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NEWS

Spectrum reform in Russia

The Russian magazine Финанс (Finance) reports on a meeting with Boris Antonyuk, Deputy Minister of IT and Communication, in its 6-12 February issue. Titled "Spectrum Conversion" ("Конверсия спектра"), Mr. Antonyuk says the ministry will present 3 important proposals to the government this quarter concerning spectrum reform:

• The first is a new draft table of frequency allocations. The current table has not been updated for about 10 years and "no longer corresponds to reality." A 2004 report by the US Embassy's Commercial Service in Moscow notes that wireless broadband development is hampered by both "cumbersome frequency regulation procedures" and "the large number of non-authorized users." Associated with the new allocation table is an expert analysis of "promising new radio applications" and their spectrum needs. A 30 million rouble contract (worth about 885,000 euros) was awarded last quarter for the production of the analysis and the revised allocations table.
• New allocations are also "inseparably connected with the conversion" of military frequency bands to civilian use. RIA News estimated last August that "the special services" have 85% of the spectrum, 5-7% is shared between government and private/commercial users, leaving just 8-10% for civilian use. So the second major project - also contracted out to consultants last quarter - is a plan for conversion.
• Any conversion plan will be difficult to "sell" to the military, as it must involve a loss of assets and significant equipment replacement costs. But the Ministry is trying to help by providing a new incentive against hoarding: the law "On Communications" passed in 2003 introduced a "charge principle": starting in 2006 all radio spectrum users in Russia must pay a spectrum use fee, even government agencies - including the "special services." The fees have not yet been set, but even so, the military objects, and getting their agreement to give up specific bands will not be easy because civilians know so little about the existing military radio systems. The National Radio Association of Russia met with them last October to begin discussing coordination and compatibility issues in bands likely to be shared by military and civilian users. They found a lack of cooperation and conflicting interpretations of the laws and principles of spectrum management.

Russian Minister of Communication Leonid Reyman said he saw drafts of the new allocations table and the analysis of promising new radio applications late last year. These will be presented to the first meeting in 2006 of the interdepartmental committee on frequency management for further refinement. That meeting will also discuss user fees and the problem of spectrum conversion.

No doubt about it: 2006 will be an interesting, difficult - and crucial - year for spectrum reform in Russia.

[Spectrum Reform: 9 February 2006]