GSMA spectrum engagement at the 23rd Meeting of APT Wireless Group

The 23rd Meeting of APT Wireless Group was organised from 9 to 13 April 2018 in Da Nang City, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. The work areas of the meeting included spectrum arrangements and harmonization; spectrum monitoring; spectrum sharing studies; future development of IMT and many other emerging wireless technologies.

Peng Zhao, Nitin Sapra and Cristian Gomez represented GSMA at the meeting. One of the key topics that was discussed in detail was the band plan options for L band spectrum (1427-1518 MHz). GSMA provided an input document on L band options, recommending APT countries to work towards harmonised use of the band rather than prescribing multiple band plan options. The benefit of a harmonised band plan approach lies on the simplicity it provides for manufacturing equipment (and larger economies of scale), while allowing countries to define their own national extent of the use of the band.

Relevant emerging topics were also discussed, including various country initiatives and approaches to the future use of HAPS (High Altitude Platforms) for delivering wireless connectivity, and also some proposals seeking APAC states to consider the use case for integrating satellites as part of next generation access technologies. GSMA is closely following and assessing the developments in these areas and their interplay with the mobile ecosystem. For more details, please kindly contact: Cristian ([email protected]), Nitin ([email protected]) or Peng ([email protected])