The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has participated in the second session of the 2023 Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM23-2) for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) which was held in Geneva, Switzerland from March 27 – April 6, 2023.
The event witnessed the conduction of various meetings to prepare the CPM Report for the WRC-23 and to address preparatory studies for the following Conference. The WRC is one of the most important conferences on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) calendar and is held every three to four years.
CRA was keen to attend the CPM to exchange views and experiences and participate in discussions which contribute to the development of the international Radio Regulations. The WRC reviews, and, if necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits, as well as addresses any issues concerning radiocommunication at the global level. The State of Qatar is among the ITU Member States that have signed this treaty, which obliges the signatory states to comply with the treaty provisions in accordance with the special Radio Regulations.
All the ITU Member States rely on the WRC outputs to develop their National Frequency Plans in their respective countries for the coming three to four years until the next Conference. Therefore, after the WRC, CRA publishes the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP), which is aligned with the outcomes of the WRC and considers the projects’ plans in the sectors that are critical to Qatar’s economy, as it covers all Qatar’s requirements of radio spectrum usage in different fields, such as the Information and Communications Technology (ICT), aviation, security, and energy. The NFAP is a comprehensive frequency allocation document that provides a transparent, clear, and non-discriminatory approach to the management of the radio spectrum; also, it is a guide for individuals, government, and private entities on how the frequency bands are allocated in the State of Qatar.
