Advanced Spectrum
Management for Mobile
Telecommunications
About the GSMA
• Understand the core concepts in spectrum use and management
• Be aware of the trends in mobile-sector growth and data demand
• Learn the processes and approaches to spectrum licensing
• Understand regulatory best practice and how the issues are evolving, and
• Be able to apply the concepts to your own country’s situation.
3
Spectrum management course objectives
By taking this course, you will be able to:
Introduction to
Spectrum and Mobile
Broadband
1
• Mobile services have transformed the world since their launch
• In 1990 there were 12 million mobile connections and no data services
• Dramatic mobile data growth since iPhone launch a decade ago
5
Introduction
MOBILE BROADBAND AND SMARTPHONE EVOLUTION
Mobile broadband
connections to increase
from 55% of total in 2016 to
73%by 2020
By 2020, there will be
5.7bnsmartphones – up from
1.9 billion from the end of 2016
Mobile data has grown
18-foldIn the past five years
Sources: Ericsson & Cisco
6
Large variation in total licensed to mobile services
The Evolution of Networks
• The technical path to mobile broadband
• First, second and third-generation cellular systems
• 4G-LTE and beyond
8
Mobile networks
• A simplified network
Base station
(Operator A)
Base station
(Operator B)
Aggregation Point
Aggregation Point
Domestic mobile
voice call
Microwave
Fibre
CORE
NETWORK
Switching and
routing services
INTERNET
9
Evolution to of mobile technology
…LEADING TO THE PROGRESSION OF MOBILE SERVICES
VOICETelephony
Messaging
DATAEmail
Browsing
VIDEOYouTube
Conferencing
SMART APPSmMoney
mHealth@
!
HSPA+HSPA
CDMA, EV-DO, WIMAX, TD-SCDMA
AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
EDGEGPRSGSM
LTELong Term
Evolution
10
Third-generation cellular systems
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
Code
Time
Frequency
Channel 1
Channel 2
Channel 3
Channel N
GSM
Voice
9.6kbps
EDGE
Voice
320kbps
WCDMA
Voice
384kbps
HSPAHSDPA
Broadband downloads
Voice
DL: 14.4Mbps
UL: 384kbps
HSUPABroadband uploads
Voice
DL: 14.4Mbps
UL: 5.72Mbps
HSPA EvolutionEnhanced capacity and
high data rates
Voice
DL: 28-42Mbps
UL: 11Mbps
11
High-speed Packet Access (HSPA)
12
Fourth Generation Cellular — LTE
Download
Complete
10%
4G 3GDownload Speed
4.7MB MP3
Music File
4G era coincides
with emergence
of hetnets
And 5G is on the
way...
13
How can operators increase network capacity?
How operators can increase
capacity
Increased spectral
efficiency
Using more spectrum
Small cells and heterogeneous
networks
Wi-Fi offloading
14
The limits of spectral efficiency
Source: Real Wireless
0.09
0.24
0.48
0.72
1.29
1.5
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
EDGE WCDMA HSPA (Rel-5) HSPA (Rel-6) HSPA+ (Rel-7) LTE (Rel-8)
Avera
ge s
pectr
al e
ffic
iency
(b/s
/Hz/c
ell)
TDMA CDMA OFDMA
Introducing Spectrum
Management
16
What is spectrum management
and why do we need it?
1. Ensure spectrum is available under the right terms for the
services which need it most and provide the greatest
socioeconomic benefits
2. Encourage spectrum efficiency and innovation so the
scarce resource can be maximised
3. Minimise interference nationally and internationally and
support harmonisation
From a mobile perspective – good spectrum management is key to
affordable, high quality mobile services with great coverage
17
Layers of spectrum management
Spectrum management
International level
Allocation
Regional level
Band plans
National level
Assignment
18
International spectrum management
The regulator needs to coordinate with
other countries at three levels:The ITU arranges the harmonisation of
frequency bands by three world
regions.
