continue with technological advancements and the possible emergence of additional types of uses — it appears that continued increase in the number of claims to the use of the geostationary orbit is likely to create overcrowding problems presenting harder choices with respect to the determination of priorities, the allocation of func- tions and uses, both domestically and internationally. The validity of this observation appears to be — in a very general sense — substantiated by the International Telecommunication Convention (ITC) of 1973 which—in dealing with the technical aspects of the use of frequency bands for space radio services describes the geo- stationary satellite orbit as one of the "limited natural resources". While the use of this particular phrase may have been somewhat unfortunate if compared to such conventional resources as copper or iron ore, it does convey the idea of the finite availability of geostationary orbital positions for orderly and beneficial uses. In order to be able to make an appropriate assessment of the problems that may arise in obtaining international agreements on geostationary orbit availability, it appears essential to review the relevant lex lata of international space law, the recent claims of equatorial countries to segments of the geostationary orbit, the positions of other countries regarding these claims, and some of the ITU instruments which have a bearing on the subject. 3.1.2 International Space Law Most of the applicable provisions of international space law which bear on our subject matter have been quite extensively analyzed m an earlier study. The general conclusion of that study was
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