Making 26 GHz a successful 5G band in Europe

Transcription

1 Making 26 GHz a successful 5G band in Europe About the GSA Spectrum Group: The Spectrum Group within GSA is the GSA focus group for global policy matters related to the radio frequency spectrum and radio regulatory matters pertaining to the successful evolution of International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) of ITU and associated administrative, operational and technical aspects. September

2 1 SUMMARY The first phase of 5G has been specified, trials and the knowledge building are well underway and the subsequent commercial services are planned from 2019 onwards in Asia and North America in frequency ranges around 26 GHz. Countries such as Korea, the US, Japan, China and Canada will be launching 5G and it is therefore of vital importance for European competitiveness that European countries act decisively and in unity. This paper is focused on Europe and on the deployment of 5G in the 26 GHz ( GHz) band. The GSA invites national governments and regulators, the European Commission, CEPT, and the manufacturing industries to work together to keep Europe at the top of the global 5G technology league. GSA invites 5G stakeholders to work with the European Football Association (UEFA) to kickstart and showcase 5G technology in the EURO 2020 cities and stadiums. There are three broad spectrum ranges that have been nominated as European 5G pioneer bands and which will be licenced over the next few years; low band below 1GHz (700 MHz) mid band 3.5 GHz ( GHz) high (a.k.a. mmwave) band 26 GHz ( GHz) These three bands together provide a great opportunity for a combination of nationwide, city-wide, outdoor hot spot and indoor hotspot super-fast broadband coverage, as well as for IoT services of different types (smart city, industry automation, etc). The recommendations below and proposed timings are for national governments and regulators to consider and act upon to keep Europe ahead in the deployment of 5G. It is also recommended that these are built into the European 5G RSPG second opinion. 2

3 2 RECOMMENDATIONS ON DEPLOYMENTS The GSA recommends the following aspects for the early introduction and use of 5G in the 26 GHz band in Europe National governments and regulators should license 26 GHz as early as in 2018 in order to meet this commercial deadline and provide sufficient time for trials, for commercial arrangements to be put in place and getting the technology working in a real world environment Counties in Europe should do their utmost to make the whole 26 GHz band available for 5G use before ITU WRC-19 In countries where the band has little use, the whole band ( GHz) should be made available. In countries where the lower part of the band GHz is heavily used, the upper part GHz as a minimum should be licensed in a first phase in GSA is of the opinion that this part of the band 26 GHz relatively underused and therefore easier to make available for 5G. This also benefits from other anticipated commercial deployments which operate in this spectrum in the US, Japan and Korea as part of the 28 GHz range and therefore benefits from global economies of scale - this upper part is critical in the launch of the new 5G technology. The remaining lower part of the spectrum, GHz, which is more heavily used by other radio services such as fixed links and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) in a number of countries could be released in a second phase, but regulators should give clear guidance as soon as possible to when this spectrum would become available. In particular, regulators should commence planning for national clearance measures/refarming already in 2017 while providing the essential regulatory conditions for 5G use. 3

