KYOTO (WiMAX Day). At a meeting in Japan last week, the Radiocommunication Sector Working Party (ITU-R) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommended “a new terrestrial radio interface for IMT-2000, ‘OFDMA TDD WMAN’ as a specific subset of WiMAX.”

“This new terrestrial radio interface complements the existing family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces and is in direct response to the demands of ITU Members to address the continuously growing wireless marketplace,” stated an ITU press release.

The ITU-R recommendation proposes that WiMAX technologies be approved as an IMT-2000 radio technology, which is the same category that defines 3G radio technologies required for the allocation of radio spectrum. The recommendation comes as a result of intense lobbying by the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE, despite contrary efforts by the 3G industry.

The process now will advance to Geneva in three weeks when the ITU Study Group 8 (SG8) will consider approval of the recommendation, and then the World Radio Conference (WRC-07). A final approval of this recommendation with the SG8 will mean “WiMAX will be part of the IMT-2000 family when IMT spectrum allocation is being discussed at WRC-07 in October,” according to PolicyTracker.

Spectrum allocation is crucial for WiMAX around the world. Inclusion in the IMT-2000 interface will enable WiMAX technologies to be eligible for radio spectrum otherwise reserved for IMT-2000 under previous classifications. In particular, the spectrum 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz is reserved for use with IMT-2000 in many countries around the world, and is also a primary spectrum band for mobile WiMAX.

While many countries have decided that this spectrum band should be opened on a “technology neutral” basis, many still will only allocate spectrum based on ITU recommendations.

The recommendation for WiMAX in IMT-2000 also positions the technology for inclusion in the definition of IMT-Advanced, which seeks to define 4G technologies. The ITU noted that its recommendation last week would “establish the foundation for IMT-Advanced, and call for additional spectrum for IMT. It has woven together a definition, a recipe, and a roadmap foreseeing the future beyond 3G that is comprised of a balance between a market and services view, a technology view, and a spectrum view.”