PolicyTracker headlines
Operators and vendors target 3.4-3.8 GHz as first band for 5G in Europe Premium
Lately operators have downplayed more grandiose claims on vertical use case and seem more focused on the evolution of 4G services.
Viewpoint: Why spectrum inequality is good for competition Premium
As soon as two mobile operators announce their plan to merge, the EU Competition Commissioner’s staff starts calculating how much spectrum the new entity will need to give up if the merger is to be approved. It’s like two car companies merging and being told to stop manufacturing three lines of automobiles and two types of pickup truck.
European Parliament supports strengthened RSPG Premium
A Radio Spectrum Policy Group with powers over spectrum policy coordination could overcome difficulties in reaching agreement between member states and the EU, an influential MEP has said. The RSPG itself and EU regulators' group BEREC continue to support a more flexible approach.
Irish 3.6 GHz award winner concerned about rural customers’ broadband provision Premium
The transition of licences from incumbents to new operators is due to be completed in August but had not started as of last week. The largest rural broadband provider, Imagine, says around 30 providers could be left without any spectrum.
Belgian regulator “very surprised” by Broadband Belgium's decision to hand back its spectrum licence Premium
A senior spectrum manager at the Belgian post and telecoms regulator BIPT told PolicyTracker it is still planing to auction 3.4-3.8 GHz spectrum in 2018.
Four operators succeed in Saudi Arabia's first spectrum auction Premium
The auction of spectrum in the 700 MHz and 1800 MHz bands is part of the country's plan to modernise its communications sector. More spectrum releases are on the horizon, the regulator says.
Polish regulator consults on 2 GHz TDD spectrum and outlines 5G plans Premium
Polish regulator the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) launched a consultation on 9 June on the future use of the 2010-2025 MHz band. Marcin Cichy, the regulator’s president, has also revealed which bands will be prioritised for 5G use in the country.
RSPG: 5G licence conditions cannot be harmonised at EU level Premium
Europe’s Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) has joined EU governments in expressing doubts over more centralised spectrum policy. The group has also heard from EU member states about their 700 MHz migration plans.
European Commission vice-president signals climbdown on BEREC proposal Premium
Andrus Ansip, vice president of the European Commission in charge of the Digital Single Market, told telecoms ministers that the Commission was “prepared to improve” its proposal on making the regulators' body an EU institution. However, both BEREC and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) could see some changes.
The European Commission is taking a tough line on the European Council’s spectrum powers concerns Premium
Telecoms minsters will meet in Luxembourg tomorrow to discuss their position on the Commission’s proposed Electronic Communications Code (ECC) and are expected to continue to push back against further harmonisation of spectrum rules.
Connect America Fund "reverse auction" structure worries satellite provider Premium
As the US regulator prepares for a reverse auction to expand broadband to underserved areas, ViaSat says the proposal to include latency in the weighting of bids could hamper its ability to provide services.
European Parliament puts spectrum at the heart of its approval of 5G Action Plan Premium
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said the measures outlined in the European Commission's 5G Action Plan were a minimum requirement for 5G.
Massive machine-type communications left out of 5G new radio ITU specifications Premium
Narrow band-IoT (NB-IoT) will feature in a separate radio interface technology (RIT) proposal from 3GPP for the eventual ITU 5G standard.
EU rubber stamps €120m free Wi-Fi “branding exercise” Premium
The money for will be available to local authorities through “simple and non-bureaucratic procedures”, according to the European Commission.
Google wants CBRS-style approach in Europe Premium
Google and Apple have both been getting more interested in spectrum. Are they doing anything new?
Malta becomes latest country to release 1.5 GHz auction plan Premium
1.5 GHz spectrum is set to be released for supplemental downlink (SDL) by some European countries in the coming years but interest is still patchy and shared use makes it a tricky proposition.
Belgium leaves 1400 MHz out of spectrum auction plans Premium
Belgian operators have not shown much interest in the band, but their counterparts in the Netherlands are urging the Dutch government to make it available as soon as possible.
Spectrum auction design affects prices paid, study finds Premium
The choice of bidding rules influences auction revenues, a finding that should be considered by auction designers, say Imperial College London Research Fellow Pantelis Koutroumpis and regulatory economist Martin Cave. NERA economic consultant Richard Marsden, however, said that while the findings will spur an interesting debate, the authors' case is not proven.
Analysts highlight gap between 5G spending projections and reality Premium
Following predictions for how much revenue 5G would generate, researchers have been assessing mobile operators’ capital expenditure.
"Four fifths of MNOs" to start densifying networks by 2020 Premium
AT&T’s David Orloff told the SCWS World Summit that “hyper-dense networks” will contain 1.8 million cells by 2020.
