1 Regional Radiocommunication Conference 2006 (RRC-06) Expectations, opportunities and options

2 Presented by Kavouss Arasteh Senior Adviser to the Ministry of ICT,I.R of Iran Chairman, Intersessional Planning Group (IPG) Chairman, WRC-07 Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM ) Vice Chairman, Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG)

3 What is expected from RRC-06

4 To establish a new regional agreement, for terrestrial digital broadcasting in the frequency bands MHz and MHz, for Region 1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran The Agreement must protect:

5 The existing and planned broadcasting assignments ; The existing and planned broadcasting assignments ; The existing and planned assignments to other primary services in the bands MHz and MHz. The existing and planned assignments to other primary services in the bands MHz and MHz.

6 The Agreement must also determine:

7 Mechanisms, including time period, for the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting; Mechanisms, including time period, for the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting;

8 The new Digital terrestrial Plan(s) will consist of digital (television and sound) allotment(s) and/ or assignment(s), based on the requirements submitted by administrations to the intersessional planning Group. These requirements to be submitted thru the BR to the Intersessional Planning Group as assignments or allotments in MFN or SFN, based on different reception mode (fixed, portable, indoor and outdoor and mobile).

9 The Agreement must also determine:

10 The established Plan(s) must be easily implementable during the transition period.

11 The agreement should be self-contained /self-sufficient without, to the extent practicable, any cross reference to any provisions of the Radio Regulations as the latter are under continued updating by conferences in which the broadcasters may not be present or their interest may be compromised by other services Any regulatory provision of the agreement must be easily implementable in practice through appropriate means without a need to any Rules of Procedure.

12 The Plan(s) must be sufficiently forward looking, flexible and long lasting with immediate implantation possibilities, under certain conditions.

13 The agreement must contain relatively simple and solid modification (additions, deletions and changes) in order to enable contracting Member administrations to satisfy their future requirements/needs.

14 The above-mentioned Modification Procedure must take account of the advantages and drawbacks of the previous ITU Plans. In order to, on the one hand safeguard the rights of each and every contracting Member administration, in particular those of the developing countries and, on the other hand, to reduce the burdens to the BR and administrations.

15 The agreement must contain necessary procedures under which coordinated allotments would be converted into assignments without a need to apply additional procedure.

16 In case that the need of having a conversion procedure is justified, it should be integrated in the notification Article and avoid to include an specific procedure/Article in the agreement for conversion from allotment into assignment.

17 The agreement must provide an stable status for the allotments and assignment not coordinated at the Conference and contained in an Attachment / Annex to the Plan(s) during a pre- determined period (2-3 years) so as any modification to the Plan(s) duly take into account (Protect) the allotments and/or assignments included in that Attachment/Annex.

18 The above-mentioned relations implies that relevant parts of the ST 61and GE 89 which are not covered by the new Plan(s) need to be revised.

19 The established Plan(s) must meet the short, medium and long terms requirements of administrations, taking into account the advancement of the digital technology in the field of broadcasting as well as the market and users driven requirements.

20 The Second Session of the Conference RRC-06 needs to be conducted as smooth as possible and as efficient as practicable.

21 How to achieve the above- mentioned objectives ?

22 1. Through an efficient and objective Intersessional activities; 2. Through a very well prepared Second Session of the Conference; 3. Through duly effected bilateral and multilateral coordinations among all administrations in the planning area;

23 4. Through well prepared and efficiently conducted regional and inter-regional seminars, information meetings as well as timely organised coordination meetings; 5. Through mutual understanding and spirit of collaboration among administrations based on equal happiness or equal unhappiness so as there should no gaining or losing administration;

24 6. Through the establishment a realistic, workable, pragmatic, objective, mutually agreed transition period. This period will have to include a ceiling deadline beyond which the established digital Plan(s) operate without suffering from any interference from any broadcasting analogue emissions and without protecting any of the latter emissions.

25 The concept of non-interference and non protection referred to above, must be accompanied by necessary ways and means in order to provide necessary evidence and prove that the above-mentioned concept is fully observed in reality and practice.

26 The afore-mentioned concept should not be extended to the case of two digital allotments assignments i.e. a new or modified digital allotment or assignment shall not brought into use if it does not fully protect the established,as evolved Plan(s), using the procedures and criteria contained in the agreement.

27 The concept of non interference and non protection should not be extended to the assignments to other primary services which are not covered by section of the report of the RRC-04 which are not referred to in the remark columns of the Plan(s).

