Since the beginning of the age of satellite communications, with the Extraordinary World Administrative Conference in 1959 when the ITU first allocated frequencies for space telecom services, there has been a continuing quest for more and more spectrum. Today, the backlog of satellites awaiting coordination stands at 1,200, with ITU receiving 400–500 requests for new systems every year. According to ITU, the worldwide demand for satellite-based services has grown steadily over the past 15 years. This has been a boon for service providers and consumers alike, but it has resulted in a densely packed orbital space neighborhood and a scramble for desirable orbital slots. One of the causes for increased demand is that high-tech satellites are being used not only to support  national and international telephone operators, but also to broadcast radio and television networks.

The body believes that the new services, such as third generation mobile telephony and broadband access systems are also increasing the global demand for satellite orbits and frequencies. Likewise, developing countries are also turning to satellite-based communication to cost-effectively overcome the challenges of digital divide.

In order to meet the rising demand for orbit space, ITU has taken almost each and every possible step to provide more spectrum, including expansion of allocated bands, allocation of new and higher frequencies, frequency re-use, closer spacing of satellites in geo-synchronous orbit, etc. Nevertheless, these techniques have failed to satisfy the increasing demand for more and more space services of a broadband nature.

The shortage of available frequencies and orbital slots has given rise to filings with the ITU of the so-called ‘paper satellites’. These are filings which appear to lay claim to a particular band of spectrum and orbital slots by parties who are anticipating filings from others for the same bands and slots, in the hope that they can obtain compensation for their early filings. This has led to an over-filing of demand for satellite spectrum.

This problem of over-filing also makes the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau’s coordination work difficult, as ‘paper satellites’ block access to spectrum and orbital resources.

In an attempt to solve the problem, two proposals were tabled at World Radio Conference 97. First, an administrative due diligence procedure, and second, a financial due diligence procedure. After a prolonged debate, it was decided that a financial deposit that is sufficiently important to be a deterrent to frivolous filings but not so high as to be a deterrent to the development of ‘real’ networks is a must. A deposit of about 1 percent of the cost of building and launching a satellite into service was considered to be an adequate balance. This proposal, however, sparked another debate that whether ITU was entitled to impose any financial fee on a natural resource. The proponents of financial diligence procedure have stressed that one of the consequences of the current situation, for administrations and satellite operators, is the very large number of satellite networks that are identified as potentially affected when new notices for real systems are submitted. This, they argue, would force the network operators to either attempt to coordinate with the many ‘paper satellite networks’ with substantial costs, or make risky assessments as to which networks are likely to be ‘real’ and those that are likely to remain ‘paper’.

Four years ago, at the Plenipotentiary Conference, a top policy-making body of the ITU, a sliding scale fee was implemented. While the fee and the other efficiencies implemented by ITU have gone some way to discourage casual filing, over-filing of ‘paper satellites’ still remains an issue.

In recognition of the urgent need to clear a backlog that continues to seriously hamper operator’s business plans and users’ access to new services, ITU Council 2001 established the Satellite Backlog Action Group. The recommendations of this group will form the basis of much of the discussion at Marrakesh, and include proposals for revising the processing fee schedule.

With the Union under increasing pressure, many delegates at Marrakesh are expected to support a substantial increase to the current fee, which remains extremely low in relation to total system costs. This would not only act as a strong and an effective disincentive to future spurious filings, but would help boost available resources for additional trained personnel, new and improved software systems and better administrative support.

The challenge for ITU is that as no two radio systems including satellite responders, can operate on exactly the same frequency and in the same orbital position without causing harmful interference to one another, global coordination of radio frequency applications is essential.

Nishu Rastogi