Spectrum, mobile & wireless update March 2017

As part of its Budget 2017 announcements earlier this month the Government published its 5G Strategy, setting out "steps for the UK to become a world leader in the next wave of mobile technology and services".

Sectors across the whole of the economy are expected to make use of new 5G technologies and applications, particularly in relation to the lower latency of 5G networks to support applications such as driverless vehicles. The 5G Strategy will deliver three main outcomes: accelerating the deployment of 5G networks, maximising the productivity and efficiency benefits to the UK from 5G and creating new opportunities for UK businesses at home and abroad, encouraging inward investment.

A 5G testbeds and trials programme will test use cases in both rural and urban areas and explore how infrastructure can be deployed in a cost-effective way. The Government is establishing a new centre of 5G expertise in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support this. The Strategy also recognises that “mobile networks will need to go further than the requirements of the current licence obligations both in terms of coverage and quality” if the Government’s ambitions are to be realised. It will ask Ofcom to set out how coverage reporting should “provide a genuine and meaningful reflection of the services experienced by customers” by the end of 2017.

Other spectrum, mobile and wireless developments this month:

• Ofcom announced its decision to proceed with proposals to extend Wi-Fi access in the 5 GHz band to an additional 125 MHz (5725 to 5850, the ‘5.8GHz band’), together with a consultation inviting views on draft regulations allowing licence exempt use of this band (further background on this here). This additional spectrum will allow for more and wider channels to become available for Wi-Fi, enabling better quality of experience and releasing congestion from neighbouring users.
• The Wi-Fi Alliance published a report projecting that the increasing number of Wi-Fi devices combined with growing demand for Wi-Fi connectivity will exceed existing available Wi-Fi spectrum capacity in the near future. The study indicates that by 2020, Wi-Fi networks will need access to significantly more mid-band spectrum than is currently available in the 5 GHz range. In addition further spectrum “needs to be assigned with sufficient contiguity such that wide channels of 160 MHz, or perhaps even wider in future, can be constructed with ease.”
• The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) announced an acceleration of the timeline for 5G plans, creating an interim 5G specification, Non-Standalone 5G NR (New Radio), which could lead to large scale trials and deployments in 2019 instead of 2020. Also see commentary from AT&T.
• The US National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a $6.1 million, five-year award to accelerate fundamental research on wireless communication and networking technologies through the foundation's Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program. Award recipients US Ignite, Inc. and Northeastern University will collaborate with NSF and industry partners to establish and oversee multiple city-scale testing platforms across the United States.
• Telecompaper reported the announcement by Italy's Ministry of Economic Development that pre-commercial 5G trials will take place in five cities (Milan, Prato, L’Aquila, Bari and Matera). The Italian government will make spectrum in the 3.4 and 3.8 GHz bands available for the trials; the European Commission’s 5G Action Plan requires Member States to identify at least one city for 5G trials by 2018.
• BT announced that free ultrafast Wi-Fi, mobile charging, calls and local information kiosks are to be deployed in Southwark, in partnership with Intersection and Primesight. The service will be called LinkUK, with more than 100 kiosks expected to be installed, funded by revenues from advertising.