<html><head></head><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>What do you think is the impact on broadband, something that developing countries are already struggling with...<br><br>Fouad Bajwa<div>sent using <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">my iPad</span></div></div><div><br>On 24 Jan 2012, at 01:50 PM, Riaz K Tayob <<a href="mailto:riaz.tayob@gmail.com">riaz.tayob@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
  
    <meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252" http-equiv="Content-Type">
  
  
    <h2 class="posttitle"> ITU In “Urgent” Meeting On Global Spectrum As
      New Devices Gobble It Up </h2>
    <small>Published on 23 January 2012 @ 10:49 pm</small>
    <p class="postmetadata"> <span st_processed="yes" class="st_facebook_buttons" st_title="ITU In “Urgent” Meeting On
        Global Spectrum As New Devices Gobble It Up" st_url="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/" displaytext="share"><span class="stButton" style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;"><span style="background-image:
            url("http://w.sharethis.com/images/facebook_counter.png");" class="stMainServices st-facebook-counter"> </span></span></span><span st_processed="yes" class="st_twitter_buttons" st_title="ITU In
        “Urgent” Meeting On Global Spectrum As New Devices Gobble It Up" st_url="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/" displaytext="share"><span class="stButton" style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;"><span style="background-image:
            url("http://w.sharethis.com/images/twitter_counter.png");" class="stMainServices st-twitter-counter"> </span></span></span><span st_processed="yes" class="st_email_buttons" st_title="ITU In
        “Urgent” Meeting On Global Spectrum As New Devices Gobble It Up" st_url="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/" displaytext="Email"><span class="stButton" style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;"><span class="stButton_gradient"><span class="chicklets email">Email</span></span></span></span><span st_processed="yes" class="st_sharethis_buttons" st_title="ITU In
        “Urgent” Meeting On Global Spectrum As New Devices Gobble It Up" st_url="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/" displaytext="Share"><span class="stButton" style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;"><span class="stButton_gradient"><span class="chicklets sharethis">Share</span></span></span></span>
      <span class="printthis"><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/print/" title="Print This Post" rel="nofollow"><printer_famfamfam.gif></a> <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/23/itu-in-%e2%80%9curgent%e2%80%9d-meeting-on-global-spectrum-as-new-devices-gobble-it-up/print/" title="Print This Post" rel="nofollow">Print This Post</a>
      </span> </p>
    <p>By <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/author/william/" title="Posts by William New" rel="author">William New</a>,
      Intellectual Property Watch</p>
    <div class="entry">
      <p>A high-level, highly technical UN meeting that occurs about
        once every four years at which key decisions are made about
        wireless communications opened today in Geneva. The meeting
        comes as devices such as smart phones and tablets are devouring
        many times more spectrum than mobile phones of the past. <span id="more-19169"></span></p>
      <p>The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World
        Radiocommunication Conference runs <a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/index.asp?category=conferences&rlink=wrc-12&lang=en">from
          23 January to 17 February</a> and involves top-level officials
        in telecommunications policy from around the world. Some 3,000
        participants are expected, representing more than 150 of the
        ITU’s 193 members, according to organisers. </p>
      <p>The conference will review and revise the Radio Regulations,
        the international treaty governing the use of radio-frequency
        spectrum and satellite orbits, according to the ITU. </p>
      <p>A top priority for the United States delegation will be to set
        the forum for debate between now and the next WRC meeting in
        2015, to have a negotiation on how to allocate more spectrum for
        mobile networks, US delegation head Amb. Decker Anstrom told a
        press briefing today. </p>
      <p>“This is a pressing need for the United States,” he said.
        Allocation will affect broadband wireless internet services,
        officials said. Innovative solutions to maximise spectrum use
        are being sought. </p>
      <p>US Federal Communications Commission Chairman noted that when
        the last WRC meeting was held four years ago, the first Apple
        iPhone had just been introduced, and there were no smart phones
        nor tablets (like the iPad). Smart phone growth is so fast that
        last year there were 500 million and this year one billion
        worldwide, with as many as 5 billion expected by 2015.</p>
      <p>This respresents an “extraordinary opportunity” for advancing
        commerce, education, safety and other social benefits, he said.
        But smart phones place far more demand on spectrum. </p>
      <p>A smart phone uses 24 times more spectrum than the predecessor
        feature phones, and a tablet uses 120 times more spectrum, he
        said. Without taking action to find more spectrum for these
        devices, “we risk losing out on extraordinary commercial and
        social opportunities,” he said. </p>
      <p>This month, the US will push for other countries not to exclude
