From 3 to 5 December 2025, the First Interregional Information Session of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is taking place in Geneva (Swiss Confederation). The event is dedicated to launching discussions on updates to the existing frequency allocation. The delegation of Ukraine is headed by the First Deputy Chair of the National Council, Valentyn Koval. The Ukrainian delegation also includes experts in the fields of electronic communications and radio frequency spectrum planning.
The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) is held every four years and sets the rules for the use of radio frequencies worldwide and formalizes agreements that influence technological development for years to come. Radio waves are used in many areas of human life — from television, radio, and mobile communications to less obvious services such as meteorological service or the management of signalling systems on railway lines. To ensure that these systems in different countries do not interfere with one another, a coordinated international frequency-planning policy is essential. The WRC is the main platform where States adopt decisions on the efficient and safe use of radio frequencies at the global level.
“Radio waves are primarily governed by the laws of physics and, ultimately, by national regulations. This is what makes international coordination particularly important. What is not regulated creates space for the development of new technologies. An example of this is the emergence of the Starlink system, which initially operated in unregulated frequency bands, forcing the international frequency community to urgently develop a common position,” said Valentin Koval.
For Ukraine, which is not a leader in the production of radio equipment, participation in the discussion of certain issues is fundamental. First, we are on the border between two regional groups, each of which has its own views on many issues – between CEPT (the European group, of which we are a part) and RSS (which includes Russia and Belarus). Secondly, the war imposes its own characteristics on the use of certain frequencies and on the protection of other frequencies from interference.
“Even in the field of physics, Russians occasionally try to find a place to promote their political goals. At one such conference in recent years, the Russian delegation raised the issue of introducing the term ‘territories with disputed status’, thus sidestepping the issue of the arbitrariness of Russian communications operators in the temporarily occupied territories. Therefore, at this conference, we are also trying to keep an eye on the political aspects,” clarified the First deputy Chair of the National Council.
The current session in Geneva is the beginning of discussions on updates to the existing frequency allocation. ITU Member States discuss research findings and technological developments. All these materials will be reviewed at the level of national communications administrations, agreed upon within regional groups, and will form the basis for subsequent preparatory conferences.
The final discussion and adoption of updated decisions on the global allocation of radio frequencies is scheduled for October–November 2027, when the World Radiocommunication Conference will be held in Shanghai.
