The satellite industry entered WRC-19 with trepidation but declared itself satisfied with the result. Fears over 5G interference have receded, helping them pursue another key policy goal: being part of the emerging eco-system for the new mobile generation. The conference also finalised a momentous change - bringing competition to safety at… Read more...

Fears about the global economy are at a ten-year high but the new generation of satellites is bucking the trend, as shown in the latest edition of the PolicyTracker LEO satellite tracker. Read more...

This Tracker summarises progress in the deployment of next generation low earth orbit (Leo) global satellite systems. The first table covers mobile broadband projects and the second charts progress in offering other services such as IoT and earth observation. Read more...

COVID-19 has placed unprecedented demand on wireless networks with changes to traffic patterns, bandwidth consumption and user connectivity requirements that will endure beyond the pandemic. Against this background, the response of a number of spectrum regulators has been agile and innovative. COVID-19 has turned traditional spectrum assignment mechanisms on their… Read more...

Increased demand for spectrum and a desire to use it more efficiently; as well as the emergence of new technologies and recognition of the limits of liberalisation have combined to give spectrum sharing a new importance. Read more...

What approaches are different countries taking? How does CBRS in the US differ from LSA in Europe? What other methods are being adopted? Are some frameworks for licensed spectrum sharing particularly suited to 5G? Read more...

There is growing interest in commercial use of spectrum above 90 GHz but availability is a confused picture. This diagram and explanatory note identifies the split between active and passive services as well as highlighting which frequencies are being studied by regulatory bodies and research projects. Read more...

A number of recent technology, standards and regulatory developments have elevated discussions around the use of terahertz spectrum for commercial fixed and wireless communications. The current focus of research and regulatory activities is on the lower end of the terahertz range – 300-450 GHz – where technologies have evolved to… Read more...

A new software solution - dynamic spectrum sharing - is allowing operators to mix LTE and 5G in a single band rather than using the traditional refarming technique of specific frequencies for each. This has been launched in some countries and is speeding 5G deployment. Read more...

What are the global trends in refarming legacy bands to use for 4G or 5G?  Some operators have already switched over, but for others their strategy has to accommodate the use of 2G for M2M services. Read more...