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 standards-based software solution - dynamic spectrum sharing - allows operators to run LTE and 5G concurrently in a frequency band without the need for statically apportioning the bandwidth. This is helping some operators accelerate their 5G launches 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...

Vertical industries seeking to gain 5G connectivity are facing a complex and disparate international policy environment. Approaches range from no specific spectrum for verticals; to Germany’s reserved frequencies; the UK’s embrace of sharing; and the CBRS system in the USA.  Read more...

Mobile's desire to find new markets by connecting the unconnected is reshaping its relationship with satellite. But are the economics of the space industry sufficiently transformed to revolutionise rural coverage? Read more...