Advanced Spectrum

Management for Mobile

Telecommunications

About the GSMA

• Understand the core concepts in spectrum use and management

• Be aware of the trends in mobile-sector growth and data demand

• Learn the processes and approaches to spectrum licensing

• Understand regulatory best practice and how the issues are evolving, and

• Be able to apply the concepts to your own country’s situation.

3

Spectrum management course objectives

By taking this course, you will be able to:

Introduction to

Spectrum and Mobile

Broadband

1

• Mobile services have transformed the world since their launch

• In 1990 there were 12 million mobile connections and no data services

• Dramatic mobile data growth since iPhone launch a decade ago

5

Introduction

MOBILE BROADBAND AND SMARTPHONE EVOLUTION

Mobile broadband

connections to increase

from 55% of total in 2016 to

73%by 2020

By 2020, there will be

5.7bnsmartphones – up from

1.9 billion from the end of 2016

Mobile data has grown

18-foldIn the past five years

Sources: Ericsson & Cisco

6

Large variation in total licensed to mobile services

The Evolution of Networks

• The technical path to mobile broadband

• First, second and third-generation cellular systems

• 4G-LTE and beyond

8

Mobile networks

• A simplified network

Base station

(Operator A)

Base station

(Operator B)

Aggregation Point

Aggregation Point

Domestic mobile

voice call

Microwave

Fibre

CORE

NETWORK

Switching and

routing services

INTERNET

9

Evolution to of mobile technology

…LEADING TO THE PROGRESSION OF MOBILE SERVICES

VOICETelephony

Messaging

DATAEmail

Browsing

VIDEOYouTube

Conferencing

SMART APPSmMoney

mHealth@

!

HSPA+HSPA

CDMA, EV-DO, WIMAX, TD-SCDMA

AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

EDGEGPRSGSM

LTELong Term

Evolution

10

Third-generation cellular systems

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)

Code

Time

Frequency

Channel 1

Channel 2

Channel 3

Channel N

GSM

Voice

9.6kbps

EDGE

Voice

320kbps

WCDMA

Voice

384kbps

HSPAHSDPA

Broadband downloads

Voice

DL: 14.4Mbps

UL: 384kbps

HSUPABroadband uploads

Voice

DL: 14.4Mbps

UL: 5.72Mbps

HSPA EvolutionEnhanced capacity and

high data rates

Voice

DL: 28-42Mbps

UL: 11Mbps

11

High-speed Packet Access (HSPA)

12

Fourth Generation Cellular — LTE

Download

Complete

10%

4G 3GDownload Speed

4.7MB MP3

Music File

4G era coincides

with emergence

of hetnets

And 5G is on the

way...

13

How can operators increase network capacity?

How operators can increase

capacity

Increased spectral

efficiency

Using more spectrum

Small cells and heterogeneous

networks

Wi-Fi offloading

14

The limits of spectral efficiency

Source: Real Wireless

0.09

0.24

0.48

0.72

1.29

1.5

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

EDGE WCDMA HSPA (Rel-5) HSPA (Rel-6) HSPA+ (Rel-7) LTE (Rel-8)

Avera

ge s

pectr

al e

ffic

iency

(b/s

/Hz/c

ell)

TDMA CDMA OFDMA

Introducing Spectrum

Management

16

What is spectrum management

and why do we need it?

1. Ensure spectrum is available under the right terms for the

services which need it most and provide the greatest

socioeconomic benefits

2. Encourage spectrum efficiency and innovation so the

scarce resource can be maximised

3. Minimise interference nationally and internationally and

support harmonisation

From a mobile perspective – good spectrum management is key to

affordable, high quality mobile services with great coverage

17

Layers of spectrum management

Spectrum management

International level

Allocation

Regional level

Band plans

National level

Assignment

18

International spectrum management

The regulator needs to coordinate with

other countries at three levels:The ITU arranges the harmonisation of

frequency bands by three world

regions.

Region 2 Region 1 Region 3

ITU allocations

Regional band plans

Neighbouring country coordination

19

National spectrum management

1. Develop long-term spectrum

management plans

2. Agree conditions and assign

spectrum to different services

3. Manage interference and disputes

4. Manage and review spectrum

usage and future plans based on

market and tech developments

Strategic Analysis

and Review

Spectrum Roadmap

Implement-ation

Guidelines

Spectrum Award Policy

Spectrum for mobile

• Core characteristics of frequency bands suitable for

use by mobile services

• Spectrum bands used by various regions

2

21

Spectrum harmonisation

ROAMINGharmonised

bands

SCALEbillions of

subscribers

AFFORDABILITYeconomies

of scale

CHOICEcompetition

MOBILE

SPECTRUM

Brings down the cost of

mobile devices

Enables roaming

Reduces interference

issues across borders

22

Frequency matters: finding the “sweet spot”

<700MHz

700MHz

850MHz

2100MHz

Cell coverage/radius

5800MHz

Sub-1 GHz spectrum is the key to widespread, high

quality, affordable mobile broadband services

Main mobile bands

Coverage bands (<1GHz)

The 900 band: 2x35 MHz

880 915 925 960

10

MHz

791 862

800 band: 2x30 MHz

11

MHz

821 832

703 788

Region 1: 700 band: 2x30 MHz

25

MHz

733 758

617 698

600 band: 2x35 MHz

11

MHz

652 663

703 803

Region 2 & 3: 700 band: 2x45 MHz*

10

MHz

748 758

* North America uses a more complex 700 MHz plan

20

MHz

824 894

850 band: 2x25 MHz

849 869

Main mobile bands

Capacity bands (>1GHz)

20

MHz

1710 1880

The1800 band: 2x75 MHz

1785 1805

1920 2170

30

MHz

The 2100 band: 2x60 MHz

1980 2110

2500 2690

The 2600 band: 2x70 MHz with 50 MHz unpaired TDD

2570 2620

TDD

3300/3400 3600/3700/3800

3.5GHz band: 200-400MHz

TDD

1710 2170

30

MHz

The AWS band: 2x60 MHz (including extension)

1770 2110

L-band: TBC

1427 1518

2300 2400

The 2300 band: 100 MHz

TDD

1850 1990

30

MHz

PCS 1900 band: 2x60 MHz

1910 1930

World

Radiocommunication

Conference (WRC)

26

WRCs update the Radio Regulations

The conference is held every 3–5 years.

WRC-15 took place November 2 to 27 in 2015

WRC-19 will take place October 28 to November 22 in 2019

Main purpose: To address international issues on radiocommunications

WRCs update the International Radio Regulations

27

WRC-2015: Results for Americas

• Two new

globally

harmonised

mobile bands.

• Momentum is picking up for the C-band

Delivers a good mix of

coverage and capacityAllows very fast data

speeds in urban areas

1427-1518 MHz 3.4-3.6 GHz

Provides vital extra

capacity. Now

identified in parts of

Africa, Asia Pacific

and the Americas

3.3-3.4 GHz 3.6-3.7 GHzSub-700 MHz

Supports improved

coverage for mobile

broadband services

Provides extra

capacity in Canada,

Colombia, Costa Rica

and the US

902-928 MHz

Identified in most of

Latin America for

mobile broadband

28

Sub-700 MHz outside Region 1

• Identified for IMT in Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, United States and Mexico

• In Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, US, Mexico, 470-608 MHz or parts thereof also identified for

IMT

Sub-700 MHz (614-698 MHz): Harmonised across North America

Sub-700 MHz (470/614-698 MHz) was identified for IMT in several markets

• 470-698 MHz: Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

• 610-698 MHz: Bangladesh, Maldives and New Zealand

• India and Pakistan did not sign up but have publically agreed to consider mobile in parts of

the band

• Whole region has a mobile allocation, which could facilitate deployment before Europe.

A number of Arab countries at WRC-15 were in favour of IMT below 700

(including Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Palestine)

No Sub-Saharan African countries were in favour of IMT/MOBILE.

29

WRC-15: What’s next?

Work with the mobile industry and other governments on band plans

Widely agreed band

plans are vital for

affordable devices

Governments can work with

the mobile industry, the ITU

and the 3GPP to develop

standardised band plans

Issue mobile licences

based on these

harmonised band plans

30

WRC-19

• World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), will take place from 28

October to 22 November 2019

• Some of the hot topics include:

− IMT above 24 GHz (This work will lay the groundwork for super high speed 5G)

− ESIMs (Earth Stations in Motion)

− HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations)

− RLANS (Radio Local Area Networks)

− NGSO FSS (Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit)

• The decisions reached at WRCs have a long term impact on investment in the

ICT industry, and hence affect customers and citizens

31

What is at stake at WRC-19?

1. Future use for mobile broadband (IMT) will be decided by the WRC.

2. You can be a part of it. Or not.

3. Proposals can be submitted by industry or by Administrations.

Administrations carry a lot more weight.

4. Administrations will react to WRC preparation after listening to their

industries’ interest. It is important to attend WRC prep meetings and

present your concerns.

5. Regions such as Latam and Africa often ask: why should I worry about

5G if I am still planning 4G? Answer is simple: go back to point 1.

Spectrum Licensing

for Mobile3

Licensing

Regimes

34

Why license spectrum?

1. Ensure vital services can reliably access spectrum and innovate

2. Minimise interference and enable harmonisation

3. Meet policy objectives and encourage investment in vital services

Spectrum is a scarce resource with varying uses and demands

35

Licensing regimes impacting mobile access

Exclusive use

Mobile industry’s top priority -

commercially proven, harmonised,

quality of service, mobility and

control

Exclusive Licensed

SpectrumAuctions of cleared

spectrum for 3G/4G

Shared Licensed

SpectrumLicensed Shared Access (LSA),

CBRS-model, TVWS etc

Unlicensed SpectrumMultiple technologies

(Wi-Fi, LTE in unlicensed, BT & others)

Exclusive use (at times/

places) or shared useAccess and sharing conditions impact

investment/commercial viability & QoS.

Often used when band cannot be cleared

entirely or usage gaps

Shared use

Unpredictable QoS and ideal for hotspot

access. Opportunistic use

for mobile broadband is rising

36

Unlicensed spectrum use and applications

Also known as General Authorisation and Licence exempt spectrum

Establishes use of radio devices without individual authorisation

• Suitable for radio services/devices that have self-containable interference potential

• Some conditions are imposed to minimise interference (e.g. listen before talk)

• Important developments in this space:

• Mobile operators to launch 4G in unlicensed imminently

• Mobile operators already using carrier Wi-Fi increasingly

• 5G likely to have an important unlicensed/shared component

• Sub-1GHz unlicensed use for IoT

• WRC-19 to consider extending 5 GHz band

• 5.9 GHz for safety in connected cars

37

A middle way: light licensing

Light licensing can have varying rights/protections

Stronger rights/ protections

Individual frequency planning

/ coordination

Simplified procedure

compared to individual

licensing

Limitations on user numbers

Weaker rights/ protections

No individual frequency

planning / coordination

Registration and/or

notification

No limitations in the number

of users nor coordination

Non-exclusive licences – lower cost, simpler to manage, but less QoS control

• Quality of service protections range from relatively strong to relatively weak

• Not currently used in mobile access – due to QoS concerns – but used for some backhaul

Spectrum

Assignment

39

Common spectrum assignment objectives

1. Promoting the efficient use of spectrum

2. Supporting mobile service competition

3. Ensuring service continuity for end-users

4. Adopting a well-run, timely and legally robust process

5. Potentially other policy goals such as achieving wide coverage

6. In some cases, generating revenue to government

40

Approaches to spectrum assignment

Administrative Market-based Unlicensed

41

Auction or administrative assignment?

