Where the worldwide
spectrum community meets
Where the worldwide
spectrum community meets
The 12th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference took place on 11-12 March 2026 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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 took 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 2025.
Launched in 2013, and now in its 12th year, previous editions of the Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference have taken place across the region, including in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta.
Most recently, in March 2026, 300+ delegates joined 2 days of discussions in Cambodia. Watch the highlights from the two days.
With WRC–27 now less than 2 years away, we are more than halfway through the current WRC ‘cycle’, and preparations around the world are well underway. With the next APT preparatory meeting set to take place in July in Japan, this session will aim to look at the progress that is being made on key agenda items here in the APAC region ahead of that and the key issues that are due to be discussed. By assessing emerging trends, identifying potential challenges, and highlighting areas where stronger regional alignment may be required, the session will outline the critical next steps in the months ahead to support ongoing preparations and help ensure a successful and coordinated regional outcome at WRC-27.
Across the Asia–Pacific region, governments are accelerating efforts to modernise their spectrum frameworks in response to rapidly rising connectivity demands, evolving technology cycles and the growing pressure to support both national digital strategies and emerging future networks. A key element of this is the continuing 5G journey, with those nations further ahead in development pushing ahead towards nationwide standalone deployments, while others continue to plan for initial rollout and navigate planning and ecosystem readiness challenges. For all countries, there is a need to balance national priorities with the demand for regional coordination and development. Against this backdrop, this session will open with a series of country case studies, outlining developments in national spectrum strategies and long-term roadmaps. Building on these insights, the discussion will then move on to explore the status of 5G deployment across APAC, looking at recent developments in this area and at how best to overcome the challenges that are still slowing rollout (including investment, shortfalls, infrastructure gaps and device affordability). A key focus will be on how greater regional harmonisation and cross-border coordination in band planning, licensing frameworks, and technical standards can help reduce deployment costs, encourage economies of scale, and accelerate the benefits of 5G for consumers and industry alike.
More than 2 years on from WRC-23 and the debate around the future use of the 6425–7125 MHz and upper–6GHz band continues. Over the past 12 months, several significant developments have emerged in the APAC region, with influential countries such as India and Australia now having set out their intended approaches. Against this evolving backdrop, this session will take stock of these latest decisions and examine the regional and global trends that are beginning to form. With countries adopting a wide range of strategies, including licensing the spectrum for IMT, opening it for unlicensed use, or implementing hybrid models, the session will explore whether a fragmented regional approach is now unavoidable and what implications this may have. Finally, it will consider progress in ecosystem development, including equipment and device readiness across the region, and discuss the likely timeline for service rollout in this key spectrum band.
Mid-band spectrum (1–6 GHz) has become the critical engine of 5G performance across the Asia Pacific region, supporting the balance between coverage, capacity, and device ecosystem maturity. While the 3.5 GHz range remains the anchor band for 5G deployments, other mid-band frequencies, including 2.3 GHz, 2.5/2.6 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 4.4–4.8 GHz, are increasingly central to national digital strategies. As APAC economies push to meet surging connectivity demands and prepare for future networks, regulators face growing pressure to strike the right balance between the needs of IMT, satellite, and unlicensed users, while also coordinating regionally to avoid fragmentation. This session will examine recent allocations and award outcomes across the region, assess how much mid-band spectrum is now in the hands of different operators and technologies, and explore how different user groups can co-exist in an increasingly crowded mid-band environment.
With the space and satellite ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region evolving at unprecedented speed, regulators are being challenged to modernise spectrum and licensing frameworks that were designed for a very different era of orbital activity. Managing the coexistence of an ever-increasing number of diverse NGSO constellations with existing GSOs and other incumbents presents an increasingly complex challenge and calls into question whether existing licensing frameworks across the region remain fit for purpose. In addition, the increase in space traffic is seeing not only an industry emerge around in-orbit services to support space sustainability in areas such as debris removal and life-extension missions but also an industry that also requires access to spectrum but that currently does not have any dedicated allocations. This session will look at the evolving non-terrestrial environment and at how APAC administrations are looking to balance innovation, sustainability, and the protection of incumbents, both in space and on the ground. It will explore how regional and global frameworks can evolve to ensure efficient coexistence across a crowded orbital landscape and also safeguard terrestrial IMT networks and other user equipment from harmful interference.
Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity is rapidly gaining momentum across the Asia–Pacific region, driven by growing demand for resilient, ubiquitous coverage and new capabilities embedded directly into consumer smartphones. Countries across the region are taking active steps towards enabling D2D operations, with progress ranging from early commercial authorisations to structured national trials and the development of regulatory frameworks. At this early stage, most of the D2D trials and early regulatory frameworks in APAC rely on MSS spectrum (typically L-band, S-band or other satellite allocations) but alongside this, several countries are considering shared or hybrid use integrating IMT spectrum usage, especially as 3GPP continues work on satellite NR in Release 17/18. As regulators seek to balance innovation, spectrum efficiency, and protection of incumbent users, this session will look at the regional landscape that is beginning to form. It will examine the current state of D2D services in APAC, highlight the most advanced trials and implementation tracks, and explore the licensing and policy choices that will shape the future of direct connectivity in the region.
As global momentum around 6G accelerates, the Asia–Pacific region is uniquely positioned to influence its direction. Many APAC economies were at the forefront of 5G deployment and are already taking early steps toward shaping 6G technologies and policy frameworks. At the same time, other countries across the region remain in the early stages of 5G rollout, facing infrastructure, investment, and capacity challenges that must be addressed in parallel with future-looking planning. This diversity of readiness creates complexity but also the opportunity to take the lead and to help define a 6G ecosystem that serves both highly advanced and developing markets, ensuring that global standards reflect a broad range of economic and technological realities. This session will explore how both early adopters and later movers in the APAC region are beginning to position themselves for the 6G era. It will examine which spectrum bands may be most viable in the regional context, how policy and regulatory frameworks may evolve, and what steps can be taken now to ensure that APAC maintains global influence while addressing diverse national priorities and development pathways.
Across the APAC region, countries are continuing with the assignment of the 700MHz band. Major markets such as India, Japan, Australia, Thailand and, most recently, Vietnam have assigned spectrum and are integrating it into their 4G and 5G coverage layers, whilst others have plans to assign spectrum in the band very soon. Momentum around 600 MHz is also growing, but most APAC countries remain in the early stages of consultations or planning, with ecosystem readiness, DTT reorganisation and incumbent-user protection still shaping timelines for release. Against this background, this session will provide an update of the emerging ecosystem across the 600MHz, 700MHz and explore the changing dynamics of the UHF bands more broadly. With governments and regulators across the region working to balance the long-term requirements of terrestrial broadcasting, PMSE, and critical narrowband services alongside new IMT systems, it will discuss ecosystem readiness, coexistence frameworks, and how to ensure that both legacy and next-generation services can thrive now and into the future.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing broadband solutions globally, driven by advances in 5G, evolving consumer and enterprise demand, and the need to close connectivity gaps in underserved areas. This is nowhere more true than in the APAC region, where recent forecasts suggest it will account for around half (51%) of all global FWA connections by 2030 (up from roughly 40% today). Yet alongside the significant opportunities FWA presents, a range of regulatory, technical, and commercial challenges must be addressed. This session will look at these and explore the role of FWA in expanding broadband coverage, the spectrum strategies required to support large-scale deployments, and how operators and regulators can collaborate to ensure FWA becomes a sustainable, high-quality component of national connectivity strategies.
This event is taking place as part of the Global Spectrum Series, for further information on speaking, sponsorship or visibility opportunities, and to discuss how you can maximize the value of involvement, please contact Dan Craft on dan.craft@forum-global.com or on +44 (0) 2920 783 020.
Depending on your nationality, there are different visa requirements to enter Cambodia. There is also a mandatory Cambodia e-Arrival Card needed. Please take a look at all the information included in the Practical Information Document below.
The conference hosts, the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), have arranged reduced rates at the conference venue and also at nearby hotels. For more information, please download the below document.
On behalf of Forum Global and the conference hosts, the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), we are pleased to share with you the official invitation letter.
Shangri-La Phnom Penh
Village No 14, Sam Dach Hun Sen Road Tonle Bassac Commune, Chamkarmorn, 120101, Cambodia
The conference will take place in Cambodia, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Phnom Penh.
Depending on your nationality, there are different visa requirements to enter Cambodia. There is also a mandatory Cambodia e-Arrival Card needed. Please take a look at all the information included in the Practical Information Document HERE.
Yes, the conference hosts, the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), have arranged reduced rates at the conference venue and also at nearby hotels. For more information, please view the Practical Information Document HERE.
If you would like to enquire about our fellowship scheme, please contact spectrumasia@forum-global.com.
This conference is held fully in-person with no virtual element available.
You can find more information on the Global Spectrum Series here.
For more information on any aspect of this event, please contact Ariana Martins using any of the following details:
Tel: +44 (0) 2920 783 072
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