SADC Unifies Position for WRC-27

Luanda: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) approved a report in Luanda on Friday harmonizing the region's position for the upcoming preparatory stages of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), to be held in Shanghai, China. The approved document outlines the creation of an intergovernmental organization named "SADC Satellite," with the code AGLSGS. According to Angola Press News Agency, this information was announced by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Miguel Joo, during the closing remarks of the 3rd Preparatory Meeting for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, held in Luanda from the 3rd to the 7th of this month. The report represents the political and technical outcome of the meeting and will serve as the basis for SADC's negotiations at the 3rd African Preparatory Meeting, scheduled for Tanzania, and the African spectrum management conference to be held in Tunisia. The Angolan representative noted that the established objective s were fully achieved, thanks to the high technical level of the debates and the spirit of compromise demonstrated by the 16 delegations, which balanced distinct national interests regarding highly complex issues. He also highlighted that experts conducted in-depth studies on fixed-satellite services, mobile services, and spectrum allocation for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)-a key factor for 5G expansion and 6G preparation. Miguel Joo explained that the experts concluded that without harmonized and accessible spectrum, SADC would be unable to connect its rural and remote areas or reduce data costs, which remain a major barrier to digital inclusion in the region. On that occasion, Dick Sono, Deputy Director-General of South Africa's Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, called on regulators from member countries to transform spectrum into affordable data for citizens. He highlighted the increase in female participation in the process from 23 percent to 26 percent, with a targe t of reaching 30 percent by the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference. Meanwhile, Samkeliso Shongwe, chair of the 3rd SADC Preparatory Meeting for WRC-27, emphasized the intensity of the discussions, highlighting the roles played by rapporteurs, chapter coordinators, experts, and industry representatives, whose contributions enabled a more informed and well-grounded decision. The strategic project will be launched under the technical leadership of Angola-through INACOM-with key objectives that include achieving space sovereignty, reducing reliance on foreign satellites, and ensuring coverage for TV, internet, and emergency communications services. The SADC dossier will now proceed to the 3rd African Preparatory Meeting in Tanzania, followed by the 11th African Spectrum Management Conference in Tunisia.