4G is rapidly gaining traction and the industry is already looking at the next generation of mobile technologies. But in the excitement, we risk forgetting that new technologies are only half of the mobile broadband story. A key reason why networks are faster than ever before is because they use more spectrum than ever before. Without access to more spectrum, new mobile technologies won’t cope with rising data traffic.
In a world increasingly obsessed with mobile gadgets, it is essential that we appreciate what makes it all possible. The latest mobile technologies like 4G are far more spectrum-hungry than their predecessors. Mobile services are able to support vastly more data and faster connections through the use of more spectrum – not just improved technology. This means the mobile broadband revolution isn’t just attributable to engineers but also the politicians who choose which types of services should receive more spectrum.
To put the role of the state in perspective, the UK government increased the amount of spectrum licensed to mobile operators by 70% when it auctioned spectrum for 4G networks. This is a major reason why 4G networks are so much faster and shows why politicians are key to resolving the mobile capacity challenge.
According to the Cisco Virtual Networking Index, global mobile data traffic increased by 81% in 2013 with bandwidth-intensive video responsible for a large percentage of mobile data use. This is likely to continue – mobile data is predicted to rise by an average of 61% every year from 2013 to 2018. At that rate, mobile data traffic will be 11 times higher in 2018 than it was in 2013. Unless mobile network capacity can be dramatically expanded, the result will be slower connection speeds, limited coverage and potentially higher consumer prices at a time when we should be aiming to deliver precisely the opposite. This, in turn, will have major socio-economic ramifications.
Taking into account technological improvements (e.g. LTE-Advanced, small cells and Wi-Fi offload etc.), the GSMA predicts that, on average, governments need to ensure that around 1600-1800MHz of spectrum is made available for mobile broadband by 2020 to meet expected data demand. Given that around 1000MHz is already available for mobile use in most countries, governments are advised to make an additional 600-800MHz of spectrum available (i.e. an increase of 60-80%).
But this is not simply an issue for any one country – it is a global challenge. In November 2015, the world’s governments will assemble in Geneva at the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) where the top item on their agenda is to allocate more spectrum to mobile services. It is difficult to overstate how important their decision will be. Mobile doesn’t just keep people better connected, informed and entertained – it is transforming almost all aspects of society.
Many of the powerhouses of the Internet economy have put mobile at the centre of their strategic vision. Businesses around the world are using mobile technology to empower their staff to work anywhere, anytime without any limitations. At the same time mobile is helping to create new smart cities and transform established industries like automotive and services like banking, healthcare and education. The spectrum shortfall isn’t just the biggest political challenge facing mobile broadband – it is a serious threat to a more connected world.
To find out more visit http://www.gsma.com/spectrum/spectrum4all/