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Experts examine harmonization for short range devices (SRD)
and Ultra Wide Band (UWB)
ITU workshop recognizes explosive growth of short-range radio devices
Geneva, 5 June 2014 – An ITU
Workshop to facilitate the harmonization process for the global use of short
range devices (SRD) and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technologies attracted key players
from the radiocommunication industry, regulators, operators, manufacturers and
research institutions.
Discussions during the workshop, organized in response to an initiative from
the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT),
centred on the need for regional and worldwide harmonization, in particular the
identification of suitable frequency ranges for these devices and new
technologies along with international and national regulations to govern the
conditions for their use.
Presentations on the status and developments of SRD and UWB systems were made
by a number of experts, including those from regulatory bodies, academia and
industry. They included representatives from CEPT, the Asia-Pacific
Telecommunity (APT), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI),
the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC), Airbus
Industries, i4C Innovations, and UWB Communication Systems and Solutions
(URAXS).
“The explosive growth of short range devices and Ultra Wide Band technologies
in recent years has indicated an urgent need for worldwide harmonization to
facilitate global adoption of these technologies,” said ITU Secretary-General
Hamadoun I. Touré. “This is especially relevant where applications such as
telemedicine or airborne SRD cross national borders.”
“The development of worldwide systems using emerging SRD and UWB technologies
has an enormous potential to affect our daily lives,” noted François Rancy,
Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau. “Medical health systems,
machine-to-machine solutions, transport and telematics systems, the aviation
industry and wireless power transmission can all benefit as these technologies
evolve.”
Ultra Wide Band technology is an energy-efficient and robust solution for
“short” distance communications. Short-range radio devices allow implementation
of a wide range of communication systems from medical telemetry systems, implant
communications and health monitoring products to home automation, automotive
communications, smart grids and Metropolitan Mesh Machine Networks (M3N)
applications. The global harmonization of the regulatory framework for Short
Range Devices and Ultra Wide Band is the key prerequisite for the use of
existing and emerging technologies within the civil aviation sector as well.
Mr Sergey Pastukh, Chairman of
ITU-R
Study Group 1 on Spectrum Management indicated that the workshop helped
identify activities which can lead to the inclusion of additional frequency
opportunities for these technologies in
Recommendation ITU-R SM.1896
on global and regional harmonization of SRDs.
“Resolution ITU-R 54-1 on
studies to achieve harmonization for SRDs invites
ITU-R Membership, administrations and regional organizations as well as
standardization, scientific and industrial organizations to participate actively
in these studies to harmonize national regulations for SRDs,” said Mr Pastukh.
“Administrations and regional organisations are also requested to include their
information about existing SRD and UWB spectrum usage opportunities in
Report ITU-R SM.2153
and other relevant ITU-R publications.”
The Workshop recognized the importance of ITU-R activities for the further
development of classifications for SRD applications in order to facilitate the
global harmonization process.
Interest was expressed regarding global harmonization needs for SRDs in some
particular frequency ranges such as in part of the UHF band and around 60 GHz
and 77 GHz. The ITU‑R development of less stringent spectrum masks, which could
be more specific to different types of UWB applications, was recognized as a
means to facilitate the global introduction of UWB technology.
These discussions and future ITU-R studies on this topic will help in
achieving global harmonization for SRDs and UWB. They will assist ITU in
studying and promoting best practices to enable such technologies to develop in
a sustainable way, in harmony with other systems using the same spectrum, and in
building a sustainable business environment. Updated existing or new ITU-R
Recommendations and ITU-R Reports are expected to be approved in the near
future.
For more information, please
contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Grace Petrin
Communication Officer, Radiocommunication Bureau
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