23 August 2019
Previously I focused on Africa’s satellite ascendancy. This time I want to look at a potential threat not just to this ascendancy, nor one affecting a single continent, but one casting a shadow over the future of satellite communications worldwide.
It is a recurring threat, a regular feature on the telecommunications agenda, but attaining particular prominence with each quadrennial ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), as the mobile wireless sector ramps-up its cycle of repeated effort to displace satellite from its spectrum in various frequency bands.
Now, as we approach WRC-19, these efforts are revealed again with even greater vigour than was evident in 2015. Yet this just at a time when the providers of the latest generation of mobile networks have clearly acknowledged the imperatives of these networks as having a greater degree of – critical – dependence on satellite compared to any of the earlier generations of cellular systems. To put it at its most succinct – satellite is integral to the 5G architecture Network of Networks.
For example, at WRC-19 the mobile industry plans to introduce a future agenda item to identify additional portions of C-band for “International Mobile Telecommunications” (IMT), namely 3600-3800 MHz. Given that the IMT identification made at WRC-15 in 3400-3600 MHz remains largely unused in Africa, there is no practical justification for additional spectrum for IMT in C-band. Such additional identification will not serve the needs of Africa and will only cause disruption to the critical satellite services being provided in C-band.
GVF has various sister associations around the world, each with their respective geographic or market segment focus. In combination, these organizations work together as the Global Satellite Coalition (GSC) (https://gscoalition.org/). GVF is represented in the GSC via its own Regulatory Working Group. Among GSC’s priorities is to advocate for the role of satellite in achieving complete connectivity, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Broadband Commission’s connectivity objectives, to realizing the Network of Networks required for 5G and ensuring satellite services are an essential element of national broadband strategies and universal service programmes.
In the GSC, the position of African nations regarding the preservation of spectrum for satellite use is recognized as extremely important. A dedicated GSC Africa Group meets regularly and the agenda of the next meeting will address updates from GSC representatives attending Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Communications Organization (EACO) meetings, as well as preparations for the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) meeting over 17–21 June.
GSC’s strategic mission is paralleled, and facilitated, by evolving in-orbit infrastructure taking us beyond, only, geosynchronous (GSO) systems, and on through growth of HTS and Medium Earth Oribt (MEO) systems, and now to the current emergence of the mega-LEO (non-GSO, or NGSO) constellations. Investment by the industry in these constellations is improving the quality and reach of satellite services, as well as enabling development of satellite-based solutions to a wide range of new emerging markets. The industry’s goals require that the necessary spectrum is satellite’s to use (whether in GSO or NGSO); that it is not re-allocated (as in the case of current commercial satellite use of C-, Ku- and Ka- bands) or assigned (as in the case of future commercial use of Q- and V- bands), as an outcome of WRC-19 or WRCs beyond that.
There are still some older, underlying, problems to resolve in the region. For some, access to satellite services has been made unnecessarily difficult by restrictive regulation, particularly regarding earth station licensing. Despite the existence of many transparent regulatory and licensing regimes, satellite solutions providers still encounter jurisdictions where licensing practice is an impediment because of complexity, application processing times, and prohibitive costs (individual earth station fees, ‘landing rights’ fees, operator fees) added to which are often-imposed requirements for an in-country commercial presence which brings additional overheads. The satellite industry, through its only globally focused representative association – GVF – has engaged in long-established advocacy for earth station network ‘Blanket Licensing’, replacing individual earth station or terminal licensing.
This advocacy, for all fixed satellite service (FSS) systems, is set out in the GVF’s International VSAT Policy Declaration: Regulatory Recommendations & Guidelines. It establishes the case for transparent and ease of access to licensing procedures, for speedy execution of licensing applications, and for licensing fees to be set at a level to cover administration costs only. When licensing fees are set too high this only adds to a continuation of a deeply rooted misconception that satellite services are expensive. Reducing bandwidth prices and earth station terminal equipment costs have been a feature of the satellite solutions market for many years, and yet there is a still often-held belief that satellite services are expensive, a misconception fuelled by excessive fee levels.
In closing, I would like to reference a forthcoming event for which I will be part of the moderating team, Cellular Backhaul 2019, embedded in the largest 5G-focused event in the world – the 5G World Summit. It is premised on the recognition that satellite will be integral to the operation of 5G networks and to the entire ecosystem of the Internet of Things/Internet of Everything Everywhere. The IoT/IoEE will be everywhere; with NGSOs, satellite really will be ubiquitous. Today satellite networks complement the offering of terrestrial networks, providing connectivity to areas not reachable by terrestrial means, enhancing the universal service obligation of African countries. Whilst this would seem such a perfect pairing there will be problems to resolve, particularly in ensuring that satellite-IoT regulation will not stifle a huge growth market, one of particular importance for the remote geographies of many regions of the world, including Africa.
By Martin Jarrold, chief of international programme development, GVF