The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) headquarters in Brussels hosted on 2-3 March the 30th meeting of NATO PWG (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Policy Working Group), chaired by the German representative Eberhard Trautmann.
The PWG started discussion with the intention of drafting a document on the Alliance's policy for the access, use and management of radio-frequency spectrum for military applications. Once approved, this document will constitute a high level support for military use spectrum requirements identified in the NATO joint frequency agreement (NJFA).
Regarding preparatory work for the World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC07), the PWG is still apprehensive about debate on item 1.13, as it holds that the supplementary allocation of large amounts of ''military'' spectrum for civilian uses may eventually hinder the identification of high frequency (HF) frequency blocs appropriate for daily use, in conformity with the principle of best frequency for intended transmission hour, inside the remaining ''military'' spectrum.
The next meeting of NATO PWG will take place at NATO headquarters on the mornings of 5-6 July 2005.
The 20th meeting of NATO FMSC (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Frequency Management Sub-Committee) was held on part of 3 March and on 4 March 2005, chaired by the German Joachim Strick, head of the Spectrum Management Branch (SMB), military co-chair of the FMSC, and by J. Losik of Poland, civilian co-chair of the FMSC.
France informed the FMSC that it has agreed to earth stations of the SATCOM military system, to be installed in Belgian territory.
Upon the request of the FMSC, the German company Telefunken gave a presentation on Software Defined Radios (SDR). This is a technology that via recourse to sophisticated software enables specially conceived software with single and universal format to behave as an emitter/receiver for voice, data and video transmission in different frequency bands (from 2 MHz to 2 GHz). It may also perform with an ''emulator'' of various applications for existing radiocommunications (point-to-point connections, HAVEQUICK, SATURN, JTIDS/ MIDS) and framing in various radiocommunication services (fixed, land mobile, aeronautic mobile, satellite mobile).
This equipment's mode of operation can be modified in real time 'over-the-air re-administration', i.e., it has the ability to proceed with a centralised administration of the capacities used by each unit, in real time, via communications sent from a central command unit. This system configures a more extensive version of the American JTRS US (Joint Tactical Radio System, United States) project. Note that for technical reasons portable equipment cannot operate from 2 MHz to 2 GHz and will be limited in the offer of services provided, particularly due to the reduced ability to run the language with which the system was developed.
France expressed its concern over the fact that decision (04)08 of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC), meanwhile adopted in the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), has a number of gaps with regard to the use of DFS (digital frequency selection) as a way to protect radar systems and may very likely become the basis for a compulsory European decision on this matter. That administration holds that this decision may put at risk the co-existence between WAS (wireless access system) and military radars that operate in the 5 GHz band. France informed the FMSC that it will present contributions on this issue to the Radiocommunications Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R).
The next meeting of NATO FMSC will take place at NATO headquarters on the afternoons of 6-7 July 2005.
