Frequency Regulation

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Contents

1 Preface

The frequency band accessible for radar applications strongly depend on the type of application for emitter, transmitter, and receiver set-ups. A generalized answer or even warranty for the successful license of a radar sensor cannot be given at this place. Therefore we encourage our customers to contact their certification body in an early stage of the design phase!

However, the first introduction on frequency band regulation as it applies to radar sensors shall be given at this place. Integrated Circuits for Short Range Devices (SRD), as manufactured by Silicon Radar, address a frequency range starting from below 10 GHz up to 325 GHz, commonly known as radio frequencies.

Detailed information on radio frequency allocation is given by several standardization bodies which publish tables and overview documents for the region of their responsibility. Here the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) addresses three regions of countries in Europe, America, and Asia which are summarized in the following chart: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/terrestrial/broadcast/PublishingImages/bcd%20images/ITU%20regions.jpg Local differences between individual countries need to be taken into consideration too - again standardization remains an ongoing challenge. Nevertheless, there is a tendency for harmonization of frequency allocations.

2 Sensor Application and Range of Operation Frequency

The scope of the sensor application strongly determines which regulation of operation frequency applies. The frequency regulation distinguishes among others between application purposes such as for amateur, non-specific SRD, radiolocation, level probing radar (LPR), and tank level probing radar (TLPR). For SRD it is often attractive to deploy frequencies of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency bands which are centered around 24.15 GHz, 61.25 GHz, 122.65 GHz, and 245.00 GHz. A complete overview of bandwidth details on page https://siliconradar.com/wiki/ISM_Bands. In frequency tables of national and international regulators, details about ISM frequency are often summarized in the annex under amendments No. 1.138 and 1.150.

For applications such as tank level probing radar (TLPR) more relaxed frequency restrictions apply. But, as soon as the sensor application also covers open reservoirs and basins these limits narrow again (LPR). In such an application landscape the design of adaptive sensor solutions proves to be advantageous. Finally, it should be mentioned, that well-shielded test labs and devices for R&D investigations may provide further frequency options. However, a prior, careful and comprehensive review for every application shall be mandatory for sensor developments.

3 Summary of World Regions Frequency Allocation

The frequency map is subdivided into three world regions which are displayed e.g. in https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/terrestrial/broadcast/PublishingImages/bcd%20images/ITU%20regions.jpg

An overview of Frequency Allocations in all three world regions for a frequency range from 10 to 275 GHz can be found in https://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/resource/e/search/share/pdf/t3.pdf

A graphical summary on frequency assignment for the three world regions has been summarized as a white paper and is available as a download here [registration for download required]: https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/de/loesungen/test-and-measurement/aerospace-defense/radarmesstechnik-messtechnik-fuer-elektronische-operationsfuehrung/spectrum-allocation-poster-radar_250982.html

4 International Country List

Some webpages offer an overview to frequency allocation tables of specific countries, worldwide

Source #1 https://www.efis.dk/sitecontent.jsp?sitecontent=noncept

Source #2 http://www.aptafis.org/

Source #3 http://www.grss-ieee.org/frequency_allocations.html

Source #4 https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs/lorawan/frequencies-by-country.html

5 European Area

For the European area, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) publishes an overview on regulations concerning the radio frequencies here http://www.ok2kkw.com/00003016/ctu/ercrep025.pdf

More selective an information system for the ITU-Region 1 provides details for the country and frequency range of interest in a web-based inquiry system under https://www.efis.dk/view/compare-applications.do

Turkey - Additional information on frequency deployment for Turkey can be found on page https://www.btk.gov.tr/milli-frekans-plani under Milli Frekans Planı, stored in URL: https://www.ab.gov.tr/files/tarama/tarama_files/10/SC10DET_09-RadioSpectrum.pdf

Russia provides this information as a table at following places - http://docs.cntd.ru/document/561295589 and https://cdnimg.rg.ru/pril/63/38/06/1049-34_ch2.pdf and as frequency map here - https://4ham.ru/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tabl_chastot_rf.jpg

6 North America

The USA - The summary for the American market is published, among others, in the frequency table of US authority FCC in the ONLINE TABLE OF FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS open to the public under https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/spectrum/table/fcctable.pdf An overview on one page is given in a spectrum wall chart under https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/january_2016_spectrum_wall_chart.pdf

Canada supports its own frequency table under http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10759.html

7 Asia-Pacific & Oceania

A web platform to access information on selected countries of Asia and beyond (ITU-Region 3) is available here - http://www.aptafis.org/. Furthermore, a table with the status and the outlook of frequency allocations for short-range devices is summarized in a table under http://www.aptafis.org/matrixviewer.jsp?annex=17

Some countries shall be highlighted here separately:

People's Republic of China provides an overview subdivided into sections for Mainland China, Hongkong, Macao, and ITU Region 3 as a reference here: http://www.srrc.org.cn/kindeditor/attached/file/20190704/20190704100047_2979.pdf.

