6th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference

The emergence of 5G, IoT and future connected technologies means that all over the world, the digital landscape is evolving quicker than we have ever seen before. Underpinning all this exciting development however is spectrum – the fuel for connectivity. The challenge for spectrum managers is to ensure that a strategy is in place to keep up with this fast evolving environment, and to ensure that the required spectrum is made available in a timely fashion, and that it is allocated and utilised in the most efficient way possible. This session will set the scene by looking at how spectrum and regulatory frameworks both in the MENA region and around the world are developing in preparation for the networked societies of today and tomorrow.

• How are regulators around the world preparing for 5G and the future networked society, and how are regulatory frameworks evolving?
• To what extent may the decisions at WRC-19 affect regional spectrum strategies going forward?
• What work is being done to co-ordinate spectrum policy on a global level both as part of ITU process and also outside this?
• How do strategies and new emerging telecoms regulatory framework in the MENA compare to those that are seen elsewhere in the world?

One of the biggest ongoing challenges for regulators in the MENA region and elsewhere in the world is to design a process for assigning spectrum licences that ensures an efficient allocation of the available bandwidth at a fair price; and ultimately delivers a competitive market and encourages innovation. This session will look at the approaches taken by regulators in the MENA region to awards spectrum, and to set prices and licence conditions. It will look at examples of best practice in all these areas, and discuss the best way forward for regulators to ensure that the available spectrum is brought to market as quickly, efficiently and as fairly as possible.

• What awards have been seen in the MENA region over the past 12 months, and which countries will be allocating bands in the near future?
• What methods have been seen and how has this impacted outcomes?
• What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of auctions, beauty contests and direct awards, and under what circumstances should each be considered the best option?
• In which circumstances may each of these be appropriate and how important is it that regulators consider national differences and the specific situation in their own country when both setting a method for allocation and designing the award process?
• For regulators who are expected to realize reasonable revenues, what is the appropriate approach for setting reserve prices?
• What role do licence conditions and award rules play in determining spectrum prices?
• What role do spectrum prices play in influencing the level of investment and incentives to compete in next generation mobile services?

Spectrum below 6GHz has always formed the back-bone of spectrum portfolios for mobile operators and other connectivity providers. And today, whilst the emergence of new bands in the mmWave frequencies can help to deliver some of the high capacity coverage required for 5G, access to sufficient spectrum in these ‘traditional’ bands is still as important as ever in order to deliver widespread coverage and support all use cases. This session will look at some of the key bands and emerging bandplans in both the low (under 1GHz) and mid (1Ghz – 6Ghz) ranges. It will look at the future shape of bands, and how the emergence of 5G may affect the ways in which they are allocated and awarded, and crucially explore the at the best approaches to ensure that the needs of all users can be met.

• What is the optimal mix of low and mid range spectrum that operators need to deploy traditional base stations?
• Where are we across the region with the allocation of the digital dividend spectrum? For those countries in which the process is still ongoing, should the 700MHz and 800MHz bands be considered together or is a better approach to take them separately?
• Is there need for additional low-range spectrum to be made available for mobile broadband beyond the 700MHz and 800MHz bands (for example 600MHz band), or can these provide sufficient bandwidth?
• Which bands in the 1Ghz – 6Ghz range offer realistic options to help meet these requirements in countries across the Arab region?
• To what extent can bands such as the 3.4Ghz – 3.8Ghz ‘C-Band’, 2.3GHz and 2.6Ghz bands provide an option?
• As we enter the era of 5G, is there any benefit in moving from a paired to an unpaired band plan in any bands (for example 2.6GHz), and what would be the practical and technical considerations associated with this change in approach?
• What measures are required to protect and preserve satellite, PPDR and other key users in low and mid-range bands, and how can it be ensured that the needs of all users are balanced?

The mmWave frequencies are seen as providing some of the most important spectrum for 5G, and particularly for delivering the high capacity coverage that is required in urban areas. This session will look in more detail at the critical importance of mmWave spectrum for 5G in both the short term and the long term, and at the options that regulators have to provide the spectrum that is required. It will look at what needs to be done to balance the needs of both existing and new users in these frequencies, and assess the optimal timing of award for different bands to help deliver the full benefits of 5G.

