A changed regulatory environment for the HF services

HF propagation via the ionosphere provided the dominant means of long-distance radio communication for nearly a third of the 100 year history of radio. Today communication to long distances is largely provided by fibre, cable and satellite, but, despite the relatively narrow bandwidth and the large variability in propagation characteristics, HF continues to be important for broadcasting, fixed and mobile services. The ITU provides a regulatory environment and should ensure that services can operate and share frequency usage in a compatible manner. However several issues have now come together which make changes to the regulatory environment both desirable and necessary. These are the current budgetary constraints on the ITU, which require a concentration of the functions undertaken, the accuracy of the current databases of spectrum usage, and the developments of new and more flexible technologies