4 3 RECOMMENDATIONS ON LICENSING The GSA understands that governments and regulators have a desire to enable the opportunity for new users to enter as 5G license holders, possibly at a more local level. While the GSA supports this desire, it should not be at the expense of the current Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) who can reuse the current infrastructure design in support of the timely introduction of the first phase, and drive the early introduction of a viable eco-system. Licensing of 5G to MNOs in the range 26 GHz should be complemented with licensing and deployments in other parts of the spectrum designated to 5G (700MHz and GHz) as explained in section 1. The GSA is inviting countries to establish straightforward licensing processes and the following is therefore offered for discussion: Nationwide exclusive licenses should be awarded to MNOs in lowband below the frequency 1 GHz to allow for 5G services building on the current infrastructure design providing extended range Nationwide exclusive licenses should be awarded MNOs in the midband around 3.5 GHz to allow for 5G services building on the current infrastructure design for wide area urban and suburban coverage providing an amount of the order of 100 MHz per MNO. Nationwide exclusive licenses should be awarded to MNOs in the high band around 26 GHz to allow for 5G services building on the current Infrastructure design for urban and suburban outdoor. This would also allow for crucial indoor high capacity deployments. Where the lower part of the band is heavily used, licenses should be issued to MNOs at least in the upper 1 GHz as early as 2018 and recommended bandwidth in order to enable 5G services should be at least MHz per network. Licenses should allow leasing. In addition, use-it-or-lease-it clauses attached to licensing conditions could be considered by regulators. These regulatory tools coupled with network slicing and other similar solutions can enable efficient spectrum utilization for both MNOs, other service providers and verticals. These recommendations and proposed timings should be built into the European (RSPG second opinion) and national government and regulators 5G plans so that Europe is kept on top of the global 5G technology league. 4

5 4 EURO 2020 The UEFA European Championships in provide a great opportunity for Europe to show case 5G commercial deployments in the 26 GHz spectrum. 24 football teams will compete in 13 countries with the final at Wembley stadium, London, in mid Notably, Korea is using the Winter Olympics in 2018 as a target to showcase 5G, Japan is using the Summer Olympics in 2020 as a focal point for 5G commercial deployments and it is suggested that Euro 2020 could provide a focal point for Europe. Specifically, administrations should target the deployment of 5G networks in the cities involved in the competition, at least in the stadiums and the areas around them The cities involved are: London, England: Wembley Stadium Baku, Azerbaijan: Olimpiya Stadionu: Munich, Germany: Fußball Arena München Rome, Italy: Stadio Olimpico Saint Petersburg, Russia: Saint Petersburg Stadion Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam ArenA Bilbao, Spain: Estadio de San Mamés Brussels, Belgium: Eurostadium Bucharest, Romania: Arena Națională Budapest, Hungary: Puskás Ferenc Stadion Copenhagen, Denmark: Parken Dublin, Republic of Ireland: Dublin Arena Glasgow, Scotland: Hampden Park. Other countries that are not hosting should of course not be left out and should also have the opportunity to benefit from the 5G eco-system in the 26 GHz band during the EURO 2020 events

6 5 GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 26 GHz AND 28 GHz mmwave BANDS 5.1 North America Canada: The Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has recently initiated a consultation on releasing mmwave spectrum including the 28 GHz band to support the development of 5G. After this consultation and decisions are made ISED will consult further on licensing policies and technical standards. ISED references that mobile data traffic is expected to grow seven fold between 2016 and 2021 and applications requiring even higher capacity and lower latency are anticipated and that Canada will need to release more spectrum for wireless networks to unlock the potential of new applications enabled by 5G. United States of America (USA): the Federal Communications 5.2 Asia Commission (FCC) is driving key spectrum initiatives to enable 5G across low, mid, and high bands. In the high-band, about 11 GHz of spectrum (28 GHz and GHz for licensed use, and GHz for unlicensed use) has been made available for mmwave applications, with additional candidate bands identified for IMT Furthermore, in2016 Verizon announced the acquisition of XO Communications, a major holder of 5G spectrum in the 28 GHz spectrum. China: a public consultation has been carried out regarding the GHz South Korea: The regulator is planning to allocate a total of 4 GHz of mmwave spectrum for 5G in three phases. The first phase will begin in 2018, focusing on mmwave in GHz. Phase two will add 2 GHz of bandwidth in the GHz and GHz ranges this could be allocated in 2018 if the 5G eco-systems become available. The third phase will add an additional 1 GHz of bandwidth in the 2021 to 2026 timeframe, for a total 5G mmwave bandwidth of 4 GHz. This is driven by the combined KT 5G-SIG 2 and VZ-5GTF 3 effort, targeting

