I. Background

Intersputnik’s delegation took part in the 56th meeting of Working Party 4A “Efficient orbit/spectrum utilization for FSS and BSS” (WP 4A) of the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) held on 5–16 May 2025 in Shanghai, China.

Over 700 representatives of telecommunications administrations, companies, industry and international organisations made their input. This document below outlines the results of the above meeting in terms of the agenda items of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 (WRC-27) covering the interests of the Organization’s Members and Signatories that were preliminarily considered for inclusion in the agreed position of the Organization on the WRC-27 agenda items, in particular, information on the contributions submitted and the results of their discussion at the meeting.

II. Results of discussions at the 56th meeting ofWP 4A

Item 1.1 – Use of the 47.2–50.2 and 50.4–51.4 GHz bands by earth stations in motion

(ESIMs)

There were 11 contributions submitted under this agenda item at the WP 4A meeting in May. They covered a wide range of issues related to the technical compatibility of ESIMs with other services, including the Space Research Service (SRS), the Meteorological Satellite Service and Earth Remote Sensing Services.

The contributions were submitted, inter alia, by the telecommunications administrations of China, the UK, the USA, and industry players, including Intelsat.

The contributions addressed the issues of limiting emissions towards the Earth, managing terminal power, and minimising potential interference to passive services. The USA proposed criteria for the placement of stations and clarification of procedures for stopping transmissions when going beyond the permitted zones. The need to apply provision No. 4.4 for ESIMs operating in uncoordinated frequencies was also discussed. Intelsat’s proposals focused on protecting existing services while introducing ESIMs and approaches to coordination in high-density environments. China presented compatibility calculations with fixed-satellite service based on Q/V-band propagation models.

The attendees expressed broad interest in the topic, but disagreement remains over the appropriate level of regulatory detail and the applicability of global standards.

As a result of the discussions, it was decided to continue developing options for possible recommendations and technical reports during the intersessional period based on the collected scenarios of use and interference modelling.

Item 1.2 – Technical limitations for small stations operating in the 13.75–14 GHz band

18 contributions were received for this item. The discussion focused on developing a harmonised definition of minimum small station antenna performance to improve spectrum efficiency with an increased number of terminals. In particular, options were considered for relaxing the restrictions currently in force according to the ITU-R recommendations, while ensuring the necessary level of compatibility. The United States, Canada, India, Japan and regional organisations provided rationales for possible adjustments to the minimum antenna diameter and associated sidelobe levels. The contributions were supported by analytical EPFD calculations and practical data on existing systems. Representatives of Japan and India advocated maintaining the existing values in order to protect other services, while other delegations proposed a differentiated approach depending on the usage scenario (fixed, mobile, low-power stations, etc.).

As a result of the discussion, it was considered appropriate to continue work on a new draft recommendation that would take into account the accumulated data and provide a single technical reference for administrators and operators.

Item 1.5 – Prevention of unauthorised operation of non-GSO stations without the

explicit consent of telecommunications administrations 16 contributions were considered during the discussion. They concerned measures to prevent the operation of terminals located outside licensed coverage areas or in states that did not provide their consent. The main emphasis was placed on strengthening the mechanisms of identification, remote shutdown and mandatory notification of administrations when registering user terminals.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and several other countries presented proposals to improve the consent procedure, including the introduction of a global register of terminals, use of digital certificates, and remote location verification protocols. In addition, aspects of legal liability of operators and intermediaries were dealt with.

The discussion resulted in establishing basic directions for the development of a new regulatory approach, including the creation of centralised tools for notification and confirmation of the legality of terminal placement. A consensus on the form of recommendations has not been reached yet, but the need to systematise requirements for protecting the rights of administrations has been tentatively agreed upon.

Item 1.6 – Ensuring equitable access to spectrum in the Q/V bands (37.5–51.4 GHz)

13 contributions were submitted on this issue. Representatives from the USA,Germany, France, China, as well as international satellite operators proposed approaches to ensuring fair access to frequency resources in the Q/V range. The mechanisms for recording actual exploitation, limitations on the term of preliminary rights, conditions for renewing applications, as well as possible dynamic redistribution models were discussed.

The United States proposed introducing minimum use criteria as a condition for maintaining spectrum rights. Germany presented an analysis of the consequences of long-term “reservation” of resources without deployment. China and France supported the idea of reporting and presented tentative data collection models.

The discussion confirmed the existence of a common concern about the possible inefficiency of resource use, but approaches to regulation differed. It was proposed to continue collecting data and developing assessment methods, including relying on the experience of national regulators.

