The Benefits of Developing a Spectrum Roadmap for Realising Regulatory Policy Objectives
A spectrum roadmap can play a key part in realising the efficient use of spectrum and promoting investment and innovation. A spectrum roadmap is one of the most significant things a regulator can do to plan how best to allocate spectrum resources and reduce regulatory uncertainty.
Related insights
This report underscores the critical importance of ensuring timely access to adequate spectrum for the industry. Spectrum allocation significantly influences achieving national broadband plans and numerous regulatory and governmental policy objectives. Affordable broadband access drives socio-economic benefits, making it imperative to promote widespread and quality mobile broadband through sufficient spectrum availability.
Access to ample spectrum is pivotal for operators in enhancing network quality, lowering operational costs, and subsequently offering competitive consumer prices. Moreover, a reduced cost base facilitates improved financial returns, fostering higher levels of investment and innovation—goals aligned with common regulatory policy objectives.
LS Telecom’s analysis of global IMT spectrum licensing and usage revealed Africa’s lag in assigning available spectrum compared to other regions. Despite 1,090 MHz of identified harmonised spectrum for Africa, only an average of 477 MHz has been assigned, significantly lower than Europe’s 757 MHz average allocation.
Coleago, drawing from successful spectrum management projects in Tanzania and Botswana, offers expertise in aiding African regulators. Our experience in navigating regulatory challenges and collaborating with mobile operators uniquely positions us to mitigate regulatory uncertainty. We specialise in designing best practice spectrum management strategies and roadmaps tailored to individual regulatory contexts, supporting the efficient allocation and utilisation of spectrum resources.
Other insights
The Polish 700 and 800 MHz Spectrum Auction: Insights and Global Lessons
Poland’s final low-band spectrum auction marks a pivotal moment in Europe’s 5G rollout, offering key lessons in auction design, cross-border coordination, and strategic spectrum management.
The Case for Strategic Spectrum Renewal
As spectrum licences approach their expiry date, a strategic approach to spectrum renewal is crucial. Traditional presumption of renewal in favour of incumbents may no longer serve the industry’s needs. Instead, a more strategic approach to renewal can optimise spectrum assignments and improve spectral efficiency by up to 40%.
Best Practice Spectrum Management
The principles of best practice spectrum management are well established and their implementation can enhance the socio-economic value of spectrum and how much operators are prepared to pay to acquire new spectrum. Whilst most regulators in developed markets have adopted best practice, the same cannot be said for developing markets. Coleago recently studied the regulatory environments in 16 African markets and recorded the extent to which best practice had been adopted.
Learning From Best Practice Spectrum Management in Botswana
The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority conducted a review of its spectrum management strategy to align with international best practice. The Authority was advised by Coleago and in this paper, Project Director Graham Friend highlights the lessons to be learned for other regulators in developing markets.
The End of Telecoms History? – Not Quite!
At the European 5G conference, Stefan Zehle highlighted that differences in mobile data usage across countries result from variations in price and network availability. While European policymakers celebrate 89% 5G coverage, gaps in both outdoor and indoor connectivity limit usage. William Webb’s prediction that data traffic will plateau at 20 GB per user per month by 2027 seems unlikely, given that top users already exceed 100 GB. To fully realise 5G’s potential, policymakers must address these coverage issues in a cost-effective manner.
Insights from a Strategic Spectrum Review
The mobile industry has accumulated a fragmented spectrum portfolio, consisting of various frequency bands that are sub-optimally allocated for modern technologies like 4G and 5G. As operators transition from legacy technologies such as 2G and 3G to newer, bandwidth-intensive solutions, the need for contiguous spectrum blocks has become critical.
