Sharing And Co-existence Key To Futuristic Utilisation Of Spectrum

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: Telecommunication is recognised the world over, as a key factor in the development of social, economic, commercial and cultural activities of a country. The development of telecommunication infrastructure, both terrestrial and satellite-based, plays a vital role in meeting the diverse needs of people and improving their quality of life through inter-linked development of many other sectors.

Telecommunication covers a very wide variety of services such as sound and television broadcasting, space communications, aeronautical and maritime communications, radio-location and radio-navigation systems, meteorological services, fixed and mobile public telecommunication services etc. Modern telecommunications’ trend is towards mobility for which radio frequency spectrum is the most fundamental resource. Similarly, for broadcasting also, spectrum is a vital requirement.

The Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC) Wing of the Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communications & IT, is the national spectrum management and radio regulatory agency for all wireless usages in the country—government or private, defence or civil.

Radio frequency spectrum and associated satellite orbits are limited natural resources. Radio waves are susceptible to harmful interference. Propagation of radio waves has different characteristics in different frequency bands and is influenced by different phenomenon, including inter-alia, cosmic noise, man-made radio noise, geographical terrain and climatic conditions. Like any other natural resource, it cannot be owned but can only be shared amongst various countries, services, users, technologies etc.

Since radio waves cannot be confined to national boundaries, they are international in character. Assignment of frequencies is governed by international treaties formulated under the aegis of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which are signed and ratified by Government of India. Further, it is also subject to various bilateral and regional agreements with other countries.

The very inherent characteristics of radio waves, in terms of potential for harmful interference and the need for sharing, necessitated the requirement of effective radio regulatory mechanism, right from the beginning of the 20th century, during which momentous growth of wireless communication took place. The complexity and complication involved with making room for new technologies involves dealing with a number of technical and other related issues, including balancing of conflicting and competing considerations.