During the Kingdom's participation in the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019: Additional frequencies allocated for amateur radio service, and regulation of frequency use for transport and safety systems

Eng. Majed bin Abdulaziz Al-Qahtani, head of the Kingdom's delegation participating in the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019, currently held in Sharm El-Sheikh, revealed an agreement on allocating additional frequencies for amateur radio service in the (50-54) MHz frequency band, in line with the Kingdom's position supporting the enhancement of these uses. This came as part of the Kingdom's participation in the conference, which continues until November 22 of this month.

Eng. Majed bin Abdulaziz Al-Qahtani, Director of the Frequency Management Department at the Communications and Information Technology Commission, head of the Kingdom's delegation currently participating in the conference, and Vice Chairman of the Radiocommunication Advisory Group at the International Telecommunication Union, pointed to a number of decisions to be taken during this session of the conference, including those related to railway systems and intelligent transport systems, and reviewing possible regulatory procedures to support updating the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System and supporting the introduction of additional satellite communication systems into the system.

The head of the Kingdom's delegation added that the conference also discusses updates to the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System, in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization, to review regulatory and operational procedures and provide spectrum allocations contributing to activating this system for search and rescue purposes.

Eng. Al-Qahtani concluded his statement by noting the continued participation of the Kingdom's delegation in the conference committee meetings to ensure the desired objectives for optimal spectrum use in the Kingdom are achieved, in a manner that achieves the public interest and is consistent with the Kingdom's ambitious directions in the optimal use of critical resources.

It is noted that this conference, held every four years, serves as the umbrella for regulating global spectrum use, and discusses amendments and updates to the International Radio Regulations that allocate the use of frequency bands to various wireless services and technologies, and the conference's results have paramount importance and direct impact on wireless system users around the world across various sectors in the fields of communications, information technology, security, safety, transport, media, meteorology, space, energy, and industry. The Kingdom participates in this session with a national delegation headed by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, with the participation of a number of government and private entities.