GSMA reckons spectrum might come in handy for 5G

In a new ‘industry position’ mobile trade association the GSMA warns that clever new 5G tech won’t be much good without the spectrum to carry it.

The executive summary is the standard stuff about a new generation of wireless tech opening up a bunch of new opportunities, but this is just the setup. We won’t be able to do any of this cool stuff, you see, unless governments and regulators do a better job of giving operators the swathes of spectrum they will need to deliver on the promise of 5G.

“Operators urgently need more spectrum to deliver the endless array of services that 5G will enable – our 5G future depends heavily on the decisions governments are making in the next year as we head into WRC-19,” said Brett Tarnutzer, Head of Spectrum at the GSMA.

“Without strong government support to allocate sufficient spectrum to next generation mobile services, it will be impossible to achieve the global scale that will make 5G affordable and accessible for everyone. There is a real opportunity for innovation from 5G, but this hinges on governments focusing on making enough spectrum available, not maximising auction revenues for short term gains.”

WRC-19 refers to the World Radiocommunications Conference 2019. It will be the first one for four years and it’s the event at which the world has a think about things like allocating radio spectrum according to current needs. So it’s a rare opportunity for organisations such as the GSMA to try and get their members some more of that precious resource.

“Governments and regulators have a major role to play in ensuring that consumers get the best outcome from 5G,” said Tarnutzer. “Once spectrum is allocated to mobile at WRC, licensing that spectrum at a national level, as history has shown, can take up to 10 years. Therefore, it is essential that governments take the right action now.”

The fact that the GSMA still feel the need to spell out the importance of radio spectrum to governments and regulators is faintly depressing, considering what a redundant point that should be. But this sort of thing is where such organisations earn their keep, by packaging the bleedin obvious into things like industry positions, which presumably increases the chances of bureaucratic types taking it seriously.

Here’s the GSMA’s list of demands: