Macau’s Post and Telecommunications Bureau (Correios e Telecomunicacoes, CTT) has issued its spectrum usage plan for future 5G mobile services. The regulator is looking at the following bands for 5G services: 3.3GHz-3.4GHz (for indoor use only); 3.4GHz-3.6GHz; 4.83GHz-4.93GHz; 24.25GHz-27.5GHz; and 27.5GHz-28.35GHz.
Spectrum in the 3.4GHz-3.6GHz band, which is being widely utilised for 5G services internationally, is currently part of the wider 3.5GHz-4.2GHz range which is reserved for satellite services in Macau. The CTT is aiming to migrate all satellite use in this band to 3.7GHz-4.2GHz in order to free up the 3.4GHz-3.6GHz range for 5G services, while retaining 3.6GHz-3.7GHz as a guard band.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Macau is home to four active cellcos – CTM, Hutchison 3, SmarTone and China Telecom – with the first 5G services expected to be launched in 2020.