6th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference

An opportunity to find out what’s happening in the exhibition and breakout areas over the course of the week, and to explore the platform and the networking area!

All around the world, commercial 5G deployment is now underway, and countries in Asia are very much leading the way. In countries across the region, we are seeing examples of 5G networks being launched and the first 5G handsets starting to become available. This session will look at the progress that has been made with the launch of 5G across Asia and elsewhere, and at what needs to be done to ensure that the region takes advantage of the leading position on 5G deployment that it currently enjoys.

• What progress has been seen in countries across the APAC region when it comes to roll-out of 5G? Which countries are being seen as early leaders?
• In examples of roll-out that have been seen, to what extent have early versions of the technology met expectations?
• Beyond the first-movers / early leaders, what plans are being made for rollout of 5G in other countries across the region?
• What are the key spectrum bands that are being seen for 5G at this early stage, and what bands offer the best options to deliver the required connectivity in the longer term?
• How can the APAC region continue to innovate and push forward to ensure that it remains ahead of the game both with the continued roll-out of 5G, and also with the development of future technologies (Beyond 5G or 6G)?

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic put a huge amount of pressure on communication networks all across the world. The imposed lockdowns and the resulting increase in home-working and use of web streaming and other services significantly increased broadband traffic, and served to highlight the critical importance of connectivity for business continuity. This session will look at the work that was done by industry and regulators across Asia and the rest of the world to keep societies connected, and at how access to spectrum was managed to help with this.

• How did usage across networks rise during the crisis and what impact was seen for the various connectivity providers and stakeholders?
• What response to this was seen by regulators and industry representatives across different countries, and what spectrum management tools and techniques were utilised as part of this?
• What was learnt about the best ways to put under-utilised spectrum to use in times of crisis and the potential opportunities to rearrange access to it?
• Which approaches worked best, and which were less successful? What lessons can be taken from the communication sector’s response to the crisis?
• Did emergency services ultimately have access to sufficient spectrum to facilitate their response to this global crisis? Was anything learnt about the best way to deliver the reliable, robust connectivity that is required?

Live demonstrations, discussions and presentations hosted by our partner organisations…

Delivering connectivity to ‘hard to reach’ areas is a major challenge for technology providers and policymakers across the region. In a bid to tackle this issue, satellite operators, MNOs and other key partners who may traditionally have been competitors are increasingly working closer together, collaborating on the development of innovative new projects and solutions. From the most remote, rural, outlying locations to ships and aircraft all over the globe, connectivity is being delivered to areas that it has never before been possible. But there is still a long way to go. This session will look at the work in this area that is being done, the progress that is being made and the challenges that still remain. Focussing on some of the successful projects that are emerging, it will look at how different technology providers can come together to overcome the barriers and continue to connect the hardest to reach areas.

• What tangible progress to narrowing the digital divide has been seen in Asia and across the world over the past few years?
• What innovative and collaborative approaches are being seen? How can new technologies be combined with forward thinking policies to deliver real and tangible progress?
• How are technology companies, connectivity providers and other key stakeholders collaborating to help deliver connectivity in rural areas?
• What work is being done to deliver ubiquitous connectivity on planes and ships and how are satellite operators working with others to achieve this?
• What are the spectrum requirements, and how can it be ensured that access to the necessary bandwidth is available?

For those not able to participate in last night’s discussion, it will be replayed from 10.00am

WRC-19 took place in Egypt at the end of 2019, delivering key decisions and directions on spectrum policy for the next four years and beyond. Now that the dust has settled, the general consensus from most stakeholders seems to be that overall a fair balance was reached. The next steps are now of course for the outcomes and decisions to be implemented, both in APAC and other regions around the world. This session will look at the work that needs to be done to do this and ensure that the additional bandwidth for IMT is made available as quickly and efficiently as possible. And with attention already starting to switch to WRC-23, it will then move on to look at the key agenda and items expected to feature there.

• What new bands were identified for IMT at WRC-19 and what are now the next steps in order to ensure they are made available as quickly and efficiently as possible?
• With 5G set to be delivered through a mix of technology and a ‘network-of-networks’, to what extent will the decisions at WRC19 help to meet the future requirements of key technologies such as satellite (including ESIMs), WiFi and HAPS alongside those of mobile?
• Are there any lessons from WRC-19 that can be taken to improve the way in which WRC-23 and future conferences are co-ordinated?
• What are the key agenda items and bands to be discussed at WRC-23, and what are the next steps in the build-up to this?
• With much of WRC-19 focussing on 5G ‘capacity’ bands, what now needs to be done to ensure that sufficient spectrum is available to deliver 5G coverage?
• The 6GHz band is set to be one of the key topics for discussion in the lead-up to WRC-23. Where does the balance between licenced and licence-exempt use in this band?
• Will we still be talking about ‘spectrum for 5G’ when we reach 2023, or will the focus have switched to B5G or 6G?

Following the earlier session on WRC-23, speakers responsible for WRC-23 preparation in other regions will give their thoughts on the discussion that has taken place.

One of the key focusses at WRC-19 was to identify additional spectrum for IMT in the mmWave bands, amnd more broadly, mmWave licences are now being awarded for IMT all around the world and services are beginning to be rolled out. This session will take the opportunity to look at the emerging mmWave ecosystem in a little more detail and discuss how the needs of all users in these key frequencies can be met.

