The GSMA supports the 5G Manifesto for Timely Deployment of 5G in Europe, which was presented at a meeting between Commissioner Oettinger and CEOs from across the telecommunications and applications industries. Backed by telecoms operators, equipment vendors and players from other industries, the 5G Manifesto seeks to lay the groundwork for the launch of commercial 5G Services in Europe by 2020.
The GSMA also responded to the Commission’s consultation on opportunities for a coordinated introduction of 5G networks in Europe. While commercial deployment is some time away, it is essential to involve the industry in this area and at this stage of the process to consider the right applications, technical characteristics and spectrum requirements.
The timely deployment of 5G in Europe will depend on private sector investment and innovation, backed by a fresh approach to regulation that keeps pace with dynamic and converging markets. For Europe to fully leverage its mobile pedigree and better exploit the scale of the Digital Single Market, policymakers must reform the regulatory framework to incentivise the step change in investment required to enable the roll out of advanced mobile solutions across industries.
To improve the investment climate for mobile and significantly improve network coverage and performance, there needs to be a significant reduction in the costs of mobile network deployment in Europe. Specific measures are required to reduce the costs of 5G roll out. The GSMA is encouraging the Commission to launch an ambitious mobile broadband cost reduction initiative, similar to that adopted in 2013 to support the deployment of broadband networks, but with provisions that are applicable to a much broader range of assets.
At the same time, spectrum policies, and the availability of the right frequencies, will play a key role. In particular, bands below 6GHz, such as the UHF and the C-Band, could enable the introduction of 5G in Europe even before 2020, given they have already been harmonised at EU level. Higher frequency bands will also be required to maximize network capacity, so it will be important to achieve a balance between low (below 6 GHz) and high frequencies (above 6 GHz).