Japan assigns spectrum by beauty contests rather than auctions and has recently released 3.5 GHz. It is heavily invested in 5G and has been working on the technology since 2010. Read more...

Austria went from four to three operators in 2013 when Hutchison (Three) acquired Orange. Prices for consumers have increased since then. The country held a very expensive multiband auction in 2013 and hopes to make the 700 MHz band available for LTE by 2020. Read more...

US and Mexican operator AT&T has been dismissive of dynamic spectrum access and the FCC's 3.5 GHz sharing initiative. It wants sub-6 GHz spectrum for 5G Read more...

Deutsche Telekom is focused on rolling out its LTE networks in Europe and the US and has called for more consistency in spectrum licensing and greater harmonisation. It is engaged in developing 5G standards and has emphasised the need to use sub-6 GHz bands Read more...

(2016 entry) China Mobile is the world's largest 4G operator in number of subscribers, operating in mainland China and Hong Kong. It is focused on 4G deployment. For 5G, it prefers spectrum below 6 GHz for 5G services, with the C band a priority. Read more...

Japan's SoftBank Group is a diversified IT and communications company, owning the nationwide US mobile carrier, Sprint as well as running a mobile operator in its home country. Sprint recently announced it would be "integrating backhaul bands" into its 5G network. Read more...

Microsoft's basic goal is to connect its cloud services to customer's devices, and it sees spectrum as a key enabler for doing that. The company is a leading proponent for use of TV white spaces, but is also interested in the 5 GHz band as well as in higher band… Read more...

The world's biggest market has three operators, assigns spectrum by administrative methods and is notable for its enthusiasm for unpaired spectrum. The home of a leading manufacturer, Huawei, China is carrying out 5G trials and emphasises the importance of bands below 6 GHz. Read more...

(2016 entry)   The long-awaited broadcast incentive auction, whereby mobile operators can acquire 600 MHz spectrum from broadcasters via the regulator, is now under way. Other major initiatives include the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) attempts to support research into using 5G in the higher bands. Read more...

As the European Commission blocked Three's attempt to acquire O2, the UK remains a four-operator market for now. Everything Everywhere (EE) holds the most spectrum, but the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands are due to be auctioned soon. The 700 MHz band is due to follow by 2020. Read more...