GATINEAU – The Wireless World Research Forum’s (WWRF) 5G Huddle in Gatineau QC last week delved into a variety of matters that could shape the rollout of 5G networks across Canada and around the world and while there was significant discussion on the types of 5G applications that may emerge in the future, the role of spectrum regulators also took centre stage.
For them, the challenge is figuring out on what bands 5G networks will reside – and this is a challenge which can’t be underestimated since there is very little contiguous and open spectrum on which 5G can ride. (5G in regulatory parlance is referred to as IMT-2020)
As Philip Marnick, director of spectrum at the UK regulator Ofcom noted in his presentation, spectrum can’t get in the way of 5G.
“One of the key challenges for us with 5G is ensuring that spectrum is not an inhibitor to the rollout of 5G services,” he said.
This is important because for 5G to be successful there needs to be global spectrum harmonization. But there are challenges behind this since not all countries favour the same band. Combined with that is some nations are actually preparing to rollout 5G networks – China is pretty advanced in its tests – even prior to a major international conference of spectrum regulators to determine the bands in which 5G will reside.
For example, the U.K. has identified a couple of locations, namely the 3.5 GHz to 3.8 GHz band and the 26 GHz band. The U.S. Federal Communications Commissions is also exploring options for the 3.5 GHz band, but has to do workarounds in some parts of the country because of existing federal users, namely the U.S. Navy.
So as a result, spectrum regulators from around the world are attempting to figure out which bands are the most appropriate for 5G networks. This will be done at the next World Radiocommunications Conference in 2019 (WRC19).
Cindy Cook, chair of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) task group charged with studying 5G (she is also a director at Innovation Science and Economic Development – ISED) underscored in her presentation the challenge facing spectrum regulators over the next year or so.
She said currently there are 11 bands identified for 5G – eight of them already have a mobile allocation – and between now and next May, the task group has to perform studies to ensure 5G services can co-exist in these bands because they all have other services operating in them.
Take the 24.7 GHz to 27.5 GHz band as an example.
“So there are a lot of studies to be done just in that one frequency band. So if we times that by 11, you get a feel for how much work there is to actually to get done within the task group.” – Cindy Cook, ISED
“We have to do sharing studies within that band between IMT-2020 and the fixed satellite services, the earth exploration satellite service, the intersatellite service, the space research service. And then we also have to do adjacent band studies, so studies with the passive services that are in the frequency bands next to them, and do compatibility studies with those,” Cook explained.
“So there are a lot of studies to be done just in that one frequency band. So if we times that by 11, you get a feel for how much work there is to actually to get done within the task group,” she added.
These studies have to be done by May 2018 after which a meeting in the fall of 2018 will finalize the text summarizing the results.
“But I think by the end of 2018 we will have a fairly good idea which frequency bands have the most interest from the international community,” said Cook.
Currently there is big focus from many countries on using the 26 GHz band. Others are looking at the 32 GHz and 37 GHz to 42.5 GHz.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of activity on those three particular bands, concluded Cook.
