Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1532287
® 13 END OF YEAR REPORT 2024 Approved for distribution outside of the LoRa Alliance ® ® REGULATORY WORKING GROUP UPDATE: PRESERVING ACCESS TO LoRaWAN ® SPECTRUM The LoRa Alliance ® Regulatory Working Group (RWG) had another very active year in 2024 and was highly engaged with global regulatory agencies to ensure that the unlicensed spectrum remains available and optimized for LoRaWAN ® deployments. One of our most recognized achievements was our work on harmonizing the regulation for satellites in the spectrum bands currently used by terrestrial LoRaWAN networks, confirming the LoRaWAN's leadership in LPWAN connectivity via satellite. This year's work broadly fell into the following areas: Detect, Evaluate, and Counter Regulatory Threats The RWG was at the forefront of defending the LoRaWAN eco- system's interests, leveraging external legal support, coordinat- ing with other trade associations (including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), and educating our members to counter Next- Nav's Petition for Rulemaking to the U.S. Federal Communica- tions Commission (FCC) to privatize a portion of the unlicensed spectrum (our response can be found here). This work was only possible with the great support of our local members, who were highly active during the FCC's Comment Periods and the Ex-parte meetings 1, 2 with local regulators. Seek Band Expansion Our work in 2024 focused on securing 915MHz acceptance in Europe from the ECC (harmonization of frequency arrange- ment) and ETSI (review of the EC for the finalization of the standard). We were also heavily involved in Europe to ensure the ECC Decision for LoRaWAN Satellite Bands (862-870MHz) was successful, resulting in the adoption of the ECC Report recognizing that the use of the satellite is possible and the launch of the work towards the ECC Decision for satellite har- monization in Europe. Increase the Value of LoRa Alliance Membership Over the year, we strived to increase our promotion of the value of regulatory activities within the Alliance through strong coordi- nation with working groups and committees on crucial technical choices and/or validations and our participation in LoRaWAN Live Munich. We also updated, maintained, and communicat- ed changes to the global spectrum database to our members with information on spectrum bands that may be available for LoRaWAN and on the type of authorization required by regula- tors. Finally, we provided regional support on a case-by-case basis towards engaging with local regulators. Support Awareness One major advantage of engaging with global regulatory bodies is that it allows us to introduce LoRaWAN and the LoRa Alli- ance to key decision-makers (including at the European Com- mission level), complementing the Alliance's marketing efforts to reach critical stakeholders. As we look ahead to 2025, we believe our regulatory efforts will continue to expand and protect the unlicensed bands that terrestrial and satellite LoRaWAN networks use to support the accelerating ramp in deployments to bring Massive IoT to life. 1 Ex-parte meeting with Commissioner Starks staff: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/12081988818373/1 2 Ex-parte meeting with WTB and OET: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/121179988076/1