by Toby Youell
What is the point of spectrum policy? Ask two spectrum managers and you will probably receive three answers. In four countries newly profiled by PolicyTracker the answer is clear: 5G. In Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea, the authorities appear to regulate spectrum with a clear focus on enabling the… Read more...
by Toby Youell
A surprise outcome of WRC-15 was that it declined to set up an agenda item at WRC-19 that could allow mobile broadband to operate in the 28 GHz band. Instead, studies for WRC-19 on IMT (ITU-R parlance for mobile broadband), focussed on different mmWave bands, particularly 26 GHz. Several countries,… 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
Auctions may have become the default way to assign spectrum, but the last quarter saw just as many beauty contests. A total of 11,076 MHz of changed or new entries were included in the latest update to the PolicyTracker Spectrum Database (PSD), including an equal number of beauty contests and auctions.… Read more...
by Toby Youell
One of the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the postponement of many sporting events. The 2020 Olympics, for example, will take place this Summer 2021. Probably. During initial preparations for 5G, both the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were… Read more...
by Richard Handford
The statistics would suggest so. A new report from the European Commission’s 5G Observatory says that Italy is the only country in the 27-member European Union that has assigned spectrum in the 26 GHz band. Compare that with Asia, where South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have awarded 26… 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 Richard Handford
Will 2018 will be remembered as the year when auctions passed their peak? Or maybe government and regulators are simply learning how to blend financial requirements with other criteria in more creative ways when they award spectrum? India, for example, noted for repeat auctions and eye-watering reserve prices, appears to be… Read more...
by Spectrum Research Service Blog
The FCC is considering secondary mobile use of most of this band, adding to the groundswell of interest created by the plans to use 4.5 GHz for 5G in China and Japan. But wider adoption is likely to be hampered by NATO’s use of the band in Europe, as Toby Youell explains. Research… Read more...