Region 2 Region 1 Region 3
ITU allocations
Regional band plans
Neighbouring country coordination
19
National spectrum management
1. Develop long-term spectrum
management plans
2. Agree conditions and assign
spectrum to different services
3. Manage interference and disputes
4. Manage and review spectrum
usage and future plans based on
market and tech developments
Strategic Analysis
and Review
Spectrum Roadmap
Implement-ation
Guidelines
Spectrum Award Policy
Spectrum for mobile
• Core characteristics of frequency bands suitable for
use by mobile services
• Spectrum bands used by various regions
2
21
Spectrum harmonisation
ROAMINGharmonised
bands
SCALEbillions of
subscribers
AFFORDABILITYeconomies
of scale
CHOICEcompetition
MOBILE
SPECTRUM
Brings down the cost of
mobile devices
Enables roaming
Reduces interference
issues across borders
22
Frequency matters: finding the “sweet spot”
<700MHz
700MHz
850MHz
2100MHz
Cell coverage/radius
5800MHz
Sub-1 GHz spectrum is the key to widespread, high
quality, affordable mobile broadband services
Main mobile bands
Coverage bands (<1GHz)
The 900 band: 2x35 MHz
880 915 925 960
10
MHz
791 862
800 band: 2x30 MHz
11
MHz
821 832
703 788
Region 1: 700 band: 2x30 MHz
25
MHz
733 758
617 698
600 band: 2x35 MHz
11
MHz
652 663
703 803
Region 2 & 3: 700 band: 2x45 MHz*
10
MHz
748 758
* North America uses a more complex 700 MHz plan
20
MHz
824 894
850 band: 2x25 MHz
849 869
Main mobile bands
Capacity bands (>1GHz)
20
MHz
1710 1880
The1800 band: 2x75 MHz
1785 1805
1920 2170
30
MHz
The 2100 band: 2x60 MHz
1980 2110
2500 2690
The 2600 band: 2x70 MHz with 50 MHz unpaired TDD
2570 2620
TDD
3300/3400 3600/3700/3800
3.5GHz band: 200-400MHz
TDD
1710 2170
30
MHz
The AWS band: 2x60 MHz (including extension)
1770 2110
L-band: TBC
1427 1518
2300 2400
The 2300 band: 100 MHz
TDD
1850 1990
30
MHz
PCS 1900 band: 2x60 MHz
1910 1930
World
Radiocommunication
Conference (WRC)
26
WRCs update the Radio Regulations
The conference is held every 3–5 years.
WRC-15 took place November 2 to 27 in 2015
WRC-19 will take place October 28 to November 22 in 2019
Main purpose: To address international issues on radiocommunications
WRCs update the International Radio Regulations
27
WRC-2015: Results for Americas
• Two new
globally
harmonised
mobile bands.
• Momentum is picking up for the C-band
Delivers a good mix of
coverage and capacityAllows very fast data
speeds in urban areas
1427-1518 MHz 3.4-3.6 GHz
Provides vital extra
capacity. Now
identified in parts of
Africa, Asia Pacific
and the Americas
3.3-3.4 GHz 3.6-3.7 GHzSub-700 MHz
Supports improved
coverage for mobile
broadband services
Provides extra
capacity in Canada,
Colombia, Costa Rica
and the US
902-928 MHz
Identified in most of
Latin America for
mobile broadband
28
Sub-700 MHz outside Region 1
• Identified for IMT in Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, United States and Mexico
• In Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, US, Mexico, 470-608 MHz or parts thereof also identified for
IMT
Sub-700 MHz (614-698 MHz): Harmonised across North America
Sub-700 MHz (470/614-698 MHz) was identified for IMT in several markets
• 470-698 MHz: Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
• 610-698 MHz: Bangladesh, Maldives and New Zealand
• India and Pakistan did not sign up but have publically agreed to consider mobile in parts of
the band
• Whole region has a mobile allocation, which could facilitate deployment before Europe.
A number of Arab countries at WRC-15 were in favour of IMT below 700
(including Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Palestine)
No Sub-Saharan African countries were in favour of IMT/MOBILE.
