Report calling for 2GHz of mid-band 5G spectrum for operators backed by AMTA

The key findings in a report by the GSM Association that calls for globally harmonised mid-band 5G spectrum were backed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association. The findings also included a plan to make a minimum of 2GHz of mid-band spectrum available for 5G in the 2025-2030 time frame.

The report entitled “GSMA Vision 2030: Insight for Mid-band Spectrum Needs”, evaluates how much spectrum is necessary across 36 cities to deliver the ITU IMT-2020 requirements. The requirements include reliable 100Mbps end-user download speeds and 50Mbps upload speeds based on population density metrics.

According to AMTA CEO Louise Hyland, “AMTA agrees with the overall conclusion...that timely access to sufficient mid-band spectrum is essential for affordable 5G. We understand this is equally relevant for Australia as for the global cities covered by the report.”

“Mid-band spectrum is the heavy lifter in 5G. We can’t rely on low-band and mmWave alone if we want 5G to be able to do what it is designed to do,” she added. “According to Ericsson’s June 2021 Mobility Report, our region has the fastest-growing rate of mobile data traffic. It’s essential that we plan for and allocate sufficient spectrum—mid-band, low band, and mmWave – for 5G—in order to realise the economic benefits of the technology.”

This additional network densification has the potential to increase mobile network energy consumption in the cities by up to three times. In parallel to this, additional spectrum in mid-bands will enable each cell site to support up to six times more homes with 5G FWA. As a result, significant cost savings in network rollout will be realised. Also, affordable connectivity in areas where other broadband solutions are less economically viable will be possible.

“As outlined in the report, failure to allocate sufficient, globally-harmonised mid-band spectrum in a timely manner will drive up the cost of 5G. In other words, if Australia doesn’t allocate adequate mid-band spectrum, the costs of deployment will increase because of increased densification of networks that would be needed,” Hyland added. 

“AMTA strongly supports the recommendation outlined in the report for harmonised mid-band spectrum. This would allow Australia to affordably access the global scale of devices to avoid unnecessary costs for bespoke arrangements.”

According to the recommendations in the report, governments and regulators should make the mid-band spectrum available under technology-neutral licences to allow the existing 3G and 4G spectrum to be upgraded for 5G services. Nevertheless, the report also notes that not all 4G spectrum will be re-farmed by 2030 because 5G take-up will not have reached 100% by then.