Our take on 5G spectrum

This autumn we are publishing a six-section “Spectrum 101” that sets out the fundamentals of modern spectrum management.

This week we put the focus on 5G.

Our note summarises global approaches to making spectrum available for the emerging mobile technology.

Our take is that the current 4G low- and mid-bands will be repurposed for 5G services. In particular, the C-band has been identified as the prime 5G frequency.

But what sets 5G apart from its predecessors is its use of high-band frequencies, sometimes referred to as mmWaves. These promise very wide bandwidths but also have limitations, such as their small coverage areas.

The first mmWave 5G deployments have been in the 28 GHz band, while the next most promising band is the adjacent 26 GHz band. Delegates at this year’s WRC-19, the subject of another Spectrum 101 note, will balance the promise of 5G in the band against the risk of interference to meteorological satellites below 24 GHz.

The mobile industry is also interested in portions of the 37–43.5 GHz, but its fate is also to some extent dependent on WRC-19.

What do you think?

The PolicyTracker Spectrum 101: 5G spectrum