Page 152 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Openreach has identified 168 exchanges (in addition to than 4.2 million residential premises (14%) covered as
a trial Salisbury exchange) where it expects to provide of 31 May 2020, up from 3.5 million (12%) in January.
ultrafast services to 75% of premises in each exchange According to OFCOM, the gains are the result of
area. As such, OFCOM said in its latest consultation on ‘increased rollout both from the expansion of existing
the matter: ‘Given the speed at which Openreach’s fiber broadband NETWORKS as well as the inclusion in
roll out is progressing, we now believe that where there [its] analysis of companies building entirely new
are a limited number of customers remaining on copper fiber networks’. The watchdog also reported that the
services, and there are fiber services available to them, availability of ultrafast broadband – which it classifies
it may be reasonable to allow Openreach to withdraw as a connection offering download speeds of at least
copper services in some cases during the WFTMR 300Mbps – had also improved, with 57% of homes
market review period.’ A deadline of 26 November 2020 (16.6 million) now able to access such service by
has been set for the submission of comments to the May 2020, up roughly 500,000 from January 2020.
consultation. (October 16, 2020) commsupdate.com Superfast (download speeds of at least 30Mbps)
broadband was reportedly available to 27.8 million
The regulator OFCOM advanced plans to open access premises (95%) at the same date, with an additional
to extremely high frequency (EHF) spectrum, a move 100,000 premises having been covered since OFCOM’s
it claimed would boost innovation by enabling high- previous report. Meanwhile, ‘decent’ broadband
speed wireless services. OFCOM began accepting (10Mbps/1Mbps down/up) was available to the vast
applications for licenses covering the 116GHz to majority of UK properties, with only 590,000 (2%), down
122GHz; 174.8GHz to 182GHz; and 185GHz to 190GHz from 680,000 at January 2020, unable to access such
bands. The move is part of plans to allocate 18.2GHz a service. In the mobile sector, OFCOM said that 4G
of EHF spectrum and follows a consultation on the coverage had ‘not seen significant changes over the
plan conducted earlier this year. The regulator stated last reporting periods’, with two-thirds of the UK’s
it was considering further allocations of EHF spectrum landmass – an area blanketing 97% of premises –
in future. It explained frequencies in the 100GHz to having ‘good’ 4G coverage from all four mobile network
200GHz range are suitable for services requiring high operators (MNOs), EE, O2 UK, Three UK and Vodafone
data capacity over short distances. The regulator said UK. In terms of 4G ‘not-spots’, which it described as
its move “will create new opportunities to develop ‘areas where good 4G services are not available from
wireless services across a range of industries”, any mobile operator’, the regulator said that both
including the health and manufacturing sectors. It geographic and road not-spots remained at 9% and 5%
cited potential applications around health screening; respectively, although it noted that picture in individual
3D imaging; holograms; IoT; and product assembly nations varied significantly, particularly in Scotland and
and quality assurance services. Wales. Meanwhile, with OFCOM noting that the country
(September 30, 2020) mobileworldlive.com remained in the early stages of 5G rollout, it did not
offer up any information regarding current coverage
Telecoms regulator OFCOM has published the latest levels, though did note that it is continuing to work with
interim update to its annual Connected Nations report, MNOs ‘to establish how best to evaluate and report on
in which it said that access to full fiber broadband 5G coverage’. (September 11, 2020) commsupdate.com
connectivity has ‘increased significantly’, with more

US regulator the Federal Communications Commission adding it would be “bad policy” to make long-term
(FCC) advanced a proposal to establish a $9 billion funding decisions without accurate maps. However,
fund for rural 5G deployments, asking stakeholders to FCC chairman Ajit Pai contended “we cannot pretend
comment on how the pot should be distributed. First there is no trade-off between precision and speed”.
United unveiled in December 2019, the draft plan approved in On a call with journalists, he explained the agency
needs additional funding from Congress before it can
a vote yesterday (23 April) includes two distribution
States options: one would allocate a majority of funds through begin work on new maps. Even then, he noted agency
an auction in 2021 using existing mobile broadband staff estimated it would take 18-to-24 months to
coverage data to identify areas in need; the second collect, analyze and verify the data needed for their
would delay the auction until 2023 to allow collection development. The FCC opened a public consultation
of more accurate coverage details. Ahead of the vote, on the merits of each auction approach. In another
Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey high-profile decision, commissioners approved new
Starks argued the proposal presented a false choice rules opening the entire 6GHz band for unlicensed
between distributing the money quickly or accurately. use, freeing up 1200MHz of spectrum for the next
Rosenworcel said “we need to do both”, with Starks generation of Wi-Fi. While the move drew praise from

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