Bharat B Bhatia appointed vice chairman and editorial chair of Asia-Pacific telecommunity's WRC-27 preparatory group

New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): The ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) has announced the appointment of its President, Bharat B Bhatia, as a Vice Chairman and Chair of the Editorial Committee of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity's Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-27 (APG-27).

IAFI works to encourage the involvement of professionals and various organisations in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT).

The nomination, proposed by the Chairman of APG27, was endorsed unanimously by the Heads of Delegation of 30 Asian countries.

The appointment was officially confirmed during the plenary session held on July 28 in Pattaya, Thailand, the IAFI said in a statement.

Bharat B Bhatia's new role as Editorial Chair is seen as a recognition of India's growing technical expertise and leadership in the international telecommunications landscape.

Commenting on his appointment, Bhatia said, "Being entrusted with the Chair of the Editorial Committee at APG-27 is both a deep honour and a reflection of India's serious commitment to global spectrum governance. This recognition underscores the technical rigour and spirit of collaboration that IAFI brings to every international telecom forum."

The 2nd Meeting of APG-27 (APG27-2), being held from July 28 to August 1, marks a pivotal moment in India's expanding influence in international spectrum policy.

Established at the inaugural APG-27 meeting in Shanghai in June 2024, APG-27 serves as Asia-Pacific's coordinating body to develop regional consensus and common proposals on all spectrum regulations that will be considered at WRC-27, in particular spectrum for 6G and Direct to Device satellite services, among other 25 agenda items.

India, through IAFI, submitted 20 detailed contributions covering WRC-27 Agenda Items 1.1 to 1.19 and Item 8. These inputs, finalised during India's National Preparatory Committee (NPC) meeting on July 11 and submitted by July 18, emphasised key issues such as IMT spectrum sharing studies, the inclusion of 6425-7125 MHz bands in Footnote 5.457D, and opposition to agenda items that could affect critical radio altimeter operations. Many of India's proposals were accepted with only minor editorial changes. (ANI)

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