ATU votes for no change on UHF spectrum

The African Telecommunication Union has come out publicly in opposition to the reallocation of the UHF band and C-band to mobile services.

At its final preparatory meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, ahead of the forthcoming WRC-15 conference in Geneva in November, the ATU agreed a common position opposing the allocation of the 470-694MHz and 3600-4200MHz bands to mobile services.

For both the UHF band (and the C band, the organisation agreed a common position in favour of ‘Method A’ – meaning no change in the use of the spectrum. Each of the ATU’s sub-regional groups – the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African communication Organizations (EACO) – also supported this position.

The ATU’s position was welcomed by the EBU. EBU Director of Technology & Innovation, Simon Fell, said, “We are pleased to see another continent in ITU Region 1 confirm their support for DTT below 700MHz. It is important that we continue to voice our common position to secure adequate spectrum for the broadcasting industry.”

The ATU agreed a common position to allocate the L-band – 1452-1492MHz – to mobile, a move that was welcomed by mobile operators’ association the GSMA.