7 trials at the 2018 Winter Games, with the possibility to use the same band for early 5G deployments afterwards. Japan: in July 2017 MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) officially identified 5G spectrum to consist of up to 500 MHz of sub-6 GHz spectrum, to come from the GHz and GHz ranges, and up to 2 GHz of mmwave spectrum, to come from the GHz range. MIC plans to issue the final technical rules, including the precise frequencies, by summer Australia: Operator Telstra has already announced trials in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games, using 28 and 39 GHz. Singapore: In May 2017, IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) issued a public consultation on spectrum for 5G. The consultation sought comment on a number of spectrum bands below 1 GHz, between 1 and 6 GHz, and above 6 GHz, including the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands. Hong Kong: In March 2017, the Communications Authority of Hong Kong issued a work plan on spectrum for 5G. The plan included allocation of low band (sub-1 GHz), mid-band ( GHz) and mmwave ( GHz) spectrum. 5.3 Europe In November 2016, The Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) recommended the GHz as a pioneer band for 5G, in addition to 700 MHz and GHz. In December 2016, the European Commission (EC) Radio Spectrum Committee (RSCOM) issued a mandate to the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) to study and assess the GHz ( 26 GHz ) frequency band as a 5G pioneer band for use under relevant 5G usage scenarios and to develop channelling arrangements and common and minimal (least restrictive) technical conditions for spectrum use in the 26 GHz frequency band, which are suitable for 5G terrestrial wireless systems, in conjunction with relevant usage and sharing scenarios. In the CEPT, the Electronics Communications Committee (ECC) Project Team 1 (PT1) has started to develop an ECC Decision on harmonized 7

8 technical conditions for MFCN in GHz taking into account 5G requirements, which will be completed by June Some European countries are also moving fast on the 26 GHz spectrum: In the UK, the Government (DCMS and HM treasury) has published its 5G strategy in March 2017 where they have identified scope for 5G to be deployed in the GHz band. Also, OFCOM have initiated a work program on 26 GHz band availability for early 5G deployment - OFCOM is expected to release the GHz part of the 26 GHz band in a first phase the band is currently managed by MoD that is leading the work with Ofcom. Ofcom have also issued a 5G mmwave consultation 5G spectrum access at 26 GHz and update on bands above 30 GHz with a deadline September In Germany, BNetzA has consulted on the release of spectrum in the 26 GHz band and 28 GHz bands in the context of 5G and is currently working on an award proposal the award is expected in the 2018 timeframe. In France, the ARCEP spectrum consultation included 26 GHz the upper part of the band ( GHz) is expected to be released first. In Sweden, PTS is looking at large-scale 5G tests in 26 GHz and decided to make available up to 1 GHz ( GHz) for it in 2017 for trials release is expected in Finland is looking at large-scale 5G tests in 26 GHz and decided to make available up to 1 GHz ( GHz) for it in 2017 for trials expected release is in In Spain, the Ministry for Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda has consulted on a 5G national plan including the 26 GHz band. The consultation highlighted the possibility to make available in a first phase 1.4 GHz of spectrum of which 400 MHz are in the lower part and 1 GHz are in the upper part (500 MHz of which would have some geographical limitations) 8

9 6 ONGOING TECHNICAL/REGULATORY WORK IN CEPT/ITU The Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-R) has proved the technical feasibility for mobile services in the bands above 6 GHz in the Report ITU-R M , and the ITU-R resolves to emphasize the new generation 5G from 2020 by approving Resolution ITU-R 56 5 on naming and introducing IMT-2020 to the IMT technology family. Recommendation ITU-R M expects that ITU members will deploy IMT-2020 by 2020 onwards and stresses a need for mmwave bands to support the different usage scenarios (embb, mmtc and URLLC) requiring from several hundred MHz up to at least 1 GHz of contiguous bandwidth. In addition, Report ITU-R M anticipates that global IMT traffic will grow in the range times during the years 2020 to This means that IMT traffic growth via 5G deployment will be explosive and the availability of mmwave bands will be a critical factor to address the traffic explosion. Figure 1: Usage Scenarios of 5G Moreover, WRC-15 established Agenda Item 1.13 for WRC-19 to identify frequency ranges from GHz to 86 GHz for IMT-2020 systems to satisfy the requirements of high data traffic such as in dense urban areas and/or in peak times. A number of frequency bands will be considered at the WRC-19 4 Report ITU-R M.2376 Technical feasibility of IMT in bands above 6 GHz, July Resolution ITU-R 56-2 Naming for International Mobile Telecommunications, RA-15, October Recommendation ITU-R M.2083 IMT-Vision Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2020 and beyond, September Report ITU-R M.2370 IMT traffic estimates for the years 2020 to 2030, July

