European Satellite Operators Seek Amendments to EC Telecom Reform Plan
Proposed changes to e-communications rules could harm Europe’s satellite sector, European Satellite Operators Association Secretary General Aarti Holla-Maini said Monday in an interview. Amid European Parliament debate over European Commission (EC) plans to revamp the framework for telecommunications regulation, the ESOA has been lobbying “heavily” on several issues, she said. So far, lawmakers appear receptive to only one, she said.
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The EC proposal gave no reference or recognition to the role of the ITU framework already in place for allocating spectrum and coordinating spectrum use, Holla-Maini said. The ITU manages the process by which satellite operators are granted orbital slots with associated frequencies, she said.
Satellites are global infrastructures whose frequencies travel across many nations to reach their destinations, so their frequencies must be coordinated with many nations, EU and non-EU, Holla-Maini said. A satellite’s frequency band, once assigned, can’t be changed after the craft is launched, and operators need assurance that they can rely on the frequency’s continued availability for the satellite’s life, she said. ESOA members, therefore, want a clear recognition of the ITU’s role and purpose in spectrum allocation as enshrined in the e-communications rules, she said.
That need to protect satellite spectrum was driven home by 2007’s “battle” at WRC-07 between the satellite sector and other communications providers over the C-band, Holla-Maini said. The ITU retained the band for satellite use but the EC subsequently imposed a decision on all EU states to harmonize a large part (200 MHz) of the band for terrestrial services, binding even on EU countries that didn’t subscribe to the position at the WRC, she said.
The C-band is crucial for satellites as the only band resilient enough for communications in Africa and other such regions with rainfall so heavy that it can cause the Ku-band and other signals to fade, she said. The C-band is also the standard for emergency communications and is used by ships at sea, she said. But the EC wants to open the band for broadband wireless access in Europe, she said.
It may be EU policy to manage some spectrum within Europe, but it’s up to each member country to respect ITU regulations, Holla-Maini said. Satellite operators, which serve the globe, can’t be tied down by purely European regulation if it goes against ITU allocations, she said.
European Parliament members are sympathetic to recognizing the ITU’s role in spectrum management, Holla- Maini said. The EC originally proposed to review spectrum use rights every five years, a provision Parliament changed to provide for an initial reassessment after five years at national authorities’ discretion, she said. The provision worries operators, whose upfront investments are enormous and whose satellites stay in operation 15 to 20 years, making them wary of arbitrary modification to conditions for spectrum use, she said.
EC insistence on technology neutrality also spooks satellite companies, Holla-Maini said. To the extent that the principle promotes a level playing field for varying technologies, ESOA supports it, but that doesn’t mean all technologies should come under the same rules, she said. Satellite operators already share most of their frequency bands with other technologies and must coordinate with different players around the world, she said. That limits the amount of spectrum they have available from the start, putting them at a disadvantage, she said.
Satellite operators must also deal with the fact that their signals are more susceptible to interference from stronger terrestrial signals, Holla-Maini said. Operators need regulators to maintain “appropriate protection,” she said. It’s unclear whether lawmakers will back ESOA on technology neutrality and five-year-review, she said, but the organization believes it can work with MEPs toward a suitable outcome.
EU lawmakers debated the telecommunications package Tuesday. A first reading vote is set for the Sept. 22-25 plenary session. ESOA members include EADS Astrium Services, Eutelsat, Inmarsat and SES.
The EC is rumored to be interested in having its own seat at the ITU, from which it could speak for the EU in spectrum matters, a knowledgeable source said. A single European voice is fine for trade discussions but spectrum is a matter of national sovereignty, the source said.
The EC has observer status, allowing it to participate in all ITU activities except voting, and it’s officially recognized in the union’s practical work, said a spokesman for Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. The 27 EU states are full ITU members. Under EU law, they must “loyally coordinate” their activities and back common positions in matters falling within the scope of the European Community Treaty, he said.
The EU “always tries to speak with one voice in international organizations,” coordinated by the EC and the country holding the presidency, the spokesman said. The 27 nations already vote alike on 90 percent of all issues, he said. What counts is not having one vote, but having 27 “made in the same direction,” he said.