The Secretary–General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin has observed that the world finds itself on the cusp of a new space era, with niche satellite markets at the heart of a thriving global space economy worth nearly USD 470 billion.
She believes that this transformative moment in the space sector is not just about business opportunities, but also about addressing major global challenges like extending connectivity to everyone and making digital transformation inseparable from sustainable development.
In an address read on her behalf on the theme: Coordinating satellites for a connected future at the just-ended International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2023) in Baku, Azerbaijan, the ITU Secretary-General, explained that Satellite systems are pivotal to connecting 2.6 billion people; the world third of humanity still offline today and addressed the glaring digital divide not only across the Global South but also in rural and remote areas of developed countries.
“This makes the burgeoning space economy key to realise the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with digital solutions promising to accelerate progress on 70 per cent of the target under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Beyond broadband access, satellite constellations support the Internet of Things (IoT), earth observation, climate monitoring, and early warning systems,” she stated.
Increasingly complex radio coordination
According to Bodgan-Martin, space exploration including increasing activity on and around the Moon calls for additional radio-frequency spectrum, a finite resource that must be shared, adding that this requires updating the ITU Radio Regulations, the global treaty governing the use of spectrum and satellite orbit to allow countries worldwide to fully leverage the promise of the space economy.
“Practically all space technologies and services make use of spectrum, relying on the ITU regulatory framework to prevent harmful interference in their allocated frequencies and associated orbital slots,” Doreen Bogdan-Martin noted
“The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC‑23), starting just weeks from now in Dubai, UAE, will find 193 countries working together to reach a consensus on spectrum and orbital resource use. WRC‑23 could also bring calls for frequency assignments for ground-breaking technologies, including direct-to-device applications that could connect even the most remote areas on Earth,” she added.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