10 for 5G IMT-2020 identification including the 26 GHz band. It is noted that a number of administrations around the world are pursuing a parallel approach of licensing spectrum at the same time as their WRC-19 preparations are still underway. The GSA supports this process and in order to keep Europe at the forefront of 5G mmwave developments would urge European administrations to licence 26 GHz in parallel with the ongoing WRC-19 process and instead of waiting for the outcome of WRC-19, given that many other countries around the world will not be waiting. The vision in the ITU-R for 5G in the form of IMT emphasizes usage scenarios such as embb, URLLC and mmtc as key for 5G. In order for 5G to fulfil these usage scenarios, various technologies will be needed. For the embb usage scenario, the target peak data rate for IMT-2020 as defined by ITU-R is 20 Gbps, requiring frequency bands not only below 6 GHz but also wide contiguous bandwidth in mmwave bands. These are necessary to fulfil minimum technical performance requirements for 5G. To realize technologies using mmwave bands, advanced antenna technology using massive MIMO and beamforming techniques as well as advanced channel coding schemes will be the important technical elements for 5G. Figure 2: Enhancement of key capabilities of 5G 8 Recommendation ITU-R M

11 Moreover, in order to address the URLLC and mmtc usage scenarios, varied technologies such as an innovative new solution to shorten TTI, new waveform solutions supporting varied vertical services in one 5G network, advanced air interface solutions for advanced multiple access schemes and advanced network solutions like SDN/NFV/network slicing/mec are key technical enhancements. These advanced technologies are currently being developed within 3GPP. 7 STANDARDIZATION STATUS IN THE 3RD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT (3GPP) 7.1 The paths towards 5G There are two paths that make up the 5G radio access roadmap in 3GPP, as illustrated in the diagram below. One is based on the evolution of LTE (elte) and the other on New Radio (5G-NR) access. While the high frequencies above 6 GHz such as 26 GHz and 28 GHz will be supported by the 5G-NR only, low and medium frequencies (i.e. below 6GHz), including the MHz range, are supported by both elte and 5G-NR: operators will choose the most suitable path towards 5G according to their specific situation. The 3GPP submission to ITU-R for the terrestrial IMT-2020 radio interfaces will include both the elte and 5G-NR air interfaces. Figure 3: : elte evolution and 5G-NR revolution. 11

