5G/IMT SPECTRUM

MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION

• Fifth-generation wireless technology (5G) is starting to roll
out in cities across the globe—including some in the
Nigeria. But most countries are building the new network
on a different part of the spectrum than major U.S. cities.

5G is expected to supersede today’s 4G by a huge margin.

You might have heard that 5G networks can reach up to
more than 10 Gbps of speed with virtually imperceptible
lag times. And this is true. However, not all 5G are the
same, and that has something to do with spectrum
management.
 Managing the 5G spectrum
• Spectrum allocations are carefully managed today to enable
better standards and mitigate the probability of
electromagnetic interference(EMI). For 5G, there are three
types of spectrums that it needs to run smoothly: the low-
band (below 1 gigahertz), the mid-band (1 gigahertz to 6
gigahertz), and the high-band (above 6 gigahertz).

Although low-band radio waves have more coverage—

penetrating through walls and obstacles—they carry less data
than higher bands. On the opposite end, high-band radio
waves can carry more data packets (hence the higher speeds)
but have limited coverage and range.
Low-band spectrum for coverage and capacity

• Sub-1 GHz spectrum has strong propagation

characteristics and is essential to build coverage in
thinly populated areas and provide indoor coverage
in built-up areas. Spectrum needs for 5G are higher
than the amount of capacity that naturally exists
below 1 GHz. However, download speeds in areas
relying on low-band – typically rural areas – are
directly impacted by the spectrum capacity available
and ensuring the availability of the 600 MHz band
will raise rural broadband speeds by 30-50%.
Mid-band spectrum for high-capacity city-wide 5G

• Mid-band provides high-capacity city-wide 5G. It will play a core

role in delivering applications which impact how we
manufacture goods, deliver education, build smart cities, and
communicate with each other. Mid-band 5G spectrum will
deliver more than $610 billion in global GDP in 2030,
accounting for almost 65% of the overall socio-economic value
generated by 5G, according to research from GSMA
Intelligence.
• 100 MHz of spectrum per operator is needed to launch 5G in
the first place. All countries must plan to make 2 GHz of mid-
band spectrum available by 2030 to provide the IMT-2020
requirements for 5G of 100 Mbps downlink.
 M
Millimetre wave spectrum for ultra-high, gigabit speeds and low latencies

• High-band spectrum or mmWave also has an important role to

play. Pioneering ultra-high speeds and the lowest latencies
depend on mmWave spectrum access. Gigabit speeds are being
delivered today by mmWave in even the most densely
populated hotspots. This allows applications such as high-res
home streaming through mmWave FWA and in public spaces
through mmWave eMBB. AR/VR and the metaverse, automated
manufacturing, and cloud-based and virtual desktops will all
benefit from mmWave connectivity in dense user hotspots.
• Governments and regulators should also plan to make an
average of 5 GHz of high-band spectrum available per country by
2030 as demand increases.
 Dynamic Spectrum Management
• Dynamic spectrum management (DSM) defines a set of
efficient spectrum management techniques. The
techniques aim to improve either one or many of the key
performance parameters like QoS, battery life, energy
consumption, interference, etc. by allowing Radios to
share multiple frequencies without causing interference.
It facilitates sharing of wireless channels on coprimary
basis between licensed and unlicensed users . Frequency,
space and time are key considerations for DSM. The
Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) supervises the
spectrum usage and set required regulations for the
• same. The frequencies are dynamically
allocated, constraint to its availability in terms
of space and time. The management of
required bandwidth, estimation and
mitigation of interference, cross-layer
optimization, etc. holds key importance in
technical implementation of DSM. The
application of artificial
• intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in
spectrum sensing is useful in future networks. DSM
is one of the core requirement for spectrum sharing
techniques especially in case of users with different
spectrum requirements. Figure 5 illustrates
different dynamic access approach . To make
efficient utilization of the idle of TV white space
(TVWS) bands, different constraints has been
discussed which includes LSA considerations and
propagation characteristics of mm-Wave
Policies in support of 5G / IMT-2020 adoption

• 1) Regulatory review It is recommended to

review and modernize existing regulations to
adapt to new technological developments (i.e.
5G/IMT-2020), including the elimination of
regulations that have outlived their original
purpose, or that create unnecessary burdens
which negatively impact deployment and
adoption.
• 2) Infrastructure support Administrations should support the
deployment of infrastructure that will facilitate 5G/IMT-2020 such
as fibre, satellite, data centres and edge computing. In particular,
5G deployment can be significantly accelerated and made cheaper
through deployment of a significant fiber infrastructure. Many
countries have identified that public work costs are directly leading
to deployment delay and that mutualisation of the physical
infrastructure (ducts, trenches and dark fiber, poles, public
buildings) can significantly accelerate 5G deployment. For example,
connecting public building with fiber – including dark fiber made
available to MNOs – and allowing MNOs to install 5G BSs on public
building would significantly accelerate 5G deployment.
• 3) Authorisation of new sites 5G/-IMT-2020 networks and the
use of mmWave spectrum will require more dense network
deployments, potentially increasing the number of base
stations and towers. It is critical for regulators to develop
streamlined approval processes to support the rollout of
5G/IMT-2020 and avoid cumbersome delays due to regulatory
procedures. This could entail improving coordination across
national, regional, and local governments, streamlining
processes between the different levels of government,
developing a public database of available station sites, or
publishing detailed information regarding approval processes
and instructions to obtain authorization.
• 4) Network traffic management 5G/IMT-2020
networks will enable the prioritization of
different types of traffic depending on user
needs and use cases. It will therefore be
important for regulators to review “net
neutrality” obligations to ensure that mobile
network operators are able to leverage
5G/IMT-2020’s technological benefits
• 5) Privacy In order to take advantage of improved
connectivity due to 5G/IMT-2020 networks and
devices, including distance learning, intelligent
transportation systems, and smart healthcare devices,
it is appropriate to review economy-wide and sector-
specific privacy requirements to ensure that the legal
and regulatory frameworks strike a balance between
enabling information sharing from new categories of
devices or newly connected devices and protecting
sensitive personal and corporate data.
• 6) Role of public institutions It is
recommended to use 5G/IMT-2020 to connect
public institutions. This will create synergies
and kick-start 5G/IMT-2020 by providing key
initial customers for operators. For example,
connecting schools, police stations and clinics
can catalyse 5G/IMT-2020 roll-out and help
accelerate uptake.
• 7) Fixed Broadband Administrations should
encourage and facilitate the deployment of 5G/IMT-
2020 for fixed wireless access, which can significantly
increase broadband penetration, including in rural
areas. 5G FWA relies on a device using a 5G link and
a high gain antenna to connect the house to a 5G
base station and distributes this connectivity within
the house through WiFi. This setup results in greater
broadband reach into rural areas and higher spectral
efficiency for urban and suburban areas.
• 8) Consumer policy Considerations should be
made to support consumers access to
broadband services- by providing subsidies,
rebates or tax reductions for CPEs to lower
income families and to businesses SMME’s to
help them take full advantage of 5G/IMT-2020
capabilities.
• 9) Misinformation Administrations should
provide clear and authoritative
communications about the safety aspects of
5G/IMT-2020 to consumers to address
misinformation.
•THANK YOU