Advantages Disadvantages

Auction

- Can award to operator who values most

and will use efficiently Seeks to discover

market value

- Policy objectives can be set through

licence terms & conditions

- Outcome is transparent & legally robust

- Poor design – including high reserve

prices - can lead to inefficient or anti-

competitive outcome

- Vulnerable to inflated prices which can

threaten network investment and risk

higher consumer prices

Administrative

assignment

- Large range of criteria can be taken into

account into the award

- Authorities can set the fee to avoid high

prices which could threaten investment

- Can set network investment coverage

requirements

- Can be quick to organise

- Most suited when demand does not

exceed supply

- Winner may be applicant with most

attractive proposal - not ability to

deliver

- Vulnerable to bias or corruption which

can lead to legal dispute

42

Most common spectrum auction types

- Lots are auctioned individually but simultaneously

- Prices ascend in each round

- Auction ends when no more bids are submitted

Simultaneous Multiple-Round

Ascending Auction (SMRA)

Combinatorial Clock Auction

(CCA)

- Lots are divided into a number of categories

- Each category has a price ‘clock’ which increases at

different speeds depending on bidder interest

- Bids are made on a combination of lots across

categories in each clock round

- When there is no excess demand, bidders submit best

and final offers. Complex process is used to agree price

Sealed Bids- Each bidder submits a single offer and the licence

goes to the highest bidder

43

Spectrum auction best practice & considerations

1. Auctions are not the only award mechanism – beauty contests can work well

2. No single best auction type and numerous factors impact the outcome

3. High reserve prices are a growing threat to successful awards

4. Spectrum caps and set-asides have strengths - but also major weaknesses

5. Price discovery and truthful bidding is key to achieving a fair market price

6. Focusing on achieving high prices is risky (more on this in a minute)

7. Licence conditions can enable policy goals (e.g. improve coverage) but

when mismanaged can jeopardise high quality services

Spectrum prices

45

46

What did we find out from the GSMA Study

47

48

Policy recommendations for effective pricing

49

Encouraging investment:

Spectrum roadmap and

licence terms & conditions

51

National broadband plan & spectrum roadmaps

Source: ITU, The State of Broadband 2015

Source: ITU, The State of Broadband 2015

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of Countries with National Broadband Plans,

2005-2015 3%

21%

76%

Broadband plans and strategies

6 countries planning to introduce a strategy

42 countries without a broadband plan

148 countries with a plan or strategy in place

52

Licensing terms and conditions - recommendations

LICENCE TERMS & CONDITIONS CAN SUPPORT NETWORK EVOLUTION & INVESTMENT

Establish a licence-renewal

process inc consultation 3-4 years

in advance

Renewal should be predictable

and avoid introducing new terms

which jeopardise RoI

A presumption of renewal (unless

terms breached) supports service

continuity and investment

RENEWAL PROCESS SHOULD AVOID RISKING INVESTMENT & SERVICE CONTINUITY

Use coverage

obligations with

caution and target

them

Remove service

and technology

restrictions

Licence duration

of 15- 20 years

Use annual fees

to recoup costs –

not maximise

revenues

Avoid restrictive

and onerous

conditions

53

General approaches to renewal

General

approaches

Advantages Disadvantages

Presumption of

renewal

High predictability, minimizes disruption

and alongside trading, supports efficient

spectrum use over time

In some cases spectrum may be better re-

assigned (eg spectrum replanning, serious

breach of conditions, spectrum left idle)

Re-auctioning Transparent to assign spectrum where

excess demand and there is a real

prospect of spectrum being re-assigned

between operators. But uncertainty can

risk investment,

Introduces uncertainty that can chill

investment, deter high utilization, disrupt

service and is vulnerable to flaws that could

reduce competition

Administrative

re-assignment

Can be practical way to re-allocate

spectrum between uses and to achieve

a particular competitive outcome

Introduces uncertainty, can be cumbersome,

arbitrary, vulnerable to corruption and lead to

long disputes

Hybrid (part-

automatic

renewal and part

re-assignment)

