Trade organisations such as GSMA and GVF have welcomed the international spectrum treaty adopted by the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), which will unlock the potential for game-changing 5G services around the world.
Decisions taken at WRC-19 include:
– Providing travellers on planes, ships and trains greater access to the internet via satellites;
– Enabling deployment of ubiquitous satellite terminals to bring increased broadband connectivity to many parts of the world;
– Providing additional spectrum to improve satellite-provided services to end-users;
– Protecting communications delivered by satellites from harmful interference;
– Potentially allocating additional spectrum for satellite services at a future World Radiocommunication Conference.
David Meltzer, GVF (the global trade association for the satellite industry)’s Secretary General, comments: “Satellites today are bringing critical communications to all areas of the world which power economies, entertain billions, and saves lives. Millions of people who otherwise are on the other side of the digital divide are able to connect to the internet via satellites and many more will cross the divide because of satellites. Spectrum is the oxygen that brings such services alive.
“The decisions reached at the Conference protecting existing satellite spectrum and providing access to more spectrum will enable satellites to maintain and grow these and future services with advances in satellite and antenna technologies and increased capacity. As a result of the Conference, individuals will be better able to connect to the internet, businesses will be able to increase the capacity and power of their networks, and governments will be better able to communicate life-saving information to their citizens.”
“WRC-19 has brought the mobile industry a step closer to making the full power of 5G something everyone can experience,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA.
“Countries struck the right balance in opening up groundbreaking possibilities for 5G while protecting existing radio services worldwide. The mobile industry’s goal going into WRC-19 was to identify enough 5G spectrum to deliver long-lasting socio-economic benefits. WRC-19 delivered on this goal, and also secured a pathway to 5G’s future success in the agenda for WRC-23.”
As mobile continues to evolve, so do the spectrum requirements. WRC-19 recognised this by setting an agenda for the next WRC in 2023 that will consider identification of additional mid- and low-frequency bands.
Mid-frequency spectrum in the 3 GHz range (from 3.3-4.2 GHz) is already being used for commercial 5G services, providing a good balance of coverage and capacity. Increasing the amount of globally harmonised spectrum in this frequency range at WRC-23 would boost 5G network performance, bring down deployment costs and drive significant economic benefits.
To help spread the benefits of 5G to rural areas and accelerate the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution, the GSMA is also supporting efforts to identify more spectrum below 1 GHz at WRC-23 to improve 5G coverage.
“We want the benefits of 5G to be available to everyone. With more than 5 billion mobile subscribers globally, previous generations of mobile technology have connected more people more quickly than any technology in history,” added Mats Granryd. “WRC plays an essential role in driving the global economies of scale that allow mobile services to transform people’s lives and national economies.”
