| Description: | Radio astronomy was recognized as a passive service by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 1959. Since then, spectrum bands important to the Radio Astronomy Service (RAS) have been allocated in the table of frequency allocations through the consecutive World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs). WRCs are held in cycles every 3-5 years to update the radio regulations and harmonize the spectrum usage globally. The most recent WRC was held in Dubai, UAE at the end of the year 2023 over 4 weeks, where CRAF participated as a sector member in ITU. The conference decided on several topics related to the RAS protection from the rapidly evolving radiocommunication services. Among these topics are the mobile service operations in the upper 6 GHz band, the protection of RAS from satellite constellations, the UHF band review, the recognition of space weather sensors, and lunar communications. The outcome of WRC-23 for radio astronomy was generally positive in many aspects and subject to follow-up actions in some others. The WRC-23 outcomes and its future consequences on radio astronomy will be presented. |
