Development and Use of the Computer Software Package for Planning the 12 GHz Broadcasting-Satellite Service at RARC '83

An extensive computer software package was developed for use at RARC '83, the 1983 Regional Administrative Radio Conference, to plan the broadcasting-satellite service at 12 GHz in Region 2 (the western hemisphere). A panel of experts from eight Region 2 administrations was responsible for the software development. The software used at the conference was the product of cooperative combined efforts in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This software package, or portions of it, was used in Geneva during the conference by three independent computer systems: the official one at the ITU, one used by the Canadian delegation, and one used by the United States delegation. Towards the end of the conference, these three systems, and the efforts of planners of several delegations, were combined in just the right mixture to produce the high-capacity flexible plan that was agreed to by the Region 2 administration. This paper describes in some detail the developed software package and its use at the conference.