In parallel for the Taiwanese area, an English edition is distributed here - https://www.ncc.gov.tw/english/files/07060/92_070605_1.pdf

India - https://dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/NFAP%202018.pdf?download=1

Japan - https://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/e/adm/freq/search/myuse/0002/index.htm with a summary of the radar frequency allocations above 10 GHz as wall chart in https://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/resource/e/search/myuse/use0303/10g.pdf

Singapore has published its frequency regulation in tables https://www.imda.gov.sg/-/media/imda/files/regulation-licensing-and-consultations/frameworks-and-policies/spectrum-management-and-coordination/spectrummgmthb.pdf?la=en and as chart under https://www.imda.gov.sg/-/media/imda/files/regulation-licensing-and-consultations/frameworks-and-policies/spectrum-management-and-coordination/spectrumchart.pdf?la=en

8 Middle and South America

9 Middle East

10 Africa

A group of 15 southern African countries [remark #1] have published the SADC Frequency Allocation Plan (SADC FAP) for frequencies between 8.3 kHz and 100 GHz in Maseru, Lesotho in May 2013 - https://www.crasa.org/common_up/crasa-setup/12-03-2015_SADC%20FREQUENCY%20BAND%20%202013.pdf

Furthermore, countries publish their regulation plan for frequency allocation separately hereafter

Morocco - https://www.anrt.ma/sites/default/files/ANRT-Maroc-Plan-national-frequences-2013.pdf and a revised version https://www.anrt.ma/sites/default/files/pnf-2018_0.pdf

Libyan - http://cim.gov.ly/uploads/LNFP_PC_english.pdf

Kenya - http://ictregulationtoolkit.org/action/document/download?document_id=3759

Uganda - https://www.ucc.co.ug/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Uganda-Table-of-Frequency-Allocation_SEPTEMBER-2017.pdf

South Africa - http://www.southernyachting.co.za/uploads/8/1/2/9/8129491/icasa_notice_890_of_2008.pdf


Remark #1:

Participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

11 Australia & New Zealand

12 Earth-Satellite, Orbit and Deep Space

Due to the low attenuation and dramatic distances, a deployment of RF devices in space applications requires special care in order to keep the accumulated radiation load at a minimum.

Earth-Satellite: Some information on frequencies used between Satellites and Earth Surface is described in https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/space/snl/Documents/ITU-Space_reg.pdf, for the well-known broadcaster frequencies cf. page 10.

Orbit: Satellite communication is a topic of ongoing discussion, currently fostered by the expansion of non-geostationary satellite systems in MEGA constellations. Information and discussion of satellite communication frequencies are coordinated by ITU's Space Services Department (SSD), cf. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/space/Pages/default.aspx. The activities are described in a number of presentations of the ITU such as in the slide show under https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/CRSRA/pdf/ITU_SPECTRUM_REGULATION.pdf. Already applied frequencies can found using the request pages such as https://www.itu.int/snl/freqtab_snl.html.

Deep Space: Radio Astronomy applications require a selected table of frequencies, most often defined by resonance frequencies of molecules. Therefore artificial transmitter shall omit such frequencies and the vicinity of such characteristic frequencies as listed e.g. under https://www.craf.eu/iau-list-of-important-spectral-lines/

13 Outlook: ITU Conference WRC-19 & Beyond

New information and final releases are also expected from the conference of the ITU conference on radio regulations World Radio communication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 28 October to 22 November 2019. Details of the conference can be found in https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/2019/Pages/default.aspx

Several preparatory considerations were summarized beforehand, e.g. in https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/seminars/rrs/2019-Africa/SeminarDay1/3.1.%20RRS-19-Africa%20WRCs.pdf

Some results are covered in https://techblog.comsoc.org/2019/11/22/wrc-19-wrap-up-additional-spectrum-allocations-agreed-for-imt-2020-5g-mobile/ and in a provisional final acts frequency listing to be found under https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/act/R-ACT-WRC.13-2019-PDF-E.pdf

Further activities and ongoing work are bundled in and will be published from study groups. An overview of study groups can be found on https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/study-groups/Pages/default.aspx Activities include topics like "frequency regulation such as for the consideration of sharing and adjacent-band compatibility between passive and active services above 71 GHz".

Furthermore, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also work on a number of new regulations which shall foster the introduction of a harmonized spectrum for sensor or radiodetermination applications of Short Range Devices (SRD) using UWB technology within the frequency range 120 GHz to 260 GHz, available under https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_tr/103400_103499/103498/01.01.01_60/tr_103498v010101p.pdf.

14 Disclaimer

The information above is given for orientation, only. It cannot replace individual information and efforts for the release of sensor solutions on the customer side. No warranty is given, errors and omissions excepted.