Malta hosted last 27-30 April the seventh meeting of project team A (PT-A) of the Conference Preparatory Group (CPG), chaired by Martin Fenton. About 50 participants attended, representing national regulatory authorities (NRAs), operators and regional organisations such as the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Meteorological Network (EUMETNET) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
In this phase of European preparation, several European common proposals (ECPs) for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) have been approved, concerning the allocation of 600 MHz of additional spectrum to satellite Earth exploration service in the 9200-9300 MHz and 9900-10400 MHz bands, of 7/8 GHz, and on enhanced protection of space operations service in the 410-420 MHz band. Likewise approved were the base documents called briefs, meant to support the ECPs.
This group is responsible for other items whose studies are ongoing or about which no compromise has been reached on the definitive position CEPT should take. They specifically concern topics associated to broadband public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) systems, on the need to review leap second methodology in order to make making Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) continual, and also, regarding regulatory questions involving the procedures for inclusion by reference in the Radio Regulation (RR) of recommendations and resolutions from past WRCs, the question of addition, modification or elimination of footnotes from countries, with a view to simplifying the RR.
The next meeting of this group is scheduled for July 2015, where the remaining ECPs should be finalised and approved.
