10th Asia Pacific Spectrum Management Conference

Event Overview

The 10th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference took place on 23 – 24 April 2024 at the Pullman Thamrin CBD in Jakarta, Indonesia, and was kindly hosted by Telkom University and the Ministry of Communications and Informatics.

Across 2 days attendees had the opportunity to be involved in discussions on the key spectrum topics for the APAC region and beyond, through interactive sessions, networking opportunities, an exhibition area and much more.

This event is part of The Global Spectrum Series. The world’s largest collection of regional spectrum policy conferences. Click on the images on the right to find out more about the series and to view the photos from 2023.

  • Global Spectrum Series

    This event takes place as part of the Global Spectrum Series - the world’s largest collection of regional spectrum policy conferences.
  • 2023 Event

    Highlights from the event in Bangkok in April 2023

Key Themes

Hover over the image to find out more…

  • WRC-23

    Recap and outcomes
  • Building 6G spectrum roadmaps

  • Progress in rollout of 5G and 5G Advanced

  • Future of 6GHz

    and other key mid-band frequencies
  • Spectrum Valuation and Licensing

  • Tackling the digital divide

    New technology and policy thinking
  • What future for mmWave and terahertz frequencies?

  • A forward looking spectrum framework for NTNs and satellites

Event Photos

Event Replays

  • Day 1

    Catch up on the sessions on Day 1 of the APAC Spectrum Management Conference
  • Day 2

    Watch the presentations & discussions from the second day of the event

Event Background

Launched in 2013, and now in its tenth year, The Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference has previously taken place in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, as well as fully virtual editions in 2020 & 2021 and a hybrid edition in 2022.

Over 200 delegates joined 2 days of discussions in Bangkok and Online, in April 2023. Find more information and catch up on the sessions at the links below.

Organisers

Organised by

FG for elementor

Supported by

APT logo 350x194
ITU

Platinum Partners

Access Partnership
Amazon
Coleago
Ericsson
GSA logo 350x194
GSMA new logo to use
GSOA
HPE
Huawei
Intelsat
Meta
Nokia
Qualcomm
Rivada logo 350x194
Telkom Indonesia logo 350x194(1)
Telkomsel logo 350x194
Viasat
Ericsson
Huawei
Nokia
Coleago
GSMA new logo to use
GSOA
HPE
Intelsat
Omnispace
Analysys-Mason

Gold Partners

DSA

Silver Partners

Indosat logo 350x194
Shure

Exhibitors

Ls telcom
Seton Technology Co.

Product Partners

Axiata

Audio Partners

Sennheiser

Knowledge Partners

Aetha
NERA

Gold Partners

Cullen
ZTE

Confirmed Speakers Included

Budi Arie Setiadi 240

Budi Arie Setiadi

Minister of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Indonesia

Dr Ismail

Dr. Ir. Ismail MT

DG, Resources Management & Equipment of Posts & Informatics
Ministry of Communication & Informatics, Indonesia

Prof. Dr. Adiwijaya 240

Prof. Dr. Adiwijaya

Rector
Telkom University

Masanori Kondo

Masanori Kondo

Secretary General
APT

KJ Wee

Kyu-Jin Wee

Chairman, APG-23
APT

Aamir Riaz

Aamir Riaz

Programme Officer
ITU

Khoirul Anwar 240

Khoirul Anwar

Assoc. Professor
The University Center of Excellence for AICOMS, Telkom University

Saneh Saiwong

Saneh Saiwong

Principal Engineering Expert
NBTC, Thailand

Jaewoo Lim 240

Jaewoo Lim

Deputy Director
National Radio Research Agency, Korea

Xianhua DING 240

Xianhua Ding

State Radio Spectrum Management Center
MIIT, China

Mudassar Naveed

Mudassar Naveed

Director General, Strategy & Development
PTA

Denny Setiawan 240

Denny Setiawan

Director of Spectrum Policy & Planning
Ministry of Communications & Informatics, Indonesia

Moniruzzaman Jewel

Mohammad Moniruzzaman Jewel

Director General, Spectrum
BTRC

Nihal Ratnapala

Nihal Rathnapala

Deputy Director General, Policy and Planning
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Sri Lanka

Magnus Ewerbring

Magnus Ewerbring

CTO, APAC
Ericsson

Martha Suarez

Martha Suarez

President
DSA

Yishen Chan

Yi Shen Chan

Director, Spectrum, APAC
GSMA

Peng Zhao

Peng Zhao

VP Policy & Regulatory
GSOA

Youngsoo Yuk 240

Youngsoo Yuk

Head of Standardization, Korea
Nokia

Ismail Shah

Ismail Shah

Head of Connectivity Policy APAC
Meta

Stefan Zehle

Stefan Zehle

CEO & Chairman
Coleago Consulting

Cristian Gomez

Cristian Gomez

Senior Director - Government & Regulatory Affairs, Asia Pacific
Viasat

Konesh Kochhal 240

Konesh Kochhal

Director, Industry Ecosystem Engagements
Huawei APAC

Xin Tang

Xin Tang

Manager, APAC Wireless Policy
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Dr Ismail

