Leading up to the WRC-19, the International Telecommunication Union, organized a WRC-19 preparatory Regional Workshop for (frequentie) Regio 2 members, held at Havana, Cuba, 21-23 March 2018.

Among attendees were representatives of ITU Member States, ITU-R Sector Members, Associates and Academia from Region 2, who were all invited.

Curaçao, an ITU member country as part of the Dutch Kingdom, based on its geographical location, is categorized in (frequency) Region 2, which further represents the entire American continent. This classification into regions facilitates the process between the countries affiliated with the ITU to reach an agreement about the designation of frequency bands with a view to worldwide standardization of telecommunications systems. This means that services in various countries will work with the same frequencies, with similar equipment.

The recently concluded WRC-19 preparatory workshop for Region 2 was therefore of utmost relevance for Curaçao, more so from a telecommunication regulatory perspective, as it is provided an ideal opportunity to present the necessary inputs and point of view on the relevant agenda items and country positions. Curaçao was invited by the Dutch telecommunication regulatory administration to represent the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the regional preparatory meetings.

Topics covered at the Regional Workshop for Region 2 were related to ITU’s purpose and mission in radio communications, ITU-R’s process for managing spectrum worldwide, the current Radio Regulations, its objectives, concepts, structure and tools, the WRC process, the ITU-R Study Groups, the upcoming WRC-19, its agenda, its overall preparatory process and the submission of contributions.

The workshop also provided the tools to learn about other relevant Regional and Sub-Regional Organizations, their structure and positions for the upcoming WRC-19 and the opportunity to debate and exchange views on WRC-19 Agenda items, including terrestrial and mobile services, satellite services, aeronautical and maritime services, and other radio communication services.

Next up is the ITU Inter-regional Workshop on WRC-19 Preparation to be held in Geneva Switzerland (date yet to be announced).

Stay tuned for more updates on Regional WRC-19 preparatory sessions, one of which is the: Citel WRC-19 preliminary regional meeting, PCC.II, held from 16-20 July 2018 in Mexico.

(Source: ITU. BT&P Publication period: 2018)