by Toby Youell
The usefulness of auctions is a perennial problem in spectrum management. This question emerged in last week's book launch for The Debates Shaping Spectrum Policy, and in a new country profile now available for Spectrum Research Service subscribers. Everyone seems to agree that auctions are good at revealing how much… Read more...
by Toby Youell
Despite all of the controversy surrounding identifying spectrum for mobile broadband above 24 GHz, most of the recent 5G deployments have been in the mid-band frequencies, specially around 3.5 GHz. Earlier this year, acting FCC Commissioner, Jessica Rosenworcel, praised the FCC's pivot from high-bands to mid-bands. But as we document… Read more...
by Toby Youell
Innovation often occurs in different places at roughly the same time. Electromagnetic induction, for example, was discovered in both Britain and the US independently in the early 19th century. Frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology was also developed separately by several engineers in the first half of the 20th century, including Austrian-born… Read more...
by Martin Sims
What is the best way of ensuring that vertical industries can get access to 5G spectrum? That is a difficult question which may not have a one-size-fits-all answer. Is the solution: Requiring MNOs to provide services to verticals (France in 3.5 GHz)? Local licensing in reserved spectrum (Germany in 3.5… Read more...
by Toby Youell
The latest PolicyTracker Spectrum Database quarterly update includes a spectrum auction that raised more money than any other. The wave of expensive 3G auctions in Europe at the height of the dotcom boom has become the stuff of legend in spectrum policy circles. Germany’s 2000 auction of the 2.1 GHz… Read more...
by Toby Youell
One of the main advantages of spectrum auctions is that the regulator does not need to worry about the best possible use of spectrum. Rather than second-guessing what people want, auctions allow the magic of the market to put the spectrum to its best use. But the German regulator, Bundesnetzagentur,… Read more...
by Toby Youell
Spectrum has been described as "the oxygen for the internet", but historically frequencies that are usable for mobile broadband has been only available on a nationwide basis. Realistically, only mobile operators have been able to obtain this spectrum. But as other industries try to take advantage of internet capabilities, particularly… Read more...
by Toby Youell
The latest update of the PolicyTracker Spectrum Database shows 5G assignments picking up in both mmWave and mid-band frequencies. Despite attention on the German C-band auction, the quarter's most expensive spectrum was acquired elsewhere. Read more...
by Spectrum Research Service Blog
Our country Research Notes have been updated and now include population density maps. Population density is a crucial factor for most wireless services: it determines how many people can receive them and so the economic viability of a product or the cost of reaching most of the population. The population density maps,… Read more...
by Spectrum Research Service Blog
Continuing our analysis of current mobile bands in the Spectrum Research Service, we look at the gradual progress towards extending L-Band. Read more...