ITU to discuss radio frequency spectrum for satellite tracking

A United Nations agency for information and telecommunications will discuss the allocation of a global radio frequency for air-ground satellite communication following the failure of a painstaking multinational search to find a missing Malaysian airplane, government officials said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Technology said the International Telecommunications Union will first address the issue when senior officials and experts gather for a conference to be held in the South Korean port city of Busan from Oct. 20 through Nov. 7.

The radio frequency band for satellite communication was recently included on the ITU’s agenda as the International Civil Aviation Organization has been considering adopting the satellite location tracking system from next year to better locate missing planes, the ministry said.

Ground stations currently stay in contact with airplanes every 3-5 seconds to track their locations, but the system includes gaps when planes fly over isolated areas or the middle of the ocean. (Yonhap)