29
WRC-15: What’s next?
Work with the mobile industry and other governments on band plans
Widely agreed band
plans are vital for
affordable devices
Governments can work with
the mobile industry, the ITU
and the 3GPP to develop
standardised band plans
Issue mobile licences
based on these
harmonised band plans
30
WRC-19
• World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), will take place from 28
October to 22 November 2019
• Some of the hot topics include:
− IMT above 24 GHz (This work will lay the groundwork for super high speed 5G)
− ESIMs (Earth Stations in Motion)
− HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations)
− RLANS (Radio Local Area Networks)
− NGSO FSS (Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit)
• The decisions reached at WRCs have a long term impact on investment in the
ICT industry, and hence affect customers and citizens
31
What is at stake at WRC-19?
1. Future use for mobile broadband (IMT) will be decided by the WRC.
2. You can be a part of it. Or not.
3. Proposals can be submitted by industry or by Administrations.
Administrations carry a lot more weight.
4. Administrations will react to WRC preparation after listening to their
industries’ interest. It is important to attend WRC prep meetings and
present your concerns.
5. Regions such as Latam and Africa often ask: why should I worry about
5G if I am still planning 4G? Answer is simple: go back to point 1.
Spectrum Licensing
for Mobile3
Licensing
Regimes
34
Why license spectrum?
1. Ensure vital services can reliably access spectrum and innovate
2. Minimise interference and enable harmonisation
3. Meet policy objectives and encourage investment in vital services
Spectrum is a scarce resource with varying uses and demands
35
Licensing regimes impacting mobile access
Exclusive use
Mobile industry’s top priority -
commercially proven, harmonised,
quality of service, mobility and
control
Exclusive Licensed
SpectrumAuctions of cleared
spectrum for 3G/4G
Shared Licensed
SpectrumLicensed Shared Access (LSA),
CBRS-model, TVWS etc
Unlicensed SpectrumMultiple technologies
(Wi-Fi, LTE in unlicensed, BT & others)
Exclusive use (at times/
places) or shared useAccess and sharing conditions impact
investment/commercial viability & QoS.
Often used when band cannot be cleared
entirely or usage gaps
Shared use
Unpredictable QoS and ideal for hotspot
access. Opportunistic use
for mobile broadband is rising
36
Unlicensed spectrum use and applications
Also known as General Authorisation and Licence exempt spectrum
Establishes use of radio devices without individual authorisation
• Suitable for radio services/devices that have self-containable interference potential
• Some conditions are imposed to minimise interference (e.g. listen before talk)
• Important developments in this space:
• Mobile operators to launch 4G in unlicensed imminently
• Mobile operators already using carrier Wi-Fi increasingly
• 5G likely to have an important unlicensed/shared component
• Sub-1GHz unlicensed use for IoT
• WRC-19 to consider extending 5 GHz band
• 5.9 GHz for safety in connected cars
37
A middle way: light licensing
Light licensing can have varying rights/protections
Stronger rights/ protections
Individual frequency planning
/ coordination
Simplified procedure
compared to individual
licensing
Limitations on user numbers
Weaker rights/ protections
No individual frequency
planning / coordination
Registration and/or
notification
No limitations in the number
of users nor coordination
Non-exclusive licences – lower cost, simpler to manage, but less QoS control
• Quality of service protections range from relatively strong to relatively weak
• Not currently used in mobile access – due to QoS concerns – but used for some backhaul
Spectrum
Assignment
39
Common spectrum assignment objectives
1. Promoting the efficient use of spectrum
2. Supporting mobile service competition
3. Ensuring service continuity for end-users
4. Adopting a well-run, timely and legally robust process
5. Potentially other policy goals such as achieving wide coverage
6. In some cases, generating revenue to government
40
Approaches to spectrum assignment
Administrative Market-based Unlicensed
41
Auction or administrative assignment?