12 G New Radio (5G-NR) The 5G-NR path is free from backward compatibility requirements and thereby able to introduce more fundamental changes, such as targeting larger channel bandwidths. 5G-NR is being designed in a flexible manner with the ability to address all identified requirements and use cases GPP Standardization timeline At its March2016 meeting, 3GPP agreed to a work plan proposal (RP ) for the first 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) specification that will be part of Release 15 the global 5G standard. As part of this work plan, a large number of mobile industry leaders committed to accelerate the 5G NR schedule by introducing an intermediate milestone for an early completion of a variant called Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G NR. This intermediate milestone will enable 3GPP-based large-scale trials and deployments as early as Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G NR will utilize the existing LTE radio and core network as an anchor for mobility management and coverage while adding a new 5G carrier. This is the configuration that will be the target of early 2019 deployments (in 3GPP terminology, this is NSA 5G NR deployment scenario Option 3). Standalone (SA) 5G NR implies full user and control plane capability for 5G NR, utilizing the new 5G core network architecture also being done in 3GPP. With the recently agreed upon proposal, a framework is defined to ensure commonality between these two variants, as well as making forward compatibility a key design principle for the standardization of the first release of 5G NR. This will enable in-band introduction of new capabilities and features in subsequent releases of the standard, such as the addition of new signals to support new industries or use cases to achieve the 5G vision to connect everything to everything. There will be two phases for the normative work in 3GPP (see the diagram above): the first release of the 5G specification (Rel. 15) will be completed by September 2018 (specifications for the Non Standalone (NSA) architecture supporting 5G-NR deployment using LTE as control plane anchor will be available in December 2017 while the Standalone (SA) architecture enabling the 5G-NR deployment with full control plane capability for NR will be specified by June The second release of the 5G specification (Rel. 16) will be completed by December

13 with the ability to address all 5G use cases and requirements in time for the ITU-R IMT-2020 submission. At least two bands will be defined for 5G NR in GHz frequency range: GHz and GHz with the target for completion by December 2017 and the latest by June 2018 during Release 15. 5G NR deployments in 2019 will require more than just R&D test beds and a 3GPP specification. For example, it will require over-the-air trials and interoperability testing, compliant with the 3GPP 5G NR specification, to test and simulate 5G NR technologies in real-world scenarios across a broad set of use cases and deployment scenarios. In addition, an accelerated timeline for 5G NR deployments would be incomplete without supporting devices. This is why a number of players in the industry have recently announced they will make available infrastructure and chipset as early as in 2017 to enable first deployments as soon as in INCUMBENTS IN THE 26 GHZ BAND IN EUROPE Figure 4 shows the service allocation for this band in Region 1 according to the ITU-R Radio Regulations. Figure 4 : Incuments in the 26 GHz band in Europe ECC PT1 conducted a survey of uses in this band in In summary, This band is mainly allocated to fixed links all responding administration have fixed service allocations in at least part of the band. Other allocations in some administrations include EESS, (Space-to-Earth) space research, inter-satellite links, fixed satellite (Earth-to-Space), short range devices, short range radar, mobile, radiodetermination, SAP/SAB and ENG/OB. 13

14 12 administrations note heavy usage (>1000 links or nationwide licences) for fixed links (mainly point-to-point, some point-to-multipoint). Usage is generally noted as nationwide with higher concentrations in urban areas GHz is lightly used in European Member States (only 30 fixed links reported) The main incumbent use in Europe is fixed links. While the GHz frequency range is lightly used across Europe, the 24.5 to 26.5 GHz block is heavily used in most countries, with thousands of links deployed for instance in Germany, the UK or Spain. Individual licensing of the link is prevalent although some countries also have licensed parts of the fixed link band plan as blocks. 9 EXPECTED 5G USE CASES IN THE 26 GHz BAND 5G will support frequency bands within a very wide range (450 MHz to 86 GHz), exploiting the specific characteristics of the different bands. High Frequencies such as 26 GHz provides complementary hot spot coverage to 5G in medium and low frequencies. 5G hot-spots in 26 GHz will enable high capacity and high density solutions to be dropped into an operator s network with up to 20 Gbit/s peak throughput. Medium Frequencies (2 to 6 GHz) relies on the best compromise between capacity (strictly related with bandwidth availability) and coverage meeting a large portion of the 5G/IMT-2020 requirements. 5G in MHz range will facilitate consistent user experience ranging from high capacity and high density to wider coverage, to also address suburban areas and small towns without requiring extra site densification compared to current deployments. Low Frequencies (below 2 GHz) will ensure wide area, deep coverage for urban, suburban and rural areas: a fundamental complement to the higher frequencies ensuring consistent wide area services, including deep indoor coverage. In the first wave of 5G investments, it is expected that operators will focus on applications involving the enhanced Mobile Broadband (embb) and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) usage scenarios for dense urban, urban and suburban scenarios. Diversified rollout scenarios including indoor hotspot, dense urban, urban and rural macro will be addressed. 14