Attempts to balance achieving some

predictability and some flexibility

Risk to investment and service

continuity/QoS. Trading off predictability for

flexibility would only be beneficial in some

circumstances

54

4G is built on technology neutrality and refarming

Spectrum bands that have

been refarmed for LTE:

850 MHz

900 MHz

1500 MHz

1700/2100 MHz

1800 MHz

1900/2100 MHz

2100 MHz

Other

bands

Digital

DividendRefarmed 2G/3G

spectrum

The percentage of

deployments using Digital

Dividend bands has fallen

from 27 per cent in 2015 to

26 per cent in 2016

To date, the majority of

4G-LTE deployments

worldwide are running on

refarmed spectrum in

existing bands

55

2G refarming by region

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Middle East Africa Asia Pacific Latin America European Union Northern America

2G connections as a percentage of total connections

2013 2020

56

Case study: Quality of Service in India

Collaborative efforts between the regulator and operators to improve mobile QoS

• Quality of service – especially dropped call rates – hit

the headlines in India in 2015 and 2016

• Mobile operators highlighted key factors happening

simultaneously:

• Drip feeding spectrum & mobile data growth

• Unfortunate 900 MHz renewal outcome & an EMF health

panic which closed cell towers in some areas

• Government and operators started joint measures

• Government: Licensed more spectrum & supported

easier cell tower rollouts

• Operators: Invested in spectrum and network

57

Coexistence between digital TV and LTE in the UK

Wanted signal

Unwanted signal

A collaborative approach between the regulator and operators

Source: Bundesnetzagentur

58

Radio frequency cross-border coordination

59

Cross border coordination between US and Mexico

U.S – Mexico Sharing Zone (72km either side of border)

Source: US Department of State

60

A possible cross-border power level agreement

Field strength* level at 3 m height

900Mhz 1800Mhz

GSM vs. GSM GSM systems can continue operating according to ECC

Recommendation (05)08 and the existing agreements.

UMTS vs. UMTS

using non preferential codes and

with centre frequencies aligned

35 dBμV/m/5MHz @0 km 41 dBμV/m/5MHz @0 km

*The "mean field strength of each carrier” refers to a frequency block of up to 5 MHz.

Wrap-up

• Introducing spectrum and mobile broadband

• Mobile spectrum today – and in the future

• Licensing fundamentals

• Spectrum monitoring and interference

Using the Digital

Dividend to Enable

Mobile Broadband

5

Analogue Broadcasting470MHz803MHz or

862MHz

Unique opportunity to

significantly improve

TV and mobile

broadband services

Ideal for widespread

mobile broadband

coverage (inc. rural

and in-building)

Changes mobile

economics to bring

affordable services to

more people

806MHzDigital Broadcasting698MHz or

790MHzMobile

806MHz or

862MHz470MHz

63

Making better use of precious sub-1 GHz spectrum

Moving to digital TV means more can be done with less spectrum

64

How much better is the digital dividend for coverage?

65

What’s included in the digital dividend?

788 MHz

862 MHz

Uplink Gap

703 MHz 733 MHz 758 MHz

Downlink

700 MHz band

Uplink Gap

791 MHz 821 MHz 832 MHz

Downlink

800 MHz band

Uplink Gap

617 MHz 652 MHz 663 MHz 698 MHz

Downlink

600 MHz band (in some countries*)

Uplink Gap

718 MHz 748 MHz 773 MHz 803 MHz

Downlink

700 MHz band

*Planned in: Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada

Colombia, India, Mexico, New Zealand, US & others

66

Creating a 700 MHz plan for Europe, Middle East & Africa

REGION 1: 800 MHz PLAN

791 MHz 832 862 MHz821

703 MHz 733 788 MHz758

718 MHz 773748 803 MHz

Lower APT duplexer &

EMEA 700 MHz plan

Upper APT duplexer

SDL or PPDR

APT700 MHz PLAN

The harmonized 700 MHz and 800 MHz band plans overlap

EMEA 700MHz plan enables the full digital dividend and low cost devices

67

Digital dividend status worldwide

68

The digital dividend in Latin America

The digital dividend is being licensed but the switchover is taking time…

• 8 countries have awarded digital dividend spectrum (as of May 2016)