Advantages Disadvantages
Auction
- Can award to operator who values most
and will use efficiently Seeks to discover
market value
- Policy objectives can be set through
licence terms & conditions
- Outcome is transparent & legally robust
- Poor design – including high reserve
prices - can lead to inefficient or anti-
competitive outcome
- Vulnerable to inflated prices which can
threaten network investment and risk
higher consumer prices
Administrative
assignment
- Large range of criteria can be taken into
account into the award
- Authorities can set the fee to avoid high
prices which could threaten investment
- Can set network investment coverage
requirements
- Can be quick to organise
- Most suited when demand does not
exceed supply
- Winner may be applicant with most
attractive proposal - not ability to
deliver
- Vulnerable to bias or corruption which
can lead to legal dispute
42
Most common spectrum auction types
- Lots are auctioned individually but simultaneously
- Prices ascend in each round
- Auction ends when no more bids are submitted
Simultaneous Multiple-Round
Ascending Auction (SMRA)
Combinatorial Clock Auction
(CCA)
- Lots are divided into a number of categories
- Each category has a price ‘clock’ which increases at
different speeds depending on bidder interest
- Bids are made on a combination of lots across
categories in each clock round
- When there is no excess demand, bidders submit best
and final offers. Complex process is used to agree price
Sealed Bids- Each bidder submits a single offer and the licence
goes to the highest bidder
43
Spectrum auction best practice & considerations
1. Auctions are not the only award mechanism – beauty contests can work well
2. No single best auction type and numerous factors impact the outcome
3. High reserve prices are a growing threat to successful awards
4. Spectrum caps and set-asides have strengths - but also major weaknesses
5. Price discovery and truthful bidding is key to achieving a fair market price
6. Focusing on achieving high prices is risky (more on this in a minute)
7. Licence conditions can enable policy goals (e.g. improve coverage) but
when mismanaged can jeopardise high quality services
Spectrum prices
45
46
What did we find out from the GSMA Study
47
48
Policy recommendations for effective pricing
49
Encouraging investment:
Spectrum roadmap and
licence terms & conditions
51
National broadband plan & spectrum roadmaps
Source: ITU, The State of Broadband 2015
Source: ITU, The State of Broadband 2015
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Number of Countries with National Broadband Plans,
2005-2015 3%
21%
76%
Broadband plans and strategies
6 countries planning to introduce a strategy
42 countries without a broadband plan
148 countries with a plan or strategy in place
52
Licensing terms and conditions - recommendations
LICENCE TERMS & CONDITIONS CAN SUPPORT NETWORK EVOLUTION & INVESTMENT
Establish a licence-renewal
process inc consultation 3-4 years
in advance
Renewal should be predictable
and avoid introducing new terms
which jeopardise RoI
A presumption of renewal (unless
terms breached) supports service
continuity and investment
RENEWAL PROCESS SHOULD AVOID RISKING INVESTMENT & SERVICE CONTINUITY
Use coverage
obligations with
caution and target
them
Remove service
and technology
restrictions
Licence duration
of 15- 20 years
Use annual fees
to recoup costs –
not maximise
revenues
Avoid restrictive
and onerous
conditions
53
General approaches to renewal
General
approaches
Advantages Disadvantages
Presumption of
renewal
High predictability, minimizes disruption
and alongside trading, supports efficient
spectrum use over time
In some cases spectrum may be better re-
assigned (eg spectrum replanning, serious
breach of conditions, spectrum left idle)
Re-auctioning Transparent to assign spectrum where
excess demand and there is a real
prospect of spectrum being re-assigned
between operators. But uncertainty can
risk investment,
Introduces uncertainty that can chill
investment, deter high utilization, disrupt
service and is vulnerable to flaws that could
reduce competition
Administrative
re-assignment
Can be practical way to re-allocate
spectrum between uses and to achieve
a particular competitive outcome
Introduces uncertainty, can be cumbersome,
arbitrary, vulnerable to corruption and lead to
long disputes
Hybrid (part-
automatic
renewal and part
re-assignment)
Attempts to balance achieving some
predictability and some flexibility
Risk to investment and service
continuity/QoS. Trading off predictability for