• Which mmWave frequencies are emerging as the key bands for 5G, and how are these being used by stakeholders both in Asia and around the rest of the world?
• What is the situation in the US, where the focus on initial 5G roll-out has been predominantly based around mmWave frequencies? What early results are being seen and have these started to change any opinions on the potential that mmWave bands offer?
• What is the true demand for mmWave spectrum? Will the increasing availability of mid-band spectrum (and with more in the pipeline for the near future) take the pressure off and mean there is less of a focus on mmWave for IMT?
• How much mmWave spectrum was allocated for IMT at WRC-19 and what will this do to the future mmWave landscape? To what extent has this changed plans within mmWave bands both in Asia and elsewhere around the world?
• Does the approach that has been taken in the 26GHz band strike the right balance between protecting satellite users and enabling the quick and efficient roll-out of 5G services?
• To what extent can the approach that is being seen in that band be transferred and used in other bands?

• To what extent is trouble free co-existence between mobile and satellite in the C-band possible?
• What approaches are being seen across Asia and the rest of the world to deliver this and release part of the band for mobile use?
• What factors should regulators be taking into account when looking to deliver this, and how can it be ensured that the needs of satellite and other incumbent users are looked after?
• What size guard band is necessary to ensure protection against interference What other technological and regulatory solutions can also help facilitate trouble free co-existence?
• How can neighbouring countries work together to ensure that appropriate cross-border agreements are in place to protect border regions when different timings for the reallocation of spectrum are seen?
• How close are we to achieving globally harmonised spectrum allocations for 5G in the C-band, and what benefits could this bring if it was delivered?

All around the world, regulators are looking for options to open up additional mid-band spectrum for IMT (both 4G and 5G), beyond the C-band. The 2.6GHz band is one band that is being considered in the APAC region – it has good propagation characteristics and in addition has already been awarded to China Mobile, guaranteeing a hardware ecosystem. This session will look at case studies from countries in Asia and elsewhere, as well as examining the 2.3GHz, the 4.4-5GHz and other options that are being explored to provide alterative options for IMT services, both in APAC and around the world.

• What are the most realistic options to provide the required mid-band spectrum for IMT both in the APAC region and around the rest of the world?
• Beyond the C-band, how much additional mid-band spectrum is actually needed in order to both extend the development of 4G with wide bandwidth, and provide available spectrum for early 5G implementation?
• To what extent can other bands such as the 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz and 4.4-5GHz bands offer an option?
• What are the relative pros and cons of making spectrum in the 2.6GHz bands available on a paired (FDD) or an unpaired (TDD) basis? What is the situation across the region with countries favouring each respective approach?
• How advanced is the development of the ecosystem across the mid-band frequencies, and what national plans are being seen across Asia?
• What other users are present in these key bands, and how can it be ensured that the needs of all stakeholders are met?

A major focus area for regulators all around the world at present is on the best way to provide vertical industry users with access to 5G spectrum. A number of different licencing models are being explored by regulators around the world in order to deliver this, including the option to offer vertical users the opportunity to acquire spectrum directly, through localised 5G licences. This session will explore the pros and cons of the various approaches that are being seen and discuss the best way forward to ensure an efficient and flexible spectrum framework that satisfies the many varied 5G and vertical use cases.

• What examples of 5G commercial use cases are being seen across the region and how are their connectivity requirements being met?
• What approaches are available to regulators looking to provide vertical users with access to the required spectrum?
• What spectrum has been identified for vertical industries and in which bands?
• What are the benefits in providing access to spectrum directly to vertical users as opposed to the traditional method of using networks provided by traditional MNOs? What new challenges are raised?
• How are vertical sectors planning to use any spectrum that they are granted access to and what business models are being developed?
• What spectrum bands are being considered, and to what extent can vertical users demonstrate sufficient value to society to justify access to sometimes hugely valuable spectrum in this way?

For those not able to participate in last night’s discussion, it will be replayed from 10.00am

Over the last 12 months, a number of countries across the APAC region have made some significant progress in assigning the 700MHz band – countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, have all now either re-allocated spectrum in the band to mobile or have plans to do so in 2020. When making the spectrum available, each country faces a number of decisions on how exactly to do this. This session will look at some of these questions in more detail, as well as more generally looking at the overall state of play of the spectrum landscape below 1-GHz band and the shape of the bandplan that is emerging and the various users in it.

• What is the current state of play with regards to the re-assignment of the 700MHz band across the region, and where can we expect to be by the end of 2020?
• What are the relative pros and cons of making the frequencies available on a paired (FDD) or an unpaired (TDD) basis?
• Should regulators be looking at making the spectrum in the band initially available for 4G and then transition to 5G at a later stage, or is there an argument to allocate it for 5G use straight away?
• When working on the digital switchover, should countries be solely considering the 700MHz band, or also looking at including the use of 600MHz for mobile broadband in their spectrum roadmaps?
• How are the emergence of new digital broadcasting standards such as ATS3.0 shaping the future of the broadcast sector and its spectrum requirements? How can these be incorporated into the long-term UHF bandplan?

Across the region, countries are putting into place their national plans and roadmaps for 5G development. This session will take the opportunity to hear case studies from representatives of some of these on their plans and preparations for 5G and the connected world of the future.

• What examples of spectrum roadmaps are being seen across the region?
• How important are these in encouraging investment in next generation networks and new technologies?
• To what extent are we seeing co-ordination across the region on both timing and bandplans, especially in neighbouring countries?
• How can regulators plan ahead to ensure that they are not left behind when it comes to 5G rollout?

Opportunity for all stakeholders to bring their audio and video feed live to give the key conclusions, thoughts and takeaways from the conference.