World radio conference

Special postage stamp of the German Federal Post Office from 1979

The World Radiocommunication Conference ( English W orld R adiocommunication C onference , WRC ) determines at international level on the needs of the radio system. The World Radio Conference has met every two to four years since 1995 ; the abbreviation for a certain conference, which is also common in German, is z. B. WRC-07 for the 2007 World Radio Conference.

agenda

A world radio conference includes the definition of studies to be carried out as well as the definition of radio operating procedures, the definition of qualification requirements for radio personnel, as well as the allocation of frequency bands to the various radio services , such as maritime radio service , aeronautical radio service , radio service or amateur radio service .

The World Radiocommunication Conference is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a sub-organization of the United Nations . Participants are the ITU member states. In Germany, the authority responsible for radio communications is the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) with the BNetzA in the business area. In order to prepare for the WRC, the BMWi has set up the National Group for the Preparation of the World Radio Conference (NG), which the BMWi itself leads . The representatives of frequency users or industry who also take part in a WRC , such as NATO , EBU or IARU , do not have their own vote.

The overall result of the World Radio Conference is the Implementing Regulations for the Radio Service (VO Radio), which are thereby updated. Elements of the VO Funk are translated into national law by the states.

history

When the radio systems began to be used around 1900, the operators were not subject to any conditions or restrictions. With the increasing spread of radio systems and the possibility of bridging greater distances by radio, the need for international coordination soon arose.

Preparatory radio telegraphy conference, Berlin 1903

At the invitation of the German government , representatives of Germany, Austria , Spain , the United States of America , France , Hungary , Russia , Italy and Great Britain met in Berlin for a preliminary conference on wireless telegraphy . The aim of this conference, which was not an official event of the International Telecommunication Union, was to create a basic basis for radio telegraphic regulations that would later be included in an international agreement. The subject of the conference was agreements on marine radio. Today this meeting is widely regarded as the first in the series of world radio conferences. The final minutes of the conference, adopted on August 13, 1903, comprised eight articles on two pages. The British delegation entered a fundamental reservation on the outcome of the conference, while the Italian delegation had reservations on certain articles of the final minutes. These reservations served to protect the corporate interests of the Marconi Company , operated by the Italian Guglielmo Marconi in England , which, as a marine radio service provider , held a quasi- monopoly .

International radio telegraphy conference, Berlin 1906

This second international radio conference, which was held in Berlin from October 3 to November 3, 1906, was attended by delegations from 27 countries. Representatives from Argentina , Belgium , Brazil , Bulgaria , Chile , Denmark , Greece , Japan , Mexico , Monaco , Norway , the Netherlands , Persia , Portugal , Romania , Sweden , Turkey and Uruguay joined the parties to the 1903 Preparatory Radiotelegraphy Conference . Like the previous conference in 1903, this conference was not yet an official conference of the International Telecommunication Union. The result of the conference, in turn, focused on marine radio, was the first international radio contract, namely, adopted on November 3, 1906 International Radio Telegraph contract (Engl. International Wireless Telegraph Convention ). Apart from the actual contract the conference a final protocol (Final Protocol), an additional agreement (decided Additional Agreement ) as well as provisions on the radio traffic ( Service Regulations ).

An economically important conference result, contained in the additional agreement, was the binding agreement on the non-discriminatory implementation of radio communications, regardless of which radio system (Marconi or other) was used. The introduction of the SOS distress symbol was an important step for safety at sea . The internationally standardized and thus smooth handling of maritime radio traffic was served by the agreement of so-called traffic signs, which, for example, marked the beginning and end of a transmission or transmitted the request to transmit to the opposite station. Also, the wavelengths of 300 m (corresponding to a frequency of 1 MHz, mainly for use by ships) and 600 m (corresponding to a frequency of 500 kHz ) have been set as the wavelengths to be used for public communications.

The International Telecommunication Union celebrated the centenary of the conference and the centenary of the Radio Regulations on October 30, 2006 with a ceremony.

Third Radio Administration Conference, London 1912

The third conference was all about the sinking of the RMS Titanic / MGY . During the investigation of the sinking, significant deficiencies in the operation of the ships with radio systems among each other were found, there were no uniform operating times, etc. B. the reservation of the stations equipped with Marconi devices to only communicate with each other. This was necessary because the British Post Office had a legal monopoly on public telegraphy.