        spectrum bands from studies to be conducted between now and 2015
        on their possible use for mobile networks. Some countries such
        as Russia are suggesting that certain bands be kept out of the
        discussion, officials said.</p>
      <p>“Fuelled by rapid technological developments in information and
        communication technologies (ICTs) along with the increasing
        convergence of radiocommunication services in today’s
        communication devices, there is an urgent need to ensure the
        best efficiencies in the use of spectrum, a finite resource,”
        the ITU said in a release. “WRC-12 will examine the technical,
        regulatory and operational aspects to address allocation and
        frequency sharing to ensure high quality of radiocommunication
        services for maritime and aeronautical transport as well as for
        scientific purposes related to the environment, meteorology and
        climatology, disaster prediction, mitigation and relief.”</p>
      <p>The meeting is not expected to directly involve intellectual
        property rights, such as online content or anti-piracy efforts,
        according to officials, but related issues can arise, including
        bilaterally. The meeting also will not directly involve this
        year’s critical transition of the global internet to IPv6 from
        the earlier IPv4, which is running out of space. </p>
      <p>“The World Radiocommunication will review and modify global
        spectrum regulations to ensure that this most precious resource
        is used effectively to benefit all players,” ITU
        Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said in a release. “The aim is
        to ensure reliable radio services are available everywhere and
        at any time enabling people to live and travel safely while
        enjoying high performance radiocommunications.” </p>
      <p>The appointed chair of the meeting is Tarek Al Awadhi of the
        United Arab Emirates. The six vice-chairs are from Algeria,
        Armenia, France, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United
        States.</p>
      <p>Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary of Commerce for
        Communications and Information and administrator of the National
        Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which
        oversees US relations with the Internet Corporation for Assigned
        Names and Numbers (ICANN), declined to comment on a question
        from <em>Intellectual Property Watch</em> about the performance
        so far of the newly launched generic top-level domain programme
        (<a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/01/11/icann-announces-new-tld-program-start/"><em>IPW</em>,
          Information and Communications Technology/Broadcasting, 11
          January 2012</a>). </p>
      <div class="related">
        <h3>Related Articles:</h3>
        <ul>
          <li><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2011/12/05/lines-of-global-enforcement-debate-surface-at-wipo-meeting/" rel="bookmark" title="Lines Of Global Enforcement Debate
              Surface at WIPO Meeting">Lines Of Global Enforcement
              Debate Surface at WIPO Meeting</a></li>
          <li><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2011/06/15/an-urgent-letter-from-intellectual-property-watch/" rel="bookmark" title="An Urgent Letter From Intellectual
              Property Watch">An Urgent Letter From Intellectual
              Property Watch</a></li>
          <li><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2011/11/02/among-global-efforts-to-fill-internet-policy-gaps-india-proposes-new-un-body/" rel="bookmark" title="Amid Global Effort To Fill Internet
              Policy Gaps, India Proposes New UN Body">Amid Global
              Effort To Fill Internet Policy Gaps, India Proposes New UN
              Body</a></li>
        </ul>
      </div>
    </div>
    <div class="alaligne">
      <p><em>William New may be reached at <a href="mailto:wnew@ip-watch.ch">wnew@ip-watch.ch</a>.</em></p>
    </div>
    <div class="alaligne"> </div>
    <div class="alaligne">
      <p>Categories: <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/access-to-knowledge/">Access
          to Knowledge</a>, <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/copyright-policy/">Copyright
          Policy</a>, <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/english/">English</a>,
        <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/information-and-communications-technology/">Information
          and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting</a>, <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/patent-policy/">Patent
          Policy</a>, <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/trademarksgeographical-indications/">Trademarks/Geographical
          Indications/Domains</a>, <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/category/united-nations/">United
          Nations</a> </p>
    </div>
  

</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>____________________________________________________________</span><br><span>You received this message as a subscriber on the list:</span><br><span>     <a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a></span><br><span>To be removed from the list, visit:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>For all other list information and functions, see:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance">http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance</a></span><br><span>To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>Translate this email: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>