• Only Colombia has completed the switchover from analogue to digital TV

• In many of the others it is unclear when the switchover will be complete

69

Digital dividend and TV whitespace considerations

Different impact, benefits and uses – TVWS should not delay the digital dividend

• DD is a commercially proven success for delivering wide area, high quality,

affordable mobile broadband services – including in rural areas

• Developing markets will struggle to deliver widespread, affordable LTE without it

• TVWS has limited availability, limited QoS and is not commercially proven

• May have a role to play but reliance on Wi-Fi makes it a fixed hotspot proposition

How to do the digital

switchover?

71

Digital switch over work areas

(G)

(R)

(I)

3. Develop funding policy

1. Develop DSO policy and legal framework

3. Manage radio spectrum and coordination matters

2. Implement licensing framework

4. Establish principles for help scheme

4. Plan and deploy DTT network

3. Develop communications plan

2. Establish DTT branding and conformance regime

1. Develop consumer proposition

5. Establish receiver specifications and costs

1. Decide on technology and standards

2. Establish plan for ASO

3. Develop funding policyGovernment

Regulators

Industry

72

DSO task force

Programme Office

DSO Task Force

Wo

rk s

tre

am

s

Media

Supply chain(Device

manufacturers, retailers, installers)

Government

(NRA, ministries,

agencies)

Consumer

groups and

institutions

Industry

(Broadcasters,

trade bodies and

associations)

Co

mm

un

ica

tio

ns

Co

nsu

me

r se

rvic

e lin

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Co

nsu

me

r d

evic

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Ho

usin

g &

Pro

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Co

nsu

me

r &

Ma

rke

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ese

arc

h

Bro

ad

ca

st

infr

astr

uctu

re

He

lp S

ch

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Re

gu

lato

ry

Com

munic

ations

Consum

er

serv

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Co

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nd

pro

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Help

schem

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73

DTT market structure and licensing

Content

creator

Broadcaster/

TV service

provider

MUX owner/

operator

Site

owner

Network

operator

Device

manufacturer

Multiplexing DistributionNetwork

TransmissionReception/

Presentation

Content

CreationAggregation

The pricing challenge -

and a solution

75

Spectrum pricing presents a challenge..

High reserve prices led to some or all the digital dividend going unsold

Country Year Band

Mozambique 2013 800MHz

Australia 2013 700MHz

Ghana 2016 800MHz

Senegal 2016 800MHz

India 2016 700 MHz

The high reserve may not just have been unaffordable – it may have made

network investment afterwards difficult (and impossible in rural areas)

76

Sweden: a lesson in motivating rural investment?

Early 800 MHz auction + reasonable reserve price + innovative coverage model

• Sweden auctioned 800 MHz in 2011

• Early auction, 25 year licence duration

• Reasonable reserve price

• Auction revenues were healthy but not so high

as to jeopardise network investment afterwards

• One licence with coverage obligation focused

on precise locations of known blackspots

• Applicants for that licence were allowed to

count $22m-$44m of promised network

investment in the blackspots in their bid

Digital dividend + network sharing = 99.9% 4G population coverage

77

The impact of new technologies

More capacity More base stations inc. small cells

Regulation in a

Changing Mobile

Landscape

6

Spectrum and

infrastructure sharing

80

Spectrum Sharing Approaches

Source: Qualcomm

Sharing Licensed SpectrumVarious technologies used or planned for secondary

usage including cellular and TVWS tech

Unlicensed SpectrumMultiple technologies

(Wi-Fi, LTE in unlicensed, BT & others)