15 Figure 5 describes the role of the different frequency ranges, with respect to the 5G usage scenarios as defined by the ITU-R 9. Figure 5 : The Role of the different frequency ranges, with respect to the 5G usage scenarios as defined by the ITU-R In the first wave of 5G investments, it is expected that operators will focus on applications involving the enhanced Mobile Broadband (embb) and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) usage scenarios for dense urban, urban and suburban scenarios. Diversified rollout scenarios including indoor hotspot, dense urban, urban and rural macro will be addressed. The following paragraphs briefly describe some of the foreseen applications that will benefit from the availability of 5G; Mobile Virtual / Augmented Reality and Ultra High Definition Video Ultra high definition (UHD) video represents the natural evolution of today s video-based services, in line with the continuous improvement of device capabilities. Delivery of UHD video will require throughputs in the order of Mbit/s (4K) and Mbit/s (8K) with latency in the order of 20 ms (end-to-end) 10. There is high expectation on the future role of wireless video immersive experiences through augmented and virtual reality (AR / VR) that will be delivered with high-end 5G smartphone providing connectivity to glasses and 360 degrees cameras. Gaming 11, entertainment, tourism, education, live personal streaming of events are just initial examples among many. 9 Recommendation ITU-R M (09/2015) IMT Vision Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2020 and beyond 10 Huawei M-Lab Notably, the success of Pokémon Go illustrates an entertainment/gaming usage scenario that used augmented reality to disrupt mobile gaming. 15

16 AR / VR will lead to throughput requirements in the order of 50 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s and 10 ms latency (end-to-end) G fixed wireless access services and smart home In past years, mobile operators have successfully embraced new business models by adding fixed wireless access (FWA) to their mobile broadband (MBB) offer. Wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), based on 4G and 4.5G, have received significant acceptance in the market, in addition to xdsl broadband modems: a complement to the operators fixed broadband (FBB) offer or a means to compete with other existing FBB operators MHz is the best frequency range below 6 GHz, and 26 GHz and 28 GHz are the best available frequencies above 6GHz, to support the development of FWA services and to further support the development of FWA fibre-like quadruple-play 13 services under the same infrastructure and commercial package. For example 26 GHz could provide the wireless link from the base station to the home and a 5G/Wi-Fi access unit in the house can then provide very high speed Wi-Fi broadband coverage within the home. Operators can also extend their FWA offer by including the Internet of things (IoT) smart home services based on 5G (e.g. video alarms offering, remote e-health services for elderly people, etc). There are opportunities to offer home gateways providing both short range connections (typically BT LE, Wi- Fi, Zigbee, etc.) to connect objects within the home and 5G access to connect the IoT platform in the home to the network Smart manufacturing Cable-free robots will be connected to the manufacturing network with low latency and reliable 5G, with clear benefits in terms of manufacturing process flexibility and reduction of cabling costs. Other aspects in the manufacturing process that will benefit from 5G include: management of local, national and international logistics, wireless data acquisition for mass industrial sensors in the factory, intelligent production scheduling, energy consumption control, real-time equipment monitoring, remote exception handling (AR technical assistance, HD video / VR spread to remote expert). 12 Huawei M-Lab Voice, video, data connectivity with mobility when required 16

