11 APRIL 2013

© GSMA 2015

Spectrum for Mobile Broadband

Accelerating Mobile Broadband Connectivity in Africa

Innovation Africa Digital Summit 2015

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

14–16 April 2015

Mortimer Hope, Director Africa

mhope@gsma.com

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

AGENDA

Licensing & Use of existing spectrum allocations

Importance of spectrum for Mobile Broadband

Identification of additional spectrum bands

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE IN AFRICA

Poor fixed infrastructure in most African countries: Limited to major urban centres

Very low (and declining) penetration

Slow rollout and very high capital cost per user

Mobile networks: Faster deployment

Lower capital cost per user (relative to fixed)

Wider coverage area

High (and increasing) penetration

Mobile networks need a combination of – Low frequencies for coverage; and

High frequencies for capacity

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF MOBIILE

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE SUB 1 GHz BANDS

THE BENEFITS OF SUB – 1 GHz SPECTRUM ARE CRUCIAL FOR HIGH

QUALITY, COST EFFECTIVE MOBILE BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT

Ideal for economically deploying mobile broadband

over large areas - especially in rural areas

Improved saturation in urban areas and better in-

building penetration improves quality of service

The digital dividend means more sub-1GHz

spectrum is being made available for mobile

broadband services around the world

<700MHz

700MHz

800MHz

2100MHz

Cell radius

5800MHz

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

AGENDA

Licensing & Use of existing spectrum allocations

Importance of spectrum for Mobile Broadband

Identification of additional spectrum bands

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

EFFICIENT USE OF EXISTING ALLOCATIONS

Some existing frequency allocations not yet licensed to mobile or licensed

under restrictive conditions e.g. 900 MHz band licensed for GSM (2G) only

Remove all technology restrictions – technology neutrality No requirement to obtain authorization for refarming spectrum

Operator can determine pace of technology adoption

Publish a Roadmap showing expected timeframes for licensing existing

mobile allocations: Digital Dividend (700/800 MHz bands)

Higher frequency bands (2.6/3.5 GHz bands)

Combine coverage and capacity bands in same licence process

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

THE DIGITAL SWITCHOVER

Higher-quality and more efficient digital broadcasting

More widespread and affordable broadband access

Major socio-economic benefits: Better information access and connectivity for businesses and the public

New mobile-based business opportunities

Mobile access to healthcare, education, agricultural information

DSO WILL BE TRANSFORMATIONAL TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA’S

DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT. IT IS A ONE-TIME OPPORTUNITY FOR:

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

RELEASE OF DIGITAL DIVIDEND WILL..

Source: GSMA: “The Mobile

Economy in Sub-Saharan

Africa 2013”

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

SPECTRUM HARMONISATION MATTERS

ROAMINGharmonised

bands

SCALEbillions of

subscribers

AFFORDABILITYeconomies

of scale

CHOICEcompetition

MOBILE

SPECTRUM

Brings down the cost of mobile

devices

Enables people to roam

Reduces interference issues

along borders

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

700/800 MHz CHANNEL PLAN OPPORTUNITY

791 832 862 MHz790

821

REGION 1: 800 MHz Channel Plan

3GPP Band 20

703 748 758 803 MHz

694/698

APT 700 MHz Channel Plan

3GPP Band 28

Upper APT duplexer

Lower APT duplexer

THE APT 700 MHz CHANNEL PLAN BEING ADOPTED IN ASIA-PACIFIC & LATIN

AMERICA OVERLAPS WITH THE 800 MHz CHANNEL PLAN IN ITU REGION 1

703MHz 733 788MHz758

718MHz 773748 803MHz

HOWEVER THE LOWER APT DUPLEXER DOES NOT OVERLAP

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

AGENDA

Licensing & Use of existing spectrum allocations

Importance of spectrum for Mobile Broadband

Identification of additional spectrum bands

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

NEED TO MEET LONG-TERM DATA DEMAND The ITU predicts that on average a total of 1340–1960MHz will be required for

mobile services worldwide by 2020

– This accounts for the use of other capacity enhancing methods

– It also includes existing mobile bands (on average 1000MHz is allocated to mobile today)

Allocations at WRC-15 mostly won’t be licensed until 2020-2025 when data

demand will be much higher

– The ITU assumes a 44-80x increase in mobile data between 2010 and 2020

– By comparison global mobile data rose 45x from 2008-2013

Governments won’t license spectrum allocated at WRC-15 until they are ready

– Existing services can continue & be protected through regulatory conditions

– BUT if new bands aren’t allocated then admins will struggle to react to rising data demand

Governments not planning to use WRC-15 bands in near-term will still benefit

from lower cost equipment for their later roll-outs

– Early movers generate economies of scale so countries that deploy later benefit from more

affordable smartphones and base stations etc..

– Economies of scale only generated through harmonized allocations

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

GSMA TARGET BANDS at WRC-15Target Band Benefit for mobile Existing Usage How to accommodate mobile

Sub-700 MHz

(470-694/8MHz)

- Extremely important for

bringing high speed mobile

broadband everywhere

- Mostly broadcast - Broadcasters can use more

spectrum-efficient technologies

- IPTV, satellite, cable & LTE

broadcast will complement

L-band

(1350-1518MHz)

- Good general purpose

band for coverage and

capacity

- Comms for aircraft control

systems (i.e.. telemetry)

- Military and civilian radar

- Fixed links (e.g. for business)

- Satellite phones

- Earth observation satellites

- 1452-1492MHz portion largely

unused globally

- Radar & aeronautical mobile

telemetry services could

potentially use spectrum more

efficiently

2.7-2.9GHz - Excellent capacity band

- Could use existing

2.6GHz base stations

- Air traffic control

- Military radar

- Band is mostly under-used so

could support mobile in a portion.

Big exclusion zones not needed

C-band

(3.4-4.2GHz)

- Excellent capacity band

- Supports fastest services

- Only suitable for urban

areas or small cells

- Fixed Satellite Services (e.g.

satellite TV and broadband)

- Satellite providers can use

smaller portion – they use other

bands in tropics w/ new tech

Big exclusion zones not needed

SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE

© GSMA 2015

NEW BANDS FOR MOBILE

RADIO SPECTRUM: IDENTIFIED MOBILE BANDS

1.8G

Hz

2.1G

Hz

2.6G

Hz

450–

470M

Hz

Dig

ital D

ivid

end

(700

/800

MH

z)

900M

Hz

2.3G

Hz

3.4–

3.6

GH

z

470-

694/8

MHz

3.4–3.8

GHzTARGET BANDS

FOR WRC-15

2.7–2.9

GHz

1350-

1518

MHz

3.8–4.2

GHz

GSMA had agreed widespread mobile

operator support for 4 new mobile

allocations

– Sub-700MHz UHF (470-694/8MHz)

– 2.7-2.9GHz

– L-Band (1350-1518MHz)

– C-Band (3.4-4.2GHz)

These provide coverage & capacity

These bands must be harmonised

globally to drive lower cost

equipment/services

– Pursuing other bands risks creating a

fragmented market

11 APRIL 2013

© GSMA 2015

THANK YOU