Frequency allocation table publisher

Customer: BAKOM, the national regulator
Location: Switzerland

Challenges:

National Governments are responsible for managing the radio spectrum to ensure its use conforms with international treaty obligations. Spectrum plans are created to meet government policies and targets, and a Frequency Allocation Table (FAT) illustrates how the spectrum is allocated for each country. Swiss national regulator, BAKOM turned to ATDI to provide a frequency allocation solution which allowed them to publish FAT and RIR and share the outputs with stakeholders both internally and externally. 

Switzerland shares borders on all sides of the country, making spectrum allocation information for both national and international stakeholders important.  

Approach: 

The solution allows spectrum users to search for allocations and prioritise spectrum use for military, security and civil applications. The user needed an intuitive interface to display, review and modify spectrum records and classify them by format, including exclusive bands, receive-only and license-free bands. 

In addition, edit features were developed to allow users to add new frequency records and track changes through the spectrum lifecycle. Features included the ability to modify records, alter text styles and display and edit with custom filters. Allocations and applications can be exported in different formats, for editing with custom filters. The search function can also detect documents and RIR not referenced by a frequency band. 

Solution:

ATDI developed ICS RF-allocations which publishes Frequency Allocation Tables (FAT) and Radio Interface Regulations (RIR). This can be used as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in to ICS Manager, ATDI’s automated spectrum management solution. 

Its editor functions allow regulators to create compatible FATs for comparison with other national regulators. The software features an integrated cartography engine that displays stations on a map for any given service or frequency band, both nationally and internationally. ICS RF-allocations features a powerful engine that enables regulators to build and publish detailed documentation about the national FAT, enabling spectrum users to search allocations for any area or country.

The project was delivered as one solution, with two components: a FAT and RIR editor and a web-page publisher. 

The BAKOM solution featured:

• A customisable matrix for frequency assignment to display stations on a map for both national and international assignments;
• Integrated databases providing a dedicated data store for easy updating, searching and removing the risk of duplications and errors;
• Automated data exchange with EFIS and import of ART 5 for WRC-19 to ensure the data is compatible with ITU requirements. Data exchange with EFIS is obligatory and is often overlooked by regulators. This feature simplified the process and ensured compliance;
• One-click solution to create reports in various formats. This unique, time-saving feature enabled the users to create reports by using pre-defined report templates which are then automatically published;
• Ability to personalise FAT management and integrated decision processes to meet the organisation needs;
• Clear division between civil security and military spectrum;
• Ability to divide and merge bands and add different entries per band including RIRs, footnotes, hyperlinks to ensure a complete picture of spectrum bands is created.

Conclusion:

This easy to use application offered real benefits to internal and external users. It supports the creation and modification of existing tables for publication, improving previous practices and saving time and resources. ICS RF Allocations supports BAKOM’s decision making process by providing a clear and up-to-date view of the spectrum use. It supports fair competition in the market by providing public access to records. External users can search for frequencies by service and frequency band, as well as cross-border, allowing a quick view of spectrum usage in an area of interest.