17 9.1.4 Healthcare Remote mobile health care would allow individualized consultations, treatment and patient monitoring outside traditional healthcare institutions (hospitals and clinics): patients and practitioners could use video conferencing, telepresence, 3D hologram video facilities for remote consultations and visits, which would require live video feed (4K, 8K, 3D) in both uplink and downlink for remote healthcare (consultation, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring). Health sensors could be used to remotely monitor progress of treatment in real time. 26 GHz 5G hot-spots could be deployed in key areas of a hospital for example. 9.2 Required bandwidths Large amounts of bandwidth are required in order to reach the low latency high data rates of up to 20 Gbits/s envisaged in the 5G vision. Table 1 shows the theoretical peak data rates 14 that can be achieved for a given bandwidth. Table 1: Theoretical peak data rates in a given bandwidth RF channel bandwidth Peak data rates 200 MHz 6 Gbit/s 400 MHz 12 Gbit/s 800 MHz 24 Gbit/s 1000 MHz 30 Gbit/s 1000 MHz bandwidth would be required to achieve the Peak data rate requirement of 20 Gbit/s in the DL, assuming a 3:1 DL/UL ratio. The mmwave spectrum, such as the 26 GHz band, which has up to around 3 GHz of spectrum earmarked, provides this large amount of spectrum. There is clearly a trade-off between higher frequencies and reduced range which is why mmwave spectrum is positioned as a hot spot solution to complement 5G networks in other lower frequency bands as well as an FWA enabler. 400 MHz to 1 GHz per network is envisaged although there are trade-offs between the amount of spectrum available, timings for availability and sharing with or clearing existing users, number of networks for competition purposes etc. In Europe, if the 1 GHz of spectrum, GHz, is to be released in a first phase then it is recommended that MHz per network strikes the appropriate balance between the amount of spectrum available in the 14 Peak spectral efficiency (SE) of 5G New Radio: 30 bit/s/hz in DL (from draft New Report IMT-2020.TECH PERF REQ in ITU-R WP 5D). 17

18 first phase, the number of networks for competition purposes and sufficient spectrum per network to provide hot spot services. The large bandwidths available are the key advantage of the 26 GHz (and other mmwave bands) when compared to bands below 6 GHz, and help compensate the strong disadvantage in terms of propagation. Where possible MHz bandwidth per operator, ideally contiguous, in the longer term could provide superior performance and will demonstrate fully the value of mmwave bands. 10 SPECTRUM ACCESS MODELS 10.1 Spectrum sharing versus clearing Clearing is the approach that regulators have previously and successfully followed for bands for previous mobile generations, as the benefits of an exclusive 5G band are expected to exceed the costs to clear out the incumbents (who have to find an alternative arrangement). An exclusive band for 5G provides appropriate incentives to MNOs to invest in deployments, thus facilitating fast take up. However, it is recognized that the propagation and intended use cases above 6 GHz might enable coexistence with incumbents (in some specific cases), compared to co-existence in bands below 6 GHz. In general, the GSA is of the view that it could be possible to preserve some of the existing earth stations in the Fixed Satellite Service (FSS), the Space Research (SR) service and the Earth Exploration Satellite Service (EESS), in case they are placed in remote areas. Coexistence with 5G networks can be achieved by defining separation distances of a few kilometers around these Earth stations in rural and remote areas without impacting on the deployment potential of the 26 GHz band for 5G in urban and sub-urban areas. In practice, this means that 5G providers could be awarded national spectrum blocks licenses with a number of well-defined exclusion zones around the Earth stations, where 5G use is not allowed or is severely limited. New Earth stations should only be authorized following a commercial agreement between the Earth station operator and the 5G licensee. The GSA believes that these kind of agreements can be achieved between 5G licensees and Earth station operators, especially, at remote locations where 5G is unlikely to be deployed in 26 GHz band. It may not be feasible to share a 26 GHz band in the same geographical area between traditional ubiquitous point to point links and 5G. Point to 18

19 point links require a high reliability and it will be difficult to ensure this if the 26 GHz band is shared. The GSA is of the view that re-planning of fixed links should commence in advance of the spectrum being released for 5G. However, there are a high number of fixed links deployed in the GHz spectrum, which can create an obstacle in many European countries to release