Dr. Ir. Ismail MT

Director General of Resources Management and Equipment of Posts and Informatics
Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Indonesia

Masanori Kondo

Masanori Kondo

Secretary General
APT

KJ Wee

Kyu-Jin Wee

Chairman
APT preparatory group for WRC-23 (APG)

You can view the agenda in your preferred time zone by selecting it from the list below.
Day 1
2024-04-23
Day 2
2024-04-24
09:00 - 09:40
Session 1: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Presentations
Session 1: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Presentations image
Budi Arie Setiadi
Minister of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia
Session 1: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Presentations image
Dr. Ir. Ismail MT
Director General of Resources Management and Equipment of Posts and Informatics, Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Indonesia
Session 1: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Presentations image
Prof. Dr. Adiwijaya
Rector, Telkom University
Session 1: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Presentations image
Masanori Kondo
Secretary General, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
09:40 - 11:10
Session 2i: WRC-23 – Debrief, outcomes and next steps towards WRC-27

The dust has now settled following four intense weeks of discussions at WRC-23 in Dubai. Decisions have been taken on key agenda items, and stakeholders across the Asia Pacific region and globally are now starting to consider what this means for them, and what are the next steps. As regulators across Asia and globally face up to the challenge of delivering sufficient spectrum to both satisfy the growing demand for mobile broadband services and meet future requirements for the growth of satellite, WiFi, broadcast and other key services, these WRC-23 outcomes will play a big part in shaping the future connectivity landscape both in the region and globally. This session will look in detail at the questions and answers that have come out of Dubai and what these mean for APAC countries, connectivity providers and citizens, and their immediate and long-term connectivity objectives. With the first preparatory meeting for WRC-27 taking place in the week immediately following the conclusion of the WRC-23 discussions, it will also look at the issues that are set to dominate discussions over the next four years both in Region 3 and internationally, and what this may mean for the development of the spectrum landscape across the Asia region.
 

  • What decisions were taken on the key agenda items at WRC-23, both for Region 3 and elsewhere?
  • What implications do these decisions have for the allocation of bandwidth to various industry sectors and technologies? In which areas have decisions brought clarity, and where do uncertainties persist?
  • What were the key goals of the APAC region going into WRC-23, and to what extent have these objectives been met?
  • Given that there were relatively few agenda items in this cycle that directly focussed on Region 3, focus from the region was also on key agenda items in other regions. What outcomes and decisions were taken there and how could this impact the future spectrum landscape in APAC countries?
  • What lessons can be gleaned from the conference to inform and improve participation in the following preparatory meetings and future WRCs?
  • What usage is currently seen both across the APAC region and elsewhere in each of the 3 bands that have been identified for study for IMT use (4400 – 4800 MHz; 7125 – 8500 MHz and 14.8 – 15.35 GHz)? What are the key technical and regulatory challenges that would need to be overcome in order to introduce IMT services in each of these bands? To what extent can each deliver the connectivity that will be required to rollout 6G networks and meet its future requirements?
  • How could the agenda items that have been put forward to study the rules that govern satellite access to spectrum potentially affect how direct-to-device connectivity, GSO, ESIMS and other services are delivered? Do these go far enough and to what extent can they help to deliver the flexibility that will be required to meet the future connectivity requirements of the evolving satellite sector?
Session 2i: WRC-23 – Debrief, outcomes and next steps towards WRC-27 image
Moderator: Bharat Bhatia
President, ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) and Vice Chairman, World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF)
Keynote Presentation
Keynote Presentation image
Kyu-Jin Wee
Chairman, APT Preparatory Group for WRC-23
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion image
Kyu-Jin Wee
Chairman, APT Preparatory Group for WRC-23
Panel Discussion image
Guillaume Mascot
Senior Manager, Global Regulatory Policy, Shure
Panel Discussion image
Yi Shen Chan
Director, Spectrum, APAC, GSMA
Panel Discussion image
Peng Zhao
Vice-President, Policy & Regulatory, GSOA
Panel Discussion image
Martha Suarez
President, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
Panel Discussion image
Youngsoo Yuk
Head of Standardization Korea, Nokia
11:10 - 11:35
Break
11:35 - 12:05
Session 2ii: Looking ahead to WRC-27 – the view from ITU
Session 2ii: Looking ahead to WRC-27 – the view from ITU image
Moderator: Khoirul Anwar
Assoc. Professor, The University Center of Excellence for Advanced Intelligent Communications (AICOMS), Telkom University
Session 2ii: Looking ahead to WRC-27 – the view from ITU image
Aamir Riaz
Programme officer, ITU
12:05 - 13:10
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach?

