Spectrum Leasing in the 5G Era

The GSMA’s new “Spectrum leasing in the 5G era” report provides a global overview and offers best practice. It also looks at how successes to date suggest there is an untapped potential for using spectrum leasing to accelerate the 5G era.

Spectrum leasing overview. Source: GSMA Intelligence

Exclusive licensing should continue to be the cornerstone of a country’s spectrum strategy. It is essential to guarantee the necessary long-term heavy network investment needed for 5G and to deliver high quality of service. But access models such as leasing can, when implemented correctly, help expand connectivity.

So, what are the main considerations for policymakers who want to bet on spectrum leasing? The report looks at several enablers:
The creation of an enabling regulatory environment
Regulators should implement clear and voluntary policies. They should be flexible enough to allow deals between a mobile operator and other national or regional operator as well as vertical users. They should also allow for the leasing of any mobile technology.
Support for voluntary commercial negotiations
There is no one-size-fits-all model for leasing but an approach based on commercial negotiation aids price discovery and helps maximise the benefits.
The availability of sufficient affordable spectrum in the right bands
A precondition for spectrum leasing to work at all is bringing a sufficient amount of spectrum to market to support advanced mobile technologies.