28 Any interference caused to the existing and planned assignments of other primary services should not prevent the recording of the digital allotments or assignments, if the later have been coordinated with other digital allotments and assignments contained in the Plan(s). However, such incompatibilities would be addressed through an appropriate procedure. Such procedure yet to be established by the RPG and submitted to the second session.

29 7. Through an efficient, open and transparent process of the Intersessional activities referred to in Resolution COM5/1 of the RRC-04: This activities comprises of the works which being carried out by the Intersessional Planning Group (IPG) and those which are being carried out by the Planning Exercise Team(PXT).

30 8. Due account should be taken of bilateral and multilateral (pre coordination) agreement obtained or yet to be obtained before and during the second session.

31 POSSIBLE OPTIONS

32 1.Prepare a draft Digital Plan(s) in which the existing and planned analogue as well as existing and planned assignments to other primary services are not taken into account during the design /process of the Plan(s) but protect them, as appropriate by corresponding procedures referred to in the Report of RRC-04 once the Plan(s) is/are designed/established.

33 2.Prepare a draft Digital Plan(s) with following two sub- set of option mentioned in1) above.

34 2.1During the design /process of the draft Plan(s) no account will be taken for the existing and planned analogue assignments but to protect them by an appropriate procedure after the Digital Plan is established. In this option existing and planned assignments to other primary services will be taken into account during the design of the Plan(s) pursuant to paragraph of the RRC-04 Report.

35 2.2During the design /processing of the draft Plan(s) no account will be taken for the existing and planned assignments to other primary service but to protect them by an appropriate procedure after the Digital Plan(s) is/are established. In this option existing and planned analogue will be taken into account during the design/process of Plan(s), pursuant to paragraph of the RRC-04 Report.

36 3.Determine a well established procedure for the early implementation of the Plan(s) during the transition period so as each and every administration could be in a position to implement during the transition period its new digital allotment/ assignments under certain conditions contained in the procedure.

37 4.Determine a realistic, workable, pragmatic, objective, mutually agreed transition period. This period will have to include a ceiling /deadline beyond which the established digital Plan(s) operate without suffering interference from any analogue broadcasting emissions and without protecting any of the latter emissions.

38 Two options could be further developed and elaborated in this regard:

39 A.A single transition period ceiling /deadline either 2015/2020 or 2020/2025 for the entire planning area, or;

40 B.Two different transition period ceiling /deadlines one for one group of countries mainly Europe (2015/2020) and another for the rest of the planning area (2020/2025). A procedure to be established to govern the situation in the overlapping area for the second option.

41 5. Produce a Draft Plan(s) based on different protection margin than that determined by the RRC-04 Report.

42 6.Produce a Draft Plan(s) initially based on one reception mode( fixed reception ) and after that endeavour to include other reception modes, starting with portable or mobile reception by accommodating the latter type either in an equitable manner (one per administration, or as requested by concerned administrations and then continue to accommodate the remaining second and third, … requirements per administration, as requested. After that continue with mobile reception or vice versa.

43 7. Produce a Draft Plan(s) based on different percentage of time in certain geographical area with extreme propagation condition, i.e. decoupling certain part of the planning area from other parts of the palling area.

44 8.Produce a Draft Plan(s) using different percentage of location than those specified in the RRC-04 Report for one mode of reception or all modes of reception.

45 9. Produce a Draft Plan(s) which contain all compatible digital allotments and/or assignments and include the entire or part of the remaining (incompatible) allotments/assignments in an Attachment /Annex to the Plan(s); with a time limit for coordination. After the expiry of the time limit delete them totally.

Produce a Draft Plan(s) which contain all compatible digital allotments and/or assignments and include the entire or part of the remaining (incompatible) allotments/ assignments in the Plan(s) with reduced protection margin or different location percentage. Take into account the degree of protection afforded in the subsequent modification procedure.

47 All the above-mentioned options need to be duly discussed, elaborated and provisionally agreed by IPG-1 and IPG-2 subject to decision of RRC-06. However, the PXT needs to be instructed by IPG-1 and IPG-2 to prepare necessary ways and means, including the corresponding software to implement them so as they will be available to administrations and to the second session as alternative solution for discussion and appropriate decisions by the second session.

48 The above- mention options must be available to administrations and to the second session in order that the Conference is provided with all possible solutions with basic the objective to produce an outcome/Plan(s) acceptable to all parties.

49 Thank you very much for your attention … See you at: IPG-1 : July 2005 IPG-2 : February 2006 RRC-06 : 15 May to 16 June 2006