Shared exclusive use

Includes Licensed Shared Access, Citizens

Broadband Radio Service, TV Whitespace etc. The

benefits and challenges vary by approach

Shared use

Unpredictable QoS, ideal for local

area access, and opportunistic use

for mobile broadband

81

Wi-Fi is increasingly important for mobile

Cellular data traffic is

rising again in Korea

Numerous US stadiums say

most traffic is now cellular

Sprint reported Wi-Fi offload

dropped from Q1-Q4 2016

• Most mobile traffic uses Wi-Fi

- More mobile device traffic offloaded to Wi-Fi than remained on cellular in 2016

- But “reverse migration” means offloading is not always the case

• Wi-Fi calling is growing and will likely expand more with VoLTE

- Same core network elements can support both technologies

- Many operators support Wi-Fi calling today

82

Significant amount of unlicensed spectrum

Key unlicensed bands

Small amount sub-1 GHz: IoT use

(Sigfox, LoRa)

2.4 GHz and 5 GHz: Fast services (Wi-

Fi, LTE-U)

57-66/71 GHz Superfast services

(WiGig & 5G)

Coverage and Usage

Mostly not suited to wide area coverage

More well suited to urban hotspots &

inside buildings

Usage conditions apply but do evolve

(e.g. FCC 5GHz)

Lots of unlicensed spectrum…

but most is focused in mmW

Unlicensed

spectrum

Current IMT

spectrum

Current spectrum availability(approximate theoretical average*, GHz)

8.0

1.3

*identified IMT spectrum and unlicensed spectrum

varies significantly by country and region

83

Unlicensed-centric cellular specifications

Tech Body Status Spec

LAA 3GPP Specification is ready for downlink. 3GPP test plan for Rel-

13 ongoing. Rel-14 WI for eLAA will add uplink.

Release 13

LWA 3GPP Completed – Aggregation is supported for downlink in Rel-

13 (and for uplink in Rel-14). 3GPP test plan for Rel-13

ongoing.

Release 13

LWIP 3GPP Completed. 3GPP test plan for Rel-13 ongoing. Rel-14 will

add flow control and WLAN metrics

Release 13

LTE-U LTE-U Forum Specification developed by a set of companies and already

available. Wi-Fi Alliance has developed a coexistence test

plan

Available

(v1.3)

MulteFire Multe Fire

Alliance

Research phase, initiating work with the ecosystem to

develop industry-wide specifications for this technology.

Presented current draft to 3GPP in September, 2016

Nearly

complete

84

Sharing licensed: Licensed Shared Access (LSA)

Licensed Shared Access is a voluntary sharing method where an incumbent

can share spectrum with another user – typically on a commercial basis

• Access can be guaranteed assuring QoS

• Can support existing low cost devices

• Encourages spectrum efficiency

• But….

• Contract length must justify investment

• Spectrum must be available in right bands,

at right times and places, for the right price

Regulator

Spectrum incumbent

LSA licensee

Technical parameters

Shared use conditions

85

Sharing licensed: Citizens Broadband Radio Service (3.5 GHz)

86

Sharing licensed: TV Whitespace

White Spaces

Sig

nal str

ength

Frequency

TV Whitespace has not yet managed to gain major commercial traction to date

• TVWS employs broadcast TV spectrum

that is unoccupied in certain areas

• This means availability is limited

• Normally available on unlicensed basis

so quality of service is not guaranteed

• The digital dividend reduces the amount

of TVWS spectrum available

Is it best to operate around broadcasting or repack it in a lower band?

87

Infrastructure sharing to widen access

Passive

sharing

Active

sharing

• Sharing reduces costs and

improves coverage

• Sharing can take two forms

- active and passive

88

Enabling infrastructure sharing

There are compelling reasons for network sharing – how can regulators help?

And is some level of sharing too much?

