READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT:
HOW THE ARRC SHOULD PLAN
FOR SPECTRUM USE
Captain Eric Copeland, United States Army
All military personnel have been involved in a situation where they could not
communicate on their military-issued radios. While this could be due to operator error
or line of sight interference, imagine if it was because an operator’s radio frequency was
interfering with civilian television station broadcasting.
What if every time one pressed the push-
to-talk button to speak, the television
station in a nearby house ‘blipped’ or an
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle lost its signal
because the frequencies were crossed?
The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) is
a vital part of operational planning and
requires dedicated management and
consideration when conducting any
operation.
Spectrum
management
is
more
important today than ever before due to
rapid commercial and military technology
evolution over the past two decades,
which has allowed for new capabilities
that have stretched the limits of
operational capacity. While many would
see this development as a positive, it
has put an increased strain on spectrum
management, especially within the
military. Defined, the spectrum is the entire
range of wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation. 1 All communications assets
used today produce some sort of radio
wave, from satellites and mobile phones
to televisions and microwaves. In order
to achieve operational success it is
crucial that a spectrum manager ensure
that coordination with a host country has
been conducted, and that frequencies
are assigned and used appropriately
to avoid unintended interferences and,
ultimately, a communications failure.
Spectrum as a Resource
When people think of natural resources
they automatically think of things that
they can physically touch, such as water
or oil. Although less tangible, the EMS
is equally a natural resource and must
always be viewed as such. Frequencies
are a finite resource and, consequently,
competition for them will be subject to
supply and demand. In total there are
193 countries and more than 800 private
entities that belong to the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2 The
ITU is an organisation that is dedicated
to providing the world with the global
radio spectrum. It develops the technical
standards that ensure networks can
interconnect and improves access
to information and communications
technologies
in
under-developed
countries. 3
The ITU and its members hold a
conference every four years to discuss
current and future spectrum needs and
to resolve current interferences, as well
as address spectrum between countries.
The EMS ranges from 3 KHz to 300
GHz and includes all radio frequencies.
In addition, government and private
entities present future technologies
to request that radio frequencies be
allocated for their device(s) to use.
These technologies range from military
equipment to new mobile phones that
companies such as Samsung or Apple
are developing. For any new technology
to be developed, it should be presented
at the ITU conference. Military leaders
need to become more proactive in
developing their technologies. At the
same time, governments around the
world must realise it is in their own best
interest not to sell off the entire spectrum
and to reserve some for current and
future technologies in the defence
industry.
The Congested Spectrum
The amount of useable spectrum is
decreasing every year as technology
is rapidly evolving, requiring more
frequency
allocations.
When
the
spectrum is not coordinated properly it
causes interference, which must be de-
conflicted through coordination with host
countries and spectrum managers. Some
interference is intentional. For example,
when an adversary uses electronic
warfare tools, such as jammers, to
contest the electromagnetic environment
1 “Spectrum,” Oxford Living Dictionary, accessed December 12, 2018, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spectrum
2 “About International Telecommunications Union (ITU),” International Telecommunications Union, accessed December 12, 2018, https://www.itu.int/en/about/Pages/default.aspx.
3 “About International Telecommunications Union (ITU).”
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