSS in small island nations.

Satellite-based services using C-band frequencies in the Pacific Islands are often regarded as “lifeline” services as they may be the only service available in a remote island environment. Disruption of these services would kill the Pacific Islands’ only form of critical communications, as C-band satellite beams cannot be satisfactorily replaced by Ku-band or Ka-band for cost, technical and logistic reasons. Moreover, economic development in the Pacific Islands would be seriously harmed without access to satellite-based C-band services.

The situation and environmental challenges faced by the Pacific Islands are not dis-similar to those in ASEAN countries, large parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and parts of South America.

Contact: PANNY YOKOPENICTA, Papua New Guinea

Email: pyokope@nicta.gov.pg

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This contribution focuses on the representative needs and challenges of Pacific Island nations and offers some examples from Papua New Guinea.

Discussion on Progress with Studies

Resolution 233(WRC-12) from the WRC 2012 Conference called for an evaluation of candidate bands for future IMT services and sharing studies associated with bands nominated. As a consequence, The 1stConference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-15 (CPM15-1) set up a Joint Task Group 4-5-6-7 (JTG 4-5-6-7) in ITU-R tasked with sharing studies – including C-Band.

Resolution 233 (WRC-12) also calls for the consideration of the needs of developing countries.

JTG 4-5-6-7 has considered eleven sharing scenarios between potential future terrestrial IMT services and the FSS in C-band.

The outcome of the C-Band scenarios is contained in two Draft New Reports ITU-R (C-BAND DOWNLINK)1 and ITU-R (C-BAND UPLINK)2 and in draft CPM text. These reports are due to be forwarded from JTG 4-5-6-7 at its final meeting in July 2014, to the parent Study Groups for adoption, whilst the draft CPM Report will go directly to the CPM. In essence, the Reports deal with different estimates of “exclusion zone” dimensions coming out of the eleven studies for the C-Band downlink, and the circumstances which allow for coordination of earth stations and in accordance with technology and network topology assumptions taken. Each estimate addresses short and long term availability criteria and the separation distances. The studies concluded on a range from several tens of kms to hundreds of kms.

The feasibility of sharing between potential future IMT terrestrial services and the FSS in the C-band downlink also critically depends on whether there is a ubiquity of satellite terminals (for example with TVRO3 and DTH4 terminals). In this case the studies conclude that sharing is not possible because there is no guarantee of earth station locations.

With regard to the C-Band uplink the studies concluded that sharing is feasible but under the conditions of IMT stations being limited to indoor use (defined as 95 % indoor, and 5 % outdoor) and with a maximum power of 10-15 dBm in the C-band uplink band of 5 925 – 6 425 MHz.

In addition, concerns were raised over the ways to implement regulatory means of applying this restriction, along with the long term challenge of aggregation effects from IMT stations.

The Value of C-band

C-band downlink frequencies and in particular the band 3.7-4.2 GHz (or standard C-band) is especially vital to communications for disaster mitigation and relief in the Pacific Islands, as well as economic existence and for social quality of life. C-band downlink frequencies are also used by the FSS to support other important services such as feeder links for the mobile satellite service (MSS).

1See JTG 4-5-6-7 Chairman’s Report from February 2014 Meeting: Doc 584, Annex 11, Attachment 32See JTG 4-5-6-7 Chairman’s Report from February 2014 Meeting: Doc 584, Annex 11, Attachment 4

3TVRO : Television Receive Only (terminal)4DTH : Direct to The Home (terminal)

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In a multiple-island situation, typical of a small island developing state in the Pacific Ocean region, submarine cable provides a more recent and valuable single landing point for communications with the outside world. However, satellite and other radio solutions are still needed to complement widespread access and increased digital capacity. Indeed, the arrival of submarine cable capacity has been accompanied by a 20% growth in demand for satellite services. Satellite C-band frequencies also provide a backbone role for future terrestrial mobile developments (such as with 4G in Kiribati).

If developed countries move away from permitting the use of satellite C-band or restricting their capabilities, the satellite beams would be rendered uneconomic for service to developing and other tropical countries– the “Swiss cheese effect”.