Spectrum for IoT

90

Rapid growth of the IoT market

IoT connections growth (billions) IoT connection by type in 2021

91

Unlicensed and licensed IoT approaches (wide-area)

92

3GPP IoT-specific technologies

93

Spectrum policy considerations for cellular IoT

1. Service and technology neutrality will assist launches

2. Licensed spectrum is needed for the most reliable, high quality IoT

3. Licensed spectrum will support capacity and coverage for IoT

4. International harmonisation is vital for global, affordable cellular IoT

5. Regulators can support IoT in 5G spectrum planning

Towards a 5G future

95

96

Potential 5G services

Three key usage scenarios for 5G

1. Enhanced mobile broadband:multi-gigabit per second data rates for apps like

virtual reality and support for extensive data traffic growth

2. Massive machine-type communications: support a massive number of low

cost IoT connections with very long battery life & wide coverage inc in-building

3. Ultra-reliable communications: very low latency (sub-1ms) and very high

availability, reliability and security for autonomous vehicles & healthcare

These criteria drive a wide variety of use cases:

− Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, ultra high-definition video, remote

healthcare, augmented reality, other disruptions yet to be imagined

97

5G spectrum ranges

5G needs spectrum within three key frequency ranges to deliver widespread coverage

and support all use cases

1. Sub-1 GHz

– Will support widespread coverage across urban, suburban and rural areas and

help support Internet of Things (IoT) services

2. 1-6 GHz

– Offers a good mixture of coverage and capacity benefit

– Includes 3.5 GHz band which is likely to be basis of many initial 5G services

3. Above 6 GHz

– Supports ultra-high broadband speeds envisioned for 5G

– Focus on above 24 GHz inc 26 GHz and/or 28 GHz bands

– Some interest in exploring bands in the 6-24 GHz range

98

5G spectrum regime recommendations

• Licensed spectrum should remain the core 5G management approach but

unlicensed spectrum and other spectrum sharing have a role to play

− Exclusive licensed spectrum provides QoS and access guarantees enabling secure long-

term, heavy investment

− Unlicensed spectrum could be used to augment licensed 5G bands

− Higher 5G frequency ranges suit sharing as small coverage areas mean more manageable

interference – potential for sharing spectrum with satellite bands (in different areas)

SUB 1-GHz 1-6 GHz(inc. refarming)

ABOVE 6 GHz(inc. mm waves)

99

International 5G spectrum planning

• It is vital that 5G spectrum bands are widely harmonised

– Enables the greater economies of scale needed for a good

choice of low cost devices

– Enables roaming and facilitates cross border coordination

– Avoid spectrum fragmentation and incompatibilities between

markets

• New ‘5G’* bands to be agreed at WRC-19

– Agenda Item 1.13 at WRC-19 will consider a range of bands

from 24-86 GHz: 24.25-27.5GHz, 31.8-33.4GHz, 37-43.5GHz,

45.5-50.2GHz, 50.4-52.6GHz, 66-76GHz, 81-86GHz

– Working Party 5D for requirements and technical characteristics

– Task Group 5/1 for interference studies

*The ITU simply refers

to them as additional

IMT bands which can

be used for all types of

standardised mobile

broadband

ROAMING

harmonised bands

SCALE

billions of subscribers

AFFORDABILITY

economiesof scale

CHOICE

competition

MOBILE

SPECTRUM

100

101

Summary – 5G in five steps

• Significant new widely harmonised mobile spectrum is needed

– to ensure 5G meets future expectations

– WRC-19 is vital for the ultra-high-speed vision for 5G

• 5G needs spectrum below 1 GHz, 1-6 GHz and above 6 GHz

– to deliver widespread coverage and support all use cases

• Licensed spectrum should remain the core 5G management approach but

unlicensed spectrum and other shared spectrum have a role to play

• Technology neutral spectrum licences are essential to enable refarming

• Governments should encourage investment-friendly 5G policies

– National broadband plans with a 5G action plan and spectrum roadmap

– Support long-term 5G licences with a clear renewal process

– Avoid artificially high 5G spectrum prices (inc reserve prices) which risk

bands going unsold and deterring investment (which will need to be major)

Thank You