China and Russia seek ITU study of low-orbit constellation use

The ITU Can Hear the Satellites. China and Russia Want It to Watch Where They Fly.

Why it matters

A new conference proposal asks the radio regulator to study the actual orbital layers behind low-orbit satellite filings. The signals have a map; the spacecraft need one too.

Daniel Kade25 October 2026 at 09:57 UTCReading Time 2 minLast update: 25 October 2026

Conceptual view of satellite radio links and the orbital layers they occupy.

Summary

China and Russia propose that the ITU study how low-orbit constellation filings reflect actual orbital use, including the layers satellites occupy.
Their draft asks for dialogue with agencies responsible for physical objects in space and a progress report to the 2031 Radiocommunication Assembly.

A satellite filing can describe a radio system while the satellite itself keeps moving. That sounds obvious until the paperwork and the hardware begin competing for the same orbit. China and Russia want the ITU to inspect that gap.

Their addendum to contribution 86, dated 19 October for the November Plenipotentiary Conference, proposes an urgent ITU-R study of more accurate, timely reporting on spectrum and orbit-resource use. It also calls for technical studies of orbital coordination for large non-geostationary constellations and a dialogue with agencies dealing with physical objects in space. The draft asks the Radiocommunication Bureau to report results to a later assembly, with a specific progress report to the 2031 assembly.

The sponsors' diagnosis is pointed. They say today's Radio Regulations lack provisions for managing the orbit resources associated with frequencies during satellite-network coordination. They want filings to identify which orbital layers deployed satellites actually occupy. In their account, that matters both for interference between networks and for collision risks that can make a frequency plan useless. Article 44 of the ITU Constitution already calls radio frequencies and associated satellite orbits limited resources and asks states to use them efficiently while preserving equitable access.

The proposal pushes ITU expertise toward a boundary it cannot cross alone. It specifically asks for cooperation with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and the UN space committee, and for national operators to shoulder more interference-mitigation responsibility. November's delegates will decide whether to commission the studies. The immediate demand is a better conversation between the radio filing and the physical orbit.