By Amara Osei

Fifteen European administrations have taken opposite sides on whether WRC-31 should reopen the 470–694 MHz UHF band. The split emerged at the fifth meeting of CEPT's Conference Preparatory Group Project Team C in Athens this week, where delegates are drafting Europe's brief for WRC-27 agenda item 10 — the item that sets the agenda for the next conference.

CEPT currently supports three preliminary WRC-31 items and opposes four. The supported list covers Earth exploration-satellite uplinks at 22.55–23.15 GHz, EESS downlinks around 40 GHz, and inter-satellite links in the 3/6 GHz C-band. It opposes active services at 275–325 GHz, EESS at 3 GHz, spaceborne synthetic aperture radar at 10 GHz, and IMT in 102–275 GHz. The UHF item, preliminary item 2.14, sits in neither list yet.

Why is the UHF band back on the table?

WRC-23 gave most CEPT countries a secondary mobile allocation across 470–694 MHz and asked WRC-31 to consider regulatory action, including a review of the mobile allocation in 614–694 MHz. Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands want CEPT to support the item — and widen its scope so WRC-31 can review a mobile allocation across the full 470–694 MHz range for countries that choose it.

They argue a co-primary mobile allocation would let countries keeping digital terrestrial television after 2030 keep it, while freeing others for broadband public protection and disaster relief, military and other mobile uses. Without change, they say, the band "or part of it, will not be used effectively in all countries."

Nine administrations disagree — Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Spain and Vatican City. They want CEPT to oppose the item, keep the mandate limited to 614–694 MHz, and defer it beyond WRC-31. Their reasoning is procedural and rather hard to argue with: two European processes haven't finished. CEPT's Working Group FM is building a flexible-use toolbox due in June 2028, and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group expects to deliver an opinion on alternative sub-700 MHz uses in February 2028. Fixing WRC-31 terms before either lands, they say, is premature.

Broadcasters side with the south. The European Broadcasting Union said in its response to the European Commission's call for evidence that it "does not support the inclusion" of the item on the WRC-31 agenda, calling 470–694 MHz the only band left for DTT in most EU member states and noting audio PMSE uses it in every EU country. Its conditions for any item that does proceed: broadcasting must not be constrained where member states need it, and no country should be blocked from reserving enough spectrum for PMSE.

Can direct-to-device move above 3 GHz?

Luxembourg has proposed a WRC-31 item to study new mobile-satellite service allocations for satellite D2D in 3400–4200 MHz, 5470–5850 MHz and 5925–6725 MHz, or parts of them. Its argument: the FDD bands under WRC-27 agenda item 1.13, between 698 MHz and 2.7 GHz, won't support broadband D2D at scale, because terrestrial operators buying D2D capacity will keep using that spectrum themselves. Today's services mostly manage emergency messaging and low data rates.

The proposed bands sit within 3GPP's FR1 range, which Luxembourg says balances antenna size, link budget and atmospheric loss for standard handsets. The overlap with Europe's 3.4–3.8 GHz 5G band and its 5 GHz and lower 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum makes a fight likely. Italy is open to the idea, but only with clearly defined scope and technical assumptions, applying "same service, same rules" to interference and protection.

What else is on the satellite list?

Preliminary item 2.9, covering new RNSS allocations in 5030–5250 MHz and proposed at ESA's initiative, keeps growing. Germany wants to add bands from 137 MHz up to 5925 MHz to support narrowband LEO PNT systems for indoor positioning. France will propose VHF and UHF bands at ITU-R WP 4C's meeting in Geneva from 7 to 16 October, plus 5725–5850 MHz and a secondary-allocation upgrade at 14.3–14.4 GHz. Italy backs the item — partly for ESA's Moonlight lunar programme — if incumbents face no new constraints.

The UK and Luxembourg have drafted a resolution to lift limits on non-geostationary FSS systems at 18.6–18.8 GHz, 19.3–19.7 GHz and 29.1–29.5 GHz. Current rules confine NGSO use of 18.6–18.8 GHz to systems above 20,000 km — a limit set at WRC-2000 for, they note, largely historical reasons. The aim is full Ka-band harmonisation for LEO and MEO operators.

And yes, space-based solar power got a briefing. The UK and Luxembourg cited a megawatt pilot plant in LEO planned for 2031 and commercial systems by the early 2030s, linked to APT's preliminary item 2.2 on wireless power transmission at 2.45 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 10 GHz. The Athens meeting runs this week; Europe's final positions harden well before WRC-27 itself.