The next generation of mobile technology, 5G, is designed to support significantly faster mobile broadband speeds and increasingly extensive mobile data usage – as well as to enable the full potential of the Internet of Things.
From virtual reality and autonomous cars, to the industrial Internet and smart cities, 5G will be at the heart of the future of communications. 5G is also essential for the future of today’s most popular mobile applications, such as on-demand video, by ensuring that there will be sufficient capacity to accommodate the growing uptake and usage.
Although the mobile industry, academic institutions and international standards-making bodies are busily developing the technologies that will be central to 5G, the ultimate success of these services will also be heavily reliant on national governments and regulators.
Most notably, the speed, reach and quality of 5G services will depend on governments and regulators supporting timely access to the right amount and type of spectrum, and under the right conditions.
In particular, the GSMA is calling for:
- Significant new widely-harmonised mobile spectrum to ensure 5G services meet future expectations and deliver the full range of potential capabilities.
- Spectrum within three key frequency ranges to deliver widespread coverage and support all use cases. The three ranges are: Sub-1 GHz, 1-6 GHz and above 6 GHz.
- Governments and regulators to support the needs of 5G at international spectrum discussions, including the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) and its preparatory meetings. This is essential due to the lengthy timeframes involved in making new spectrum available. International harmonisation through WRC-19 will play a vital role in realising the ultra-high-speed vision for 5G supported by low cost devices.
- Licensed spectrum to remain the core 5G spectrum management model. Unlicensed bands can play a complementary role.
- The coexistence of 5G and other wireless services (e.g. satellite and fixed links) in higher frequency bands (e.g. above 24 GHz).
- Technology-neutral spectrum licences, which allow bands used for existing mobile technologies to be easily reframed for 5G, thus ensuring spectrum is used most efficiently.
- Governments and regulators to adopt national policy measures to encourage long-term and substantial investments in 5G networks.