Advanced Television

Study: Mid-band spectrum essential for 5G capacity and coverage

March 24, 2023

By Colin Mann

As the key ingredient for wireless technology, radio frequency spectrum is an important resource, according to trade body 5G Americas. One of the most useful spectrum bands for 5G is mid-band, which ranges between 1 GHz and 6 GHz, and offers a balance of speed, capacity, coverage, and penetration for cellular wireless networks.

A study from the organisation, Mid-Band Spectrum Update, discusses several potential mid-bands and extended mid-bands that are needed to support applications for 5G and beyond.

“For 5G deployments, it is important that low, mid and high band spectrum are utilised to provide the optimal experience for users,” states Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas. “Mid-band spectrum plays a key role in providing both capacity and coverage that can translate to increased speed for applications and use cases. A long term national spectrum plan in the US will be paramount for economic and technology leadership.”

With total global demand for mobile network data traffic at 90 exabytes per month and increasing at 40 per cent annually, new levels of spectral efficiency and flexibility are required by 5G and future networks, notes 5G Americas. “It is imperative that additional spectrum in the mid-band is allocated by governments, as it works exceptionally well for densely populated metropolitan areas where connectivity demand is high,” it asserts. “mmWave and other high bands will also play a key role in servicing capacity demands, where offloading requirements from the mid-band spectrum can occur when and where needed.”

Noman M Alam, Director 5G Solutions, Ericsson said, “The main challenge to allocation of new mid-band spectrum is that none of the potential bands are clear and without incumbents. Making additional mid-band spectrum available is not an easy path but it can be made possible with identification of potential bands, planning for incumbents and all of the key stakeholders cooperating in the process.”

Karri Kuoppamaki, Senior Vice President, Network Technology Development and Strategy for T-Mobile US said, “Mid-band spectrum is key for unlocking new applications and truly delivering on the promise of 5G. It is essential to have a long-term spectrum pipeline to fuel growth in the 5G ecosystem, and this 5G Americas white paper is a good step toward understanding future potential mid-band spectrum opportunities.”

 

Categories: 5G, Articles, Business, MNO, Mobile, Policy, Regulation, Spectrum

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