Many countries are investing heavily in 6G R&D programmes. R&D agendas are seeking to align with the ITU’s IMT-2030 framework and to feed into the ongoing 6G standardisation process. Many 6G R&D initiatives involve multi-year funding for public-private projects involving multiple organisations focused on building 6G platforms and developing 6G… Read more...

Nations in Europe represent 49 per cent of nations globally that have assigned or plan to assign spectrum for private networks. Since PolicyTracker’s last private networks benchmark, published in June 2023, there has been a great deal of activity across Europe with new assignments planned in countries that have already… Read more...

While different stakeholders continue to lobby for and against spectrum set-asides for private networks, PolicyTracker’s updated private networks benchmark shows that a growing number of policy planners around the world are assigning dedicated spectrum resources. This Research Note highlights different stakeholder positions on set-asides and examines the policy objectives driving… Read more...

Beauty contests often end up in the courts but auctions don't, so the conventional wisdom goes. But looking more closely we find that legal action over auctions is a fairly frequent occurrence. Read more...

The past 12 months has seen the leading economies wrestling with a new policy issue—satellite direct-to-device services—as well as assigning mid-band spectrum and finalising positions on 6 GHz. Read more...

Having recently delayed its planned 26 GHz and 40 GHz auction, UK regulator Ofcom remains focused on private spectrum access and developing a "hybrid sharing" solution for the upper 6 GHz band. Read more...

Vodafone calls itself the largest pan-European and African telecoms company, with 323 million mobile customers according to its FY23 annual report. It operates mobile and fixed networks in 17 countries, with stakes in another five countries through joint ventures and associates. It also partners with 46 countries outside its footprint,… Read more...

Telefónica is a diversified telecommunications group operating mainly in Europe and Latin America. It provides extensive 4G coverage and continues to build out its 5G and 5G standalone networks. It had 298.6 million mobile customers at the end of 2023. Read more...

Nations across Africa continue to implement unlicensed 6 GHz policies that are largely focused on the lower portion of the band (5925—6425 MHz) in line with the African Telecommunication Union’s (ATU) recommended use of this range. In line with CEPT and European Commission harmonisation decisions, most European nations have opened… Read more...

Thirty nations have assigned 26 GHz or 28 GHz spectrum or both, with ten of these nations planning further assignments. The majority of these assignments are in Asia (40%) and Europe (35%), although nations in all regions of the world are now looking to award spectrum in these high-bands. Read more...