SAMENA Council participated in a GSMA MENA workshop on 5G spectrum and deployment issues at MWC Barcelona last week. The workshop was attended by ministers and senior regulators from MENA to look at the path to 5G and spectrum. SAMENA Council with its focus on broadband investment-friendly policies and addressing issues that drive efficient investment decisions, presented on some of the industry challenges :
- that a timetable for the availability of the 1200 MHz of spectrum already identified after discussion with local operators. This is so the opcos can plan their investments in an efficient way;
- That the key band for 5G capacity will be the C-band (3.4-3.8 GHz), but that ITU planning regulations mean that half of the band has less international protection from radio interference. This can lead to uncertainty for mobile and extra costs;
- That the overall cost of 5G deployment could be high (as shown in slide 3) and that current revenues make the case for 5G more challenging than for previous deployments such as 2,3, and 4G. Whilst some extra revenues may be available from things such as IOT. Industry estimates suggest this extra revenue might be around 10-30% of current revenues (ARPU). Without sufficient cooperation and support from regulators, there could be a significant delay in the deployment of 5G in some markets. Trialling networks and business models before widescale deployment could help (as is planned in countries such as UAE), as could reduction in spectrum fees;
- That the next WRC in November 19 (in Egypt) will be an important milestone for future spectrum availability in higher spectrum bands needed in the medium term.
Source: SAMENA Press Release