January 31, 2020 Appeal for Opinions on Draft Ministerial Ordinance for Partial Revision of Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act

Introduction of Inmarsat BGAN to Aircraft Earth Station

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has decided to make an appeal for opinions from Saturday, February 1 through Monday, March 2, 2020, on a ministerial ordinance that will partially revise the Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act for institutional development for the introduction of the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN).

1. Overview

With regard to aircraft earth stations that perform radio communication related to the safe operation or normal operation of aircraft, in 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) approved the use of the Inmarsat BGAN (Swift Broadband), the Inmarsat’s fourth-generation system (currently available only as a mobile earth station in Japan). This system has already been used overseas as Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-Safety.
MIC has drafted a ministerial ordinance that will partially revise the Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act for institutional development for the introduction of the system.

2. Subjects

  • 1.
    Draft ministerial ordinance for the partial revision of the Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act.
  • 2.
    Draft notice for the partial revision of MPT Notice 302 of 1993 (specifying frequencies that ship earth stations and coast earth stations must constantly monitor and those that ship earth stations and coast earth stations must monitor).
  • 3.
    Draft notice for the partial revision of MIC notice No. 344 of 2005 (the case where the radio equipment of foreign radio stations conforms to the technical standards equivalent to those set forth in Chapter 3 of the Radio Act).
  • 4.
    Draft notice to specify the technical conditions of the radio facilities of aircraft earth station based on the provisions of Article 24, paragraph 28 and Article 45, paragraph 23, item 3 of the Ordinance Regulating Radio Equipment (Regulation No. 18 of the Radio Control Committee of 1950).

3. Submission period

From Saturday, February 1, and no later than Monday, March 2, 2020 (Opinions, if submitted by mail, must arrive no later than the same day.)

4. Future plans

With consideration of the result of opinions received and a report from the Radio Regulatory Council, MIC will revise the relevant ministerial ordinance and notices.

Contact

For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
https://www.soumu.go.jp/common/english_opinions.html

International Policy Division, Global Strategy Bureau, MIC

TEL: +81 3 5253 5920

FAX: +81 3 5253 5924