WRC-23 was hoped to be an opportunity to bring some clarity and coordination on the future use of the 6GHz band, but differences in approaches to the band both at a regional and national level still very much remain. Although only the top 100MHz of spectrum within the 6GHz band was technically up for discussion in the APAC region at WRC-23, a footnote was introduced which identified the entire 6425 – 7025 MHz band for IMT, whilst also recognising the use of the band by WAS/RLANs. This was signed up to by 3 countries in the region (Cambodia, Laos and the Maldives). This session will both take stock of the outcomes of WRC-23 and also look at other trends that are being seen in the APAC region and globally, and discuss what this might mean for the short and long-term future use of the 6GHz band. Whilst there is still undoubtedly a large amount of uncertainty around the future of the band, it will explore the extent to which we may have a platform from which a degree of coordination may emerge, and if so then what this might be.
 

  • What trends across the region and globally are being seen regarding the future use of the 6GHz band? What differences and similarities are being seen in approaches that are emerging?
  • Following the WRC-23 decision to allocate the 7025–7125 MHz band for IMT both in the APAC region and globally, what are now the next steps? How quickly can it be expected that spectrum in this range becomes available and what impact can this have on the implementation of 5G services in APAC countries?
  • What were the circumstances that led to the inclusion of the footnotes in the WRC-23 outcomes, and what can now be expected to be the next steps?
  • Whilst the ship seems to have sailed on achieving a globally harmonised approach to the 6GHz band, are we starting to see a platform that could see a coordinated APAC regional approach to the band in the future? What could this look like and what would the path towards this be?
  • If ultimately different approaches are seen across different countries, how can interference in border areas be guarded against?
  • Could the option of a hybrid approach in the upper 6GHz band (similar to what is being proposed in Europe) be a possibility in Asia to provide a ‘win-win’ approach? If so, then how could the integration of both WiFi and IMT services into the band potentially be facilitated?
  • What are the technical and regulatory challenges to coexistence between IMT and incumbent services in the 6GHz band and how could they be overcome?
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach? image
Moderator: Forhadul Parvez
Programme Officer, APT
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach? image
Phirun Kim
Official of Radio Frequency Regulation Bureau, Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC)
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach? image
Jaewoo Lim
Deputy Director, National Radio Research Agency, Korea
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach? image
Ismail Shah
Head of Connectivity and Access Policy, APAC, Meta
Session 3: What next for the 6GHz band: To what extent do we have a platform for a future coordinated approach? image
Kuan Wai Mun
Senior Director, Radio Network Engineering, Singtel Mobile Pte Ltd
13:10 - 14:10
Lunch
14:10 - 15:30
Session 4: The emerging mid-band ecosystem below 6GHz – unlocking the potential of these key frequencies

Mid-band spectrum continues to play a pivotal role in current and future connectivity plans for a broad range of different technologies. Following the previous session which focussed specifically on the 6GHz band, this session will look at the ecosystem that is emerging in APAC countries in the bands immediately below this. Across the region, spectrum has been awarded for 4G and 5G in several bands including 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz; with awards in a number of other bands including 4.6GHz and 4.9GHz under consideration for the future. This session will look at the progress made in rolling out services in these bands and the work that is being done to balance the need of spectrum for IMT services with the needs of the other key users of the spectrum. It will discuss the technical, policy and regulatory challenges and explore the best way forward to ensure that maximum value is obtained from these vital mid-band frequencies in order to deliver the best possible outcome for consumers and businesses across the region.
 

  • What proportion of mid-band spectrum has been allocated to different users and technologies across the Asia Pacific region?
  • How much of the spectrum that has been allocated has actually been awarded, is accessible and is being used?
  • In the cases that spectrum has been allocated but not yet awarded, what obstacles are impeding the process, and what measures can be taken to expedite deployment and overcome these hurdles?
  • To what extent do key users like IMT, satellite, WiFi, and others have adequate access to sufficient mid-band spectrum to meet their present and future requirements?
  • To what degree is the potential of key mid-bands being maximised, and are there still ways that they can be utilised more efficiently and effectively? Have we found the best use for the mid-band spectrum?
  • Can harmonisation be achieved at a regional and global level across mid-band spectrum?
  • What are the predominant technical challenges associated with deploying services in mid-band spectrum, and what innovative solutions are being explored to address them? How crucial is the definition of guard bands in achieving interference free mid-band frequencies?
Session 4: The emerging mid-band ecosystem below 6GHz – unlocking the potential of these key frequencies image
Moderator: Scott Minehane
Managing Director, Windsor Place Consulting
Session 4: The emerging mid-band ecosystem below 6GHz – unlocking the potential of these key frequencies image
Saneh Saiwong
Principal Engineering Expert, NBTC