Bolivia's President H.E. Mr. Evo Morales Ayma visited ITU to meet with ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré. The President discussed Bolivia’s filing for an orbital position for its geostationary communication's satellite.

As the arc of interest for a geostationary satellite orbital position for Bolivia is quite crowded, it would require complex coordination to achieve agreement for the mutual operation of all communication satellites in the region. Mr. Valery Timofeev, Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau assured the President that ITU will do its utmost to assist the Government of Bolivia, but reiterated that in order to avoid interference and possible future complications, the task at hand would be meticulous and time consuming.

President Morales, Dr. Touré and Mr. Timofeev agreed to hold tripartite discussions with the Bolivian Government, ITU and industry to find the best technical solutions. It is likely that President Morales will announce the launch date of the satellite at the next ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Veracruz, Mexico in October 2010 or earlier.

Satellite communication is of vital interest to the social, economic and cultural needs of the people of Bolivia, a landlocked country of vast ethnic and geographical diversity stretching from low-lying salt flats and deep Amazon forests to high Andean mountains. Noting that Bolivia is made up of 36 nations of indigenous peoples, President Morales said that a modern, accessible and dynamic telecommunication system with Internet access is a key element in addressing the challenges of poverty, exclusion and isolation particularly among the indigenous population of the country. "There is no denying that such access would equip them with modern tools for overcoming poverty, supporting integration, production, education, technology-transfer processes and a range of social services," said President Morales. At the same time, he recognized that Bolivia enjoys "an incomparable geostrategic position as it is located in the heart of South America, enabling it to serve as an integrating hub for all forms of communication imaginable."

The ITU Radiocommunication Bureau has been working to provide technical support to the Government of Bolivia in the identification of an appropriate orbital position to be used by their future satellite communications network. The studies recall the international rights and obligations of Member States pertinent to the application of the ITU Radio Regulations (the international treaty governing the use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbit resources). ITU's feasibility study has also identified options relating to the availability of orbital slots and frequency bands associated with the different procedures contained in the Radio Regulations, which could be considered by Bolivia for its satellite network. Options related to the implementation of the Bolivian satellite orbital positions are associated with the existing Plans in the Radio Regulations:

• The fixed-satellite service Plan contains a national allotment for Bolivia at the orbital position of 34.8° W in the 4/6 and 10-11/13 GHz frequency bands.
• The broadcasting-satellite service Plan contains a total of 25 channels assigned to Bolivia in the 12/17 GHz bands at the orbital position 87.2° W and 115.2° W.
• Non-planned frequency bands under consideration in the geostationary orbit are: 5 825-6 725/3 400-4 200 MHz ("C-band"), 13.75-14.5/10.95-11.2; 11.45-11.7; 11.7-12.2 GHz ("Ku-band") and 27.5-31.0/17.7-21.2 GHz ("Ka-band").

ITU is committed to connecting the world to the benefits of information and communication technologies, ensuring that people everywhere are able to achieve their overall social and economic aspirations. It has been the global focal point for ICT for nearly 145 years and has played a vital role in the efficient management of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. These resources are increasingly in demand from a large number of services such as fixed, mobile, broadcasting, space research, meteorology, navigational aids, environmental monitoring and, last but not least, communication services that ensure safety of life on land, at sea and in the skies.