Ku-band and Ka-band satellite services should be considered for broadband future delivery for broadcasting and data respectively, as opposed to well-performing and reliable C-band communications which have an enduring need. The wrong decisions at WRC-15 would be crippling.

Categories of C-band Applications

There are four broad categories of applications in the C-band frequencies supported by satellite – two-way large dishes (eg. for trunk telephony) – these are usually licensed;– two-way Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs5) (eg. for banking terminals and

ATM networks) – these are also usually licensed;– receive-only commercial applications (eg. cable head-ends) – these may be

registered, depending on national requirements;– receive-only consumer applications (eg. DTH satellite TV broadcasting) – these are

generally unlicensed and unregistered, such as SKY Pacific which broadcasts in C-band to the Pacific Islands.

Annex 1 illustrates the national distribution in PNG of licensed satellite C-band sites which are coordinated. Superimposed on this are notional 20 km protection zones (demonstrating the case of several tens of kms). Annex 2 provides a view of major population centres on which a 150 km exclusion zone grid is superimposed (demonstrating the case of several hundreds of kms). Annex 3 provides information on 59 registered satellite TVRO C-band sites, which conform to the same geographic and demographic pattern.

The situation is further compounded by unregistered satellite sites. Taken together this demonstrates firstly the ubiquity of satellite terminals in the receive-only case and which rules against the possibility of sharing of future terrestrial IMT in standard C-band. Secondly, the locations of coordinated licensed earth stations and the geography and demography of Papua New Guinea shows sharing to be impractical in this case as well.

As well as the standard C-Band downlink, extended C-band covers 3.4 – 3.7 GHz. The sub-band 3.4 – 3.7 GHz is also often used by regular C-Band satellite receivers and FSS feeder links for the mobile satellite service (MSS). Furthermore, concerns exist over the adjacent band effects of possible aggregate IMT stations into standard C-Band.

WRC-07 addressed proposals for IMT in the band 3.4-4.2 GHz, and defined outcomes to the proposals for service sharing between terrestrial IMT and the FSS over the frequency range 3.4-

5VSAT : Very Small Aperture Terminal

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3.6 GHz. Footnotes were created to cover national considerations. No change was made for the band 3.6-4.2 GHz. As a consequence, those decisions should be respected by WRC 2015 and stability for planning should be confirmed by adopting a no change (NOC) approach to the frequency range 3.4-4.2 GHz.

Summary

The operation of proposed future IMT and FSS in standard C-band frequencies are mutually exclusive and “exclusion zones” are being proposed where coordinated earth stations are involved. In a practical sense, IMT would cause unacceptable interference in an Island geography to existing coordinated FSS receive stations and would preclude or severely constrain further deployment of FSS earth stations in C-band.

If C-band satellite is sacrificed to IMT by developed countries , then in the medium to long term, satellite C-band services would cease, and the Pacific Island countries which are heavily reliant on C-band FSS would lose their services completely.

As a consequence, it is proposed that extended C-band frequencies be removed from the list of candidate bands proposed for sharing by future terrestrial IMT services for the following reasons:– Impractical aggregation of “exclusion zones” and often a ubiquity of satellite

terminals;– C-band FSS provides many administrations with essential communications

infrastructure which cannot be effectively replaced by other telecommunications means;

– C-band frequencies are also already shared on a coordinated basis with other services, particularly the fixed service (FS) (e.g., point-to-point terrestrial links);

– Prohibition or curtailing of FSS services in some administrations would make multi-administration satellite beams uneconomic, to the detriment of developing and other tropical countries as well as to potential users in thinly populated areas of other countries (eg. in farming and mining communities);

– FSS receive-only stations are widely deployed and would suffer from interference, thus degrading social enjoyment of services and policy goals;

– Sharing scenarios and allocation strategies agreed at WRC-07 and WRC-12 should be respected and maintained in order to continue a stable basis for planning of satellite service provision.

Recommendation:

A No Change (NOC) is recommended for the C-band downlink (3.4-4.2 GHz). The appropriate considerations should be given to the matching uplink band taking into consideration the outcome of sharing studies from JTG 4-5-6-7.

Annexes: 3

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ANNEX 1

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ANNEX 2

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ANNEX 3

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