International Air Transport Association

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International Air Transport Association
8.33 KHz Channel Spacing Status, Lessons
Learned and a Glimpse to the Future
by Steve ZerkowitzAssistant Director Operations
and Infrastructure - Europe
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1. The Decision

• ICAO EUR RAN 1994 To address the VHF frequency
  shortage, introduce 8.33 kHz channel spacing
• ICAO COM OPS 1995
• EANPG 1995 gt EUROCONTROL
• In Upper Airspace Only
• In the Core Area of Europe Only
• Recognized as interim measure only

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2. What was wrong with this decision?

• What is the definition of Upper Airspace?
• Core area only?
• If this is an interim measure only, what happens
  afterwards?
• Clearly, the intention was to save money, but
• Local solution with global impact
• Is history about to repeat itself in the US??

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3. Deadlines and Delays

• Original deadline 1 January 1998
• First revised deadline 1 January 1999
• Second revised deadline 7 October 1999
• Successful implementation on 7 October 1999

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4. Why delays?

• First delay timescale was simply too ambitious
• Second delay lack of consistent European rule
  making and rule promulgation
• Lack of equipment, delays in certification, late
  ordering
• Delays in spite of mandate
• Without a mandate, process would have stalled

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5. Correcting the mistakes of the original
decision- 1

• Carriage of equipment in the whole of the ICAO
  EUR Region, with exemptions where 8.33 was not
  yet needed
• Use ICAO definition of Upper Airspace (adjust
  National procedures where needed)
• Life beyond 8.33 still not addressed!

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6. Correcting the mistakes of the original
decision- 2

• More recently.
• ENPRM
• EUROCONTROL High Level Communications Group

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7. EUROCONTROL Project Management - 1

• Textbook example of best possible practice in a
  very difficult environment
• 8.33 PMC
• 8.33 Retrofit Group
• 8.33 Contact Persons Group
• Close contact with airspace users organizations
  and other stake holders
• Technical, safety and operational aspects all
  addressed
• Information promulgation traditional methods
  plus 8.33 User Guide and web site

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8. EUROCONTROL Project Management - 2

• Measuring the rate of equipage
• Direct and indirect methods
• CFMU role essential
• Procedures for keeping the 8.33 kHz airspace
  clean of unequipped aircraft
• Catching the cheaters firm approach
• Help from CFMU as good as they come. BUT!
• Other internal differences successfully overcome

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9. Impact on the airspace users

• 10.000 aircraft equipped
• Is there a business case for 8.33 kHz?
• Quantifying benefits very difficult
• What do we get for this massive investment (/-
  390m)?

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10. Spectrum benefits

• 39 new channels created due to 8.33 kHz
• 113 channels are now using 8.33 frequencies
• 74 of these already existed in 25 kHz
• opportunity for additional 40 channels
• Less time effort to allocate new channels
• overlaps in 25 kHz environment meant that new
  channels only supported by shifting
• ICAO FMG unable to satisfy demand prior to 8.33
• 25 kHz spectrum freed

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11. Operational benefits

• 8.33 kHz is an enabler for timely operational
  improvements
• Re-sectorization France, Germany, Switzerland,
  Maastricht
• Airspace reorganisation in support of RVSM
  other initiatives
• Spare frequencies to overcome interference
  France
• Lower airspace services (supported by freed 25
  kHz spectrum)

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12. Issues remaining (but being addressed)

• States must act on frequency management requests
• 25 to 8.33 conversion is not always
  straightforward (carrier offset/levels/coupling,
  etc)
• New channel is of no use if there is a lack of
  controllers
• Radio control panel (6 digits)
• Phraseology
• More transparency is needed of how new channels
  are being used

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13. The Future - 1

• Horizontal Expansion
• 8.33 kHz channel-spacing horizontal expansion
  requires the co-ordinated removal of exemptions
  from 21 States on 31 October 2002.
• 8.33 kHz will be progressively implemented after
  31 October 2002
• Enables homogeneous area of operations for
  aircraft carriage
• Introduction of 8.33 kHz in the OPC band?

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8.33 Expansion - Simulation Results
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14. The Future -2

• Vertical expansion?
• One more interim measure
• Additional aircraft population involved is very
  large and diverse
• Is it worth it?
• Time for a quantum leap?
• EUROCONTROLs Wide Band initiative

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15. The Future - 3

• We need a thick pipe between the ground and the
  air, to exchange information
• The cockpit is no longer the only place in the
  aircraft that has to communicate
• Combine and save?

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16. The Future - 4

• A possible way ahead
• Maximize the benefits from 8.33 horizontal
  expansion and other means to ensure that we get
  sufficient spectrum capacity until new technology
  kicks in
• Accelerate decision on, and development of, new
  communications technology and implement as soon
  as possible

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17. Quantum leap?

• Compare even the most modern VHF radio and the
  method of communicating with it to the advances
  made in the rest of the cockpit
• QUANTUM LEAP OR JUST
  CATCHING UP????