The conference was attended by 45 states and dependent territories: Egypt , Argentina, Australia , Belgium, Belgian Congo , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Brazil, British India , Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Formosa , France and Algeria , French Equatorial Africa , French Indochina , French West Africa , Greece, Great Britain , Italy, Japan and Korea, Japanese Sakhalin and Kwantung , Canada , Madagascar , Morocco , Monaco, New Zealand , the Netherlands, Dutch East Indies and Curacao , Norway, Austria, Persia, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino , Sweden, Siam , Spain, the South African Union , Tunisia , Turkey, Hungary, Uruguay, and the United States.

The new treaty contained 23 articles, the protocol had three paragraphs, and the Service Regulations contained 50 articles, including International Morse Code , Q-Groups, and many useful provisions.

The predecessor of the WRC was until 1982, the W orld A DMINISTRATIVE R adio C onference (WARC), in German World Administrative Radio Conference.

WARC SAT-77

At the WARC SAT-77 from January 10 to February 13, 1977 in Geneva, the participants decided on a worldwide broadcast satellite plan. The geostationary orbital positions for the future broadcast satellites in space have been determined for 112 applicant countries . On January 1, 1979, there was an agreement with a term of 15 years, which provided that each country could broadcast five television programs or several radio programs directly from the satellite to the participants. The Direct Broadcasting Satellites (DBS) should be positioned at an altitude of 36,000 km with a distance of 6 ° (approx. 4415 km) above the equator. A common position 19 ° West was assigned to Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland. a. used by TV-SAT .

WARC 1979

At WARC-79, three new shortwave bands ( WARC bands ) were assigned to the amateur radio service.

Conference dates

Geneva, 1995 (WRC-95)
Geneva, 1997 (WRC-97)
Istanbul, 2000 (WRC-2000)
Geneva, 2003 (WRC-03)
Geneva, 2007 (WRC-07), October 22nd to November 16th
Geneva, 2012 (WRC-12), January 23rd to February 17th
Geneva, 2015 (WRC-15), November 2nd to 27th
Sharm El Sheikh, 2019 (WRC-19), October 28th to November 22nd

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Presentation of the radio telegraphy conference in Berlin 1903 at the ITU ( Memento from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
^ Final minutes of the Radiotelegraphy Conference Berlin 1903 (English and French) (PDF; 217 kB)
^ Presentation of the radio telegraphy conference in Berlin 1906 at the ITU ( Memento from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
^ [Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig (ed.): Meyers Lexikon , 7th edition 1926, article Funkwesen , p. 1291]
^ Final documents of the Radiotelegraphy Conference Berlin 1906 (French) (PDF; 3.4 MB)
↑ Information on 100 years of VO Funk at ITU ( Memento from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
^ International Radiotelegraph Conference (London, 1912). ITU, archived from the original on March 9, 2010 ; accessed on November 9, 2012 (English): "Countries participating: 45"
^ Radio Communication Laws of the United States and the International Radiotelegraphic Convention. Department Of Commerce, United States Of America, July 27, 1914, accessed November 9, 2012 .
↑ https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/2019/

[1] Presentation of the radio telegraphy conference in Berlin 1903 at the ITU ( Memento from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

[2] Final minutes of the Radiotelegraphy Conference Berlin 1903 (English and French) (PDF; 217 kB)

[3] Presentation of the radio telegraphy conference in Berlin 1906 at the ITU ( Memento from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

[4] [Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig (ed.): Meyers Lexikon , 7th edition 1926, article Funkwesen , p. 1291]

[5] Final documents of the Radiotelegraphy Conference Berlin 1906 (French) (PDF; 3.4 MB)

[6] Information on 100 years of VO Funk at ITU ( Memento from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive )

[7] International Radiotelegraph Conference (London, 1912). ITU, archived from the original on March 9, 2010 ; accessed on November 9, 2012 (English): "Countries participating: 45"

[8] Radio Communication Laws of the United States and the International Radiotelegraphic Convention. Department Of Commerce, United States Of America, July 27, 1914, accessed November 9, 2012 .

[9] ttps://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/2019/