Item 1.7 – Improvement of frequency coordination and registration procedures

17 contributions were received under item 1.7. The discussion covered aspects of commissioning and re-commissioning procedures, operational verification procedures, confirmation of compliance with declared parameters, as well as digitalisation of data submission mechanisms to the ITU. Delegations from the United States, France, China, Canada, as well as a number of operators, including SES and Viasat, presented proposals to revise the existing criteria and introduce periodic verification.

Initiatives to clarify the format of commencement notifications, take into account cases of temporary suspension, and the conditions for extending the validity of applications were considered separately. Administration representatives stressed the need to maintain a balance between the efficiency of procedures and the prevention of excessive burden on applicants. As a result, it was decided to continue developing a new draft WRC resolution, taking into account the formulated technical and legal proposals.

Item 7 – Proposals for inclusion of additional items in the WRC-27 agenda

In the discussion of the future agenda items, 12 contributions were presented by the attendees. They addressed the issues of strengthening the use of provision No. 4.4, the need for further study of the utilisation of bands above 71 GHz, and the development of standards applicable to new non-GSO configurations. Approaches were proposed to harmonise disclosure procedures in international applications and a more flexible coordination model for systems in rapidly developing segments.

Initiatives from the United States, India, France, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates found support among the attendees. Following the discussion, it was deemed appropriate to formulate a preliminary structure for the item to include new issues in this item of the WRC- 27 agenda, including through the preparation of a new relevant draft resolution. Handbook on Satellite Communications and Technologies During the meeting, the work on updating the Handbook on Satellite Communications and Technologies continued, and a number of contributions were considered, including a contribution from Working Party 4B “Systems, air interfaces, performance and availability objectives for FSS, BSS and MSS, including IP-based applications and satellite news gathering”, which contained a brief historical background on the emergence of the first satellite systems and associated creation of the first satellite communications organisations, including Intersputnik. In this regard, the Organization’s delegation took part in the meeting of Sub-Working Party 4B3, as well as in the plenary session of WP 4B to introduce a number of changes to the proposed text.

In addition, the Russian Federation’s contribution on launch technologies to be included in the draft handbook was considered. The structure of the handbook, which included chapters on network architectures, technical parameters, orbit types and technologies used, was also discussed.

The attendees expressed interest in reflecting the features of non-GSO satellites, integration with terrestrial networks, the use of digital platforms and software-defined loads in the document. Specific proposals came from China, Canada, France, Iran and a number of other countries. The need was recognised to develop a tentative structure, taking into account possible additional contributions for the next meeting.

Handbook on best practices for the sustainable use of frequencies and associated non- geostationary orbits by space radiocommunication services

The meeting considered eight contributions concerning the structure and content of the handbook, including proposals from China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and the United States, as well as SES and Telesat operators and Astroscale company. The discussion covered a wide range of issues, including the exchange of space traffic and situational awareness data, compatibility assessment, transparency mechanisms and space debris mitigation.

China’s Telecommunications Administration provided information on national regulations and policies on the sustainable use of radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits for inclusion in the handbook, and proposed adding a number of new sections to the handbook, i.e. space traffic rules, space safety operations including active satellite collision avoidance, and active de-orbiting of space objects to avoid an increase in space debris. In addition, the proposals of China’s Telecommunications Administration included handbook sections that address the management of information on the status of space objects and dynamic assessment of the congestion of non-geostationary orbits and frequencies. The importance of statistical information for identifying trends in the use of non-GSO was also highlighted in a joint contribution by the Administrations of Saudi Arabia and Brazil, which requested the Radiocommunication Bureau to provide data on non-geostationary space stations from satellite network and system applications as supporting information for developing the handbook.

The US administration submitted a contribution, where it advocated for increased transparency by supplementing the handbook with mechanisms for exchanging data on space objects and manoeuvres performed. Telesat recommended that the handbook should include elements of sustainability assessment through risk analysis of potential satellite collisions and suggested that the interaction of different technological solutions should be taken into account in the context of sustainability of orbital resources. Astroscale made a proposal to include aspects of active space object removal as a sustainability element in the handbook. SES proposed to enrich the document with satellite system operation case studies, including those related to the harmonisation and adaptation of various standards and technologies.

All proposals were discussed and compiled into a working document on the preliminary draft handbook. Work on the document will continue at the next meeting of WP 4A.

III. Further preparation for WRC-27

The next meeting of WP 4A is scheduled for the period from 27 October to 6November 2025. For this event, Intersputnik plans to submit for consideration by WP 4A a new contribution regarding the Handbook on best practices for the sustainable use of frequencies and associated non-geostationary orbits by space radiocommunication services. In addition, Intersputnik continues to monitor incoming contributions to keep its Members and Signatories informed and to interact with ITU member countries on issues of preparing joint contributions to WRC-27 agenda items affecting the interests of its Members and Signatories.