• Why is mmWave spectrum so important for 5G, and what impact can it have if harnesses correctly?
• What impact will the outcomes of WRC-19 and decisions made on candidate bands for WRC-23 have on the future mmWave landscape in MENA and around the world?
• What are likely to be the most important mmWave bands for 5G in the short term and in the long term?
• Which bands should be prioritised for release across the region – 26GHz, 39GHz, 66GHz or others?
• What is the best timing for release and how can it be ensured that sufficient spectrum is made available in a timely manner and efficiently as possible?
• How can the needs of mobile and satellite services in the mmWave bands best be met, and to what extent is co-existence a viable option?
• Where are we in terms of the adoption and installation of the massive MIMO technologies that will be crucial for commercial roll-out of 5G in the mmWave frequencies, and how is this likely to affect the requirements for mmWave spectrum in the short term?

IoT as a concept is something that now is not new. The potential that IoT and M2M connectivity offer in enabling smart and sustainable urban environments, and revolutionizing the way in which businesses and consumers function everywhere has been discussed extensively. But this potential will only be realised if sufficient spectrum is available to power the huge number of use cases that are emerging. Focussing on the opportunities that IoT offers business and industries (through industrial IoT) and consumers (through the emergence of smart cities), this session will look at what needs to be done to deliver this connectivity, and unpack the opportunities behind the buzzword.

From smart manufacturing to connected cars; utilities and smart grids to ports and shipping containers, vertical industries everywhere are starting to realise the potential of IoT and the new connected digital society. The challenge for regulators is to develop a spectrum regime that meets the (sometimes complex) requirements of all these cases, and of all existing and new users. This session will look at the extent to which current 4G licencing models will still be valid in a 5G world, or whether different approaches to licencing and assignment may be necessary. Exploring the requirements that are likely to be seen and some of the models that are being put forward to meet these, it will examine the different technologies and solutions that are being put forward to provide the connectivity to ensure that vertical industries across the MENA region are truly able to harness the power of IoT.

• What new and emerging use cases are going to be enabled by 5G and IoT, and what spectrum requirements are likely to be seen?
• What frequencies and solutions provide the best options to power the next generation of IoT connectivity across different vertical industries and ensure that the MENA region continues to lead the way in this key area?
• What mix of licenced, unlicensed and shared spectrum will be required?
• Can a similar licensing model as has been used for 4G still be relevant in the emerging 5G world, or is there a need for a rethink?
• Can traditional mobile operators provide all the connectivity requirements for 5G and IoT or is there an argument to allow industry stakeholders to build/own/operate their own locally self-controlled wireless networks?

IoT is the key technology behind any smart city initiative. From improving pollution levels to delivering smarter traffic systems or more efficient ways to light and hear buildings – all of these require thousands of physical devices to be connected to the IoT network, and a system that provides extremely high capacity and per-user data rates. Achieving the required densification of networks that is necessary to deliver this is a key challenge for regulators and technology providers alike. And with approximately 70% of 5G use cases expected to occur indoors, connectivity providers & tower companies also need to ensure that a network is in place that delivers these capabilities in an indoor environment. Focussing on these challenges and more, this session will look at best-practice in delivering the urban 5G and IoT eco-system.

• What are the major design challenges that are faced when building a 5G network in urban areas and how can these be overcome?
• What will be the best way to deliver the densification of networks that will be necessary to provide the required network connectivity in urban areas and inside large buildings?
• How important will Small Cells be in providing this densification and what other technologies and bandwidths will also play a part?
• With an estimated 70% of all mobile usage happening indoors, how can it be ensured that the required connectivity is delivered inside building as well as on the streets in urban areas?
• What network architecture can be used to meet the requirements and what challenges will the transition to this likely raise and how can it be ensured that the 5G indoor user experience is consistent with that received outdoors?

WRC-19 took place in Egypt at the end of 2019, with a number of key decisions taken with the aim of delivering a global harmonised plan for the delivery of the required spectrum for fixed, mobile, satellite and broadcasting industries. And then immediately following the conclusion of the conference, the first preparation meeting for WRC-23 was held, which identified the key candidate bands to be considered in 2023 for the next wave of 5G frequencies. Sessions at this conference have already touched on some of the outcomes and key talking points from Sharm-el-Sheik. This highly interactive session will now bring things together by offering an opportunity to look at what these outcomes mean for key stakeholders, and for the overall connectivity landscape. It will hear from representatives from different industry stakeholder groups on what they now see as their main priorities, opportunities and challenges; and look ahead at the next steps and timetable ahead as the build up to WRC-23 already begins.

• Following the outcomes of WRC-19, what are now the key priorities, opportunities and challenges for different stakeholder groups?
• What impact are the decisions that have been taken likely to have on the future shape of 5G connectivity in the low, mid and high frequency bands?
• As we already start the preparation for WRC-23, what are set to be the most important (and most contentious) issues for MENA stakeholders over the next few years?
• Will we still be talking about ‘spectrum for 5G’ when we reach 2023, or will the focus have switched to B5G or 6G?