Weekly Wrap: Spectrum policymakers need to prepare for the worst

This was the first time it had throttled 4G and 5G speeds as part of its annual war games, a reflection of how network disruption has become a standard part of modern warfare.

The exercise, which ran from 5 to 14 August, simulated what might happen in the event of an attack by China or a natural disaster.

Basic mobile phone service such as voice calls and text continued to work. The exercise only lasted 30 minutes; emergency calling, ​ATMs, traffic signals, landlines and fixed internet services functioned as normal. Simulating a blackout can only go so far in a modern, tech-dependent society.

Similar exercises take place regularly in Japan, South Korea and Finland. NATO stages an annual cyber defence exercise in Estonia.

The public seems to approve of a focus on dependability. An April 2026 survey by Australian user group ACCAN found that over 80 per cent of respondents supported a requirement for mobile operators to improve network resilience in the face of natural disasters.

Certain countries, such as South Korea, have assigned frequencies specifically for emergency services (public protection and disaster relief (PPDR)). But how about some kind of provision for normal citizens?

Currently, mobile operators are typically assigned (or reassigned) spectrum on various conditions, such as delivering a minimum quality of service and/or population coverage.

We might be moving into a future where a further licence condition is maintaining a minimum service level during a conflict, extreme weather or other natural disaster.

Operators might be obliged to maintain a basic mobile service consisting of voice and text with support coming from satellite direct-to-device services.

Of course, a higher degree of network resilience involves additional capital expenditure, so governments might wish to establish a universal disaster fund. A small levy on certain services would be paid into the fund, with proceeds invested in building additional resilience into mobile networks.

Given the turbulent times in which we live, at the very least we should expect more countries to stage trials like the one recently completed in Taiwan.

Here’s what else PolicyTracker covered this week:

• A recent report says the UK must push for additional protections on the far side of the moon to safeguard the future of radio astronomy there
• The Spanish government has made changes to its national frequency allocation table, reallocating spectrum to support railways, defence and private 5G networks
• The Iraqi regulator, the CMC, has decided to suspend the operations of Korek Telecom, which is active in the country’s northern Kurdistan region
• Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has published a draft report outlining the technical requirements for enabling standard power Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band
• AT&T has finalised its deal to acquire 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz licences from EchoStar