Ahead of Trialogue Meetings Amongst European Parliament, Council and Commission,
Mobile Industry Asks Legislators Not to Abandon Ambitions for 5G Roll-out in Europe
31 January 2018, Brussels: 5G has the potential to revolutionise European businesses with widespread ultra-fast connectivity and innovative new services. The industry has set ambitious plans to launch 5G by 2020, and the European Commission has identified priority bands and a clear timeline for action supported by EU Member States in the 5G Roadmap published in December 2017. Ahead of the coming Trialogue meetings, the GSMA urges co-legislators to be as ambitious by ensuring that spectrum policy measures within the Code will enable and incentivise the industry to deliver on those objectives.
The GSMA believes that several key issues need to be resolved, as they are critical for Europe to be a front-runner in mobile broadband and 5G:
- Greater certainty and predictability over the future rights of use by introducing minimum spectrum license duration of no less than 25 years
- Stronger presumption of license renewal if the frequencies are being used effectively and efficiently
- Greater consistency among Member States in their approaches to spectrum awards and
improved coordination through an efficient peer-review mechanism - Right balance between licensed spectrum and general authorization (i.e., unlicensed
spectrum), and between exclusive and shared use - Harmonised electromagnetic field (EMF) limits across Europe
- Spectrum fees that are limited to ensuring efficient and effective use, that reflect extended coverage commitments and that are linked to spectrum availability
- Freedom to compete and differentiate through voluntary sharing in consistency with
competition law - Passive sharing favoured against active measures and clear criteria on non-compliance with license obligation maintained
Afke Schaart, Vice-President and Head of Europe at the GSMA, said: “The foundation of connectivity and 5G is good spectrum policy. Therefore, including measures to support and encourage better connectivity like longer duration and greater consistency of spectrum awards, are precisely the building blocks co-legislators must consider in the coming weeks if Europe is to be ready for the 5G revolution.”
-ENDS-
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com . Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA, @GSMAPolicy, @GSMAEurope
Media Contacts
Olivier Lechien, PR Director, Europe
+32 479 99 01 63
[email protected]
GSMA Press Office
[email protected]