flexibility would only be beneficial in some
circumstances
54
4G is built on technology neutrality and refarming
Spectrum bands that have
been refarmed for LTE:
850 MHz
900 MHz
1500 MHz
1700/2100 MHz
1800 MHz
1900/2100 MHz
2100 MHz
Other
bands
Digital
DividendRefarmed 2G/3G
spectrum
The percentage of
deployments using Digital
Dividend bands has fallen
from 27 per cent in 2015 to
26 per cent in 2016
To date, the majority of
4G-LTE deployments
worldwide are running on
refarmed spectrum in
existing bands
55
2G refarming by region
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Middle East Africa Asia Pacific Latin America European Union Northern America
2G connections as a percentage of total connections
2013 2020
56
Case study: Quality of Service in India
Collaborative efforts between the regulator and operators to improve mobile QoS
• Quality of service – especially dropped call rates – hit
the headlines in India in 2015 and 2016
• Mobile operators highlighted key factors happening
simultaneously:
• Drip feeding spectrum & mobile data growth
• Unfortunate 900 MHz renewal outcome & an EMF health
panic which closed cell towers in some areas
• Government and operators started joint measures
• Government: Licensed more spectrum & supported
easier cell tower rollouts
• Operators: Invested in spectrum and network
57
Coexistence between digital TV and LTE in the UK
Wanted signal
Unwanted signal
A collaborative approach between the regulator and operators
Source: Bundesnetzagentur
58
Radio frequency cross-border coordination
59
Cross border coordination between US and Mexico
U.S – Mexico Sharing Zone (72km either side of border)
Source: US Department of State
60
A possible cross-border power level agreement
Field strength* level at 3 m height
900Mhz 1800Mhz
GSM vs. GSM GSM systems can continue operating according to ECC
Recommendation (05)08 and the existing agreements.
UMTS vs. UMTS
using non preferential codes and
with centre frequencies aligned
35 dBμV/m/5MHz @0 km 41 dBμV/m/5MHz @0 km
*The "mean field strength of each carrier” refers to a frequency block of up to 5 MHz.
Wrap-up
• Introducing spectrum and mobile broadband
• Mobile spectrum today – and in the future
• Licensing fundamentals
• Spectrum monitoring and interference
Using the Digital
Dividend to Enable
Mobile Broadband
5
Analogue Broadcasting470MHz803MHz or
862MHz
Unique opportunity to
significantly improve
TV and mobile
broadband services
Ideal for widespread
mobile broadband
coverage (inc. rural
and in-building)
Changes mobile
economics to bring
affordable services to
more people
806MHzDigital Broadcasting698MHz or
790MHzMobile
806MHz or
862MHz470MHz
63
Making better use of precious sub-1 GHz spectrum
Moving to digital TV means more can be done with less spectrum
64
How much better is the digital dividend for coverage?
65
What’s included in the digital dividend?
788 MHz
862 MHz
Uplink Gap
703 MHz 733 MHz 758 MHz
Downlink
700 MHz band
Uplink Gap
791 MHz 821 MHz 832 MHz
Downlink
800 MHz band
Uplink Gap
617 MHz 652 MHz 663 MHz 698 MHz
Downlink
600 MHz band (in some countries*)
Uplink Gap
718 MHz 748 MHz 773 MHz 803 MHz
Downlink
700 MHz band
*Planned in: Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada
Colombia, India, Mexico, New Zealand, US & others
66
Creating a 700 MHz plan for Europe, Middle East & Africa
REGION 1: 800 MHz PLAN
791 MHz 832 862 MHz821
703 MHz 733 788 MHz758
718 MHz 773748 803 MHz
Lower APT duplexer &
EMEA 700 MHz plan
Upper APT duplexer
SDL or PPDR
APT700 MHz PLAN
The harmonized 700 MHz and 800 MHz band plans overlap
EMEA 700MHz plan enables the full digital dividend and low cost devices
67
Digital dividend status worldwide
68
The digital dividend in Latin America
The digital dividend is being licensed but the switchover is taking time…
• 8 countries have awarded digital dividend spectrum (as of May 2016)
• Only Colombia has completed the switchover from analogue to digital TV
• In many of the others it is unclear when the switchover will be complete
69
Digital dividend and TV whitespace considerations
Different impact, benefits and uses – TVWS should not delay the digital dividend
• DD is a commercially proven success for delivering wide area, high quality,
affordable mobile broadband services – including in rural areas
• Developing markets will struggle to deliver widespread, affordable LTE without it
• TVWS has limited availability, limited QoS and is not commercially proven
• May have a role to play but reliance on Wi-Fi makes it a fixed hotspot proposition
How to do the digital
switchover?
71
Digital switch over work areas
(G)
(R)
(I)
3. Develop funding policy
1. Develop DSO policy and legal framework
3. Manage radio spectrum and coordination matters
2. Implement licensing framework
4. Establish principles for help scheme
4. Plan and deploy DTT network
3. Develop communications plan
2. Establish DTT branding and conformance regime
1. Develop consumer proposition
5. Establish receiver specifications and costs
1. Decide on technology and standards
2. Establish plan for ASO
3. Develop funding policyGovernment
Regulators
Industry
72
DSO task force
Programme Office
DSO Task Force
Wo
rk s
tre
am
s
Media
Supply chain(Device
manufacturers, retailers, installers)
Government
(NRA, ministries,
agencies)
Consumer
groups and
institutions
Industry
(Broadcasters,
trade bodies and
associations)
Co
mm
un
ica
tio
ns
Co
nsu
me
r se
rvic
e lin
e
Co
nsu
me
r d
evic
e
Ho
usin
g &
Pro
pe
rty
Co
nsu
me
r &
Ma
rke
t R
ese
arc
h
Bro
ad
ca
st
infr
astr
uctu
re
He
lp S
ch
em
e
Re
gu
lato
ry
Com
munic
ations
Consum
er
serv
ice lin
e
Co
nsu
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evic
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Ho
usin
g a
nd
pro
pe
rty
Co
nsu
me
r a
nd
ma
rke
t re
searc
h
Help
schem
e
73
DTT market structure and licensing
Content
creator
Broadcaster/
TV service
provider
MUX owner/
operator
Site
owner
Network
operator
Device
manufacturer
Multiplexing DistributionNetwork
TransmissionReception/
Presentation
Content
CreationAggregation
The pricing challenge -
and a solution
75
Spectrum pricing presents a challenge..
High reserve prices led to some or all the digital dividend going unsold
Country Year Band
Mozambique 2013 800MHz
Australia 2013 700MHz
Ghana 2016 800MHz
Senegal 2016 800MHz
India 2016 700 MHz
The high reserve may not just have been unaffordable – it may have made
network investment afterwards difficult (and impossible in rural areas)
76
Sweden: a lesson in motivating rural investment?
Early 800 MHz auction + reasonable reserve price + innovative coverage model
• Sweden auctioned 800 MHz in 2011
• Early auction, 25 year licence duration
• Reasonable reserve price
• Auction revenues were healthy but not so high
as to jeopardise network investment afterwards
• One licence with coverage obligation focused
on precise locations of known blackspots
• Applicants for that licence were allowed to
count $22m-$44m of promised network
investment in the blackspots in their bid
Digital dividend + network sharing = 99.9% 4G population coverage
77
The impact of new technologies
More capacity More base stations inc. small cells
Regulation in a
Changing Mobile
Landscape
6
Spectrum and
infrastructure sharing
80
Spectrum Sharing Approaches
Source: Qualcomm
Sharing Licensed SpectrumVarious technologies used or planned for secondary
usage including cellular and TVWS tech
Unlicensed SpectrumMultiple technologies
(Wi-Fi, LTE in unlicensed, BT & others)
Shared exclusive use
Includes Licensed Shared Access, Citizens
Broadband Radio Service, TV Whitespace etc. The
benefits and challenges vary by approach
Shared use
Unpredictable QoS, ideal for local
area access, and opportunistic use
for mobile broadband
81
Wi-Fi is increasingly important for mobile
Cellular data traffic is
rising again in Korea
Numerous US stadiums say
most traffic is now cellular
Sprint reported Wi-Fi offload
dropped from Q1-Q4 2016
• Most mobile traffic uses Wi-Fi
- More mobile device traffic offloaded to Wi-Fi than remained on cellular in 2016
- But “reverse migration” means offloading is not always the case
• Wi-Fi calling is growing and will likely expand more with VoLTE
- Same core network elements can support both technologies
- Many operators support Wi-Fi calling today
82
Significant amount of unlicensed spectrum
Key unlicensed bands
Small amount sub-1 GHz: IoT use
(Sigfox, LoRa)
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz: Fast services (Wi-
Fi, LTE-U)
57-66/71 GHz Superfast services
(WiGig & 5G)
Coverage and Usage
Mostly not suited to wide area coverage
More well suited to urban hotspots &
inside buildings
Usage conditions apply but do evolve
(e.g. FCC 5GHz)
Lots of unlicensed spectrum…
but most is focused in mmW
Unlicensed
spectrum
Current IMT
spectrum
Current spectrum availability(approximate theoretical average*, GHz)
8.0
1.3
*identified IMT spectrum and unlicensed spectrum
varies significantly by country and region
83
Unlicensed-centric cellular specifications
Tech Body Status Spec
LAA 3GPP Specification is ready for downlink. 3GPP test plan for Rel-
13 ongoing. Rel-14 WI for eLAA will add uplink.
Release 13
LWA 3GPP Completed – Aggregation is supported for downlink in Rel-
13 (and for uplink in Rel-14). 3GPP test plan for Rel-13
ongoing.
Release 13
LWIP 3GPP Completed. 3GPP test plan for Rel-13 ongoing. Rel-14 will
add flow control and WLAN metrics
Release 13
LTE-U LTE-U Forum Specification developed by a set of companies and already
available. Wi-Fi Alliance has developed a coexistence test
plan
Available
(v1.3)
MulteFire Multe Fire
Alliance
Research phase, initiating work with the ecosystem to
develop industry-wide specifications for this technology.
Presented current draft to 3GPP in September, 2016
Nearly
complete
84
Sharing licensed: Licensed Shared Access (LSA)
Licensed Shared Access is a voluntary sharing method where an incumbent
can share spectrum with another user – typically on a commercial basis
• Access can be guaranteed assuring QoS
• Can support existing low cost devices
• Encourages spectrum efficiency
• But….
• Contract length must justify investment
• Spectrum must be available in right bands,
at right times and places, for the right price
Regulator
Spectrum incumbent
LSA licensee
Technical parameters
Shared use conditions
85
Sharing licensed: Citizens Broadband Radio Service (3.5 GHz)
86
Sharing licensed: TV Whitespace
White Spaces
Sig
nal str
ength
Frequency
TV Whitespace has not yet managed to gain major commercial traction to date
• TVWS employs broadcast TV spectrum
that is unoccupied in certain areas
• This means availability is limited
• Normally available on unlicensed basis
so quality of service is not guaranteed
• The digital dividend reduces the amount
of TVWS spectrum available
Is it best to operate around broadcasting or repack it in a lower band?
87
Infrastructure sharing to widen access
Passive
sharing
Active
sharing
• Sharing reduces costs and
improves coverage
• Sharing can take two forms
- active and passive
88
Enabling infrastructure sharing
There are compelling reasons for network sharing – how can regulators help?
And is some level of sharing too much?
Spectrum for IoT
90
Rapid growth of the IoT market
IoT connections growth (billions) IoT connection by type in 2021
91
Unlicensed and licensed IoT approaches (wide-area)
92
3GPP IoT-specific technologies
93
Spectrum policy considerations for cellular IoT
1. Service and technology neutrality will assist launches
2. Licensed spectrum is needed for the most reliable, high quality IoT
3. Licensed spectrum will support capacity and coverage for IoT
4. International harmonisation is vital for global, affordable cellular IoT
5. Regulators can support IoT in 5G spectrum planning
Towards a 5G future
95
96
Potential 5G services
Three key usage scenarios for 5G
1. Enhanced mobile broadband:multi-gigabit per second data rates for apps like
virtual reality and support for extensive data traffic growth
2. Massive machine-type communications: support a massive number of low
cost IoT connections with very long battery life & wide coverage inc in-building
3. Ultra-reliable communications: very low latency (sub-1ms) and very high
availability, reliability and security for autonomous vehicles & healthcare
These criteria drive a wide variety of use cases:
− Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, ultra high-definition video, remote
healthcare, augmented reality, other disruptions yet to be imagined
97
5G spectrum ranges
5G needs spectrum within three key frequency ranges to deliver widespread coverage
and support all use cases
1. Sub-1 GHz
– Will support widespread coverage across urban, suburban and rural areas and
help support Internet of Things (IoT) services
2. 1-6 GHz
– Offers a good mixture of coverage and capacity benefit
– Includes 3.5 GHz band which is likely to be basis of many initial 5G services
3. Above 6 GHz
– Supports ultra-high broadband speeds envisioned for 5G
– Focus on above 24 GHz inc 26 GHz and/or 28 GHz bands
– Some interest in exploring bands in the 6-24 GHz range
98
5G spectrum regime recommendations
• Licensed spectrum should remain the core 5G management approach but
unlicensed spectrum and other spectrum sharing have a role to play
− Exclusive licensed spectrum provides QoS and access guarantees enabling secure long-
term, heavy investment
− Unlicensed spectrum could be used to augment licensed 5G bands
− Higher 5G frequency ranges suit sharing as small coverage areas mean more manageable
interference – potential for sharing spectrum with satellite bands (in different areas)
SUB 1-GHz 1-6 GHz(inc. refarming)
ABOVE 6 GHz(inc. mm waves)
99
International 5G spectrum planning
• It is vital that 5G spectrum bands are widely harmonised
– Enables the greater economies of scale needed for a good
choice of low cost devices
– Enables roaming and facilitates cross border coordination
– Avoid spectrum fragmentation and incompatibilities between
markets
• New ‘5G’* bands to be agreed at WRC-19
– Agenda Item 1.13 at WRC-19 will consider a range of bands
from 24-86 GHz: 24.25-27.5GHz, 31.8-33.4GHz, 37-43.5GHz,
45.5-50.2GHz, 50.4-52.6GHz, 66-76GHz, 81-86GHz
– Working Party 5D for requirements and technical characteristics
– Task Group 5/1 for interference studies
*The ITU simply refers
to them as additional
IMT bands which can
be used for all types of
standardised mobile
broadband
ROAMING
harmonised bands
SCALE
billions of subscribers
AFFORDABILITY
economiesof scale
CHOICE
competition
MOBILE
SPECTRUM
100
101
Summary – 5G in five steps
• Significant new widely harmonised mobile spectrum is needed
– to ensure 5G meets future expectations
– WRC-19 is vital for the ultra-high-speed vision for 5G
• 5G needs spectrum below 1 GHz, 1-6 GHz and above 6 GHz
– to deliver widespread coverage and support all use cases
• Licensed spectrum should remain the core 5G management approach but
unlicensed spectrum and other shared spectrum have a role to play
• Technology neutral spectrum licences are essential to enable refarming
• Governments should encourage investment-friendly 5G policies
– National broadband plans with a 5G action plan and spectrum roadmap
– Support long-term 5G licences with a clear renewal process
– Avoid artificially high 5G spectrum prices (inc reserve prices) which risk
bands going unsold and deterring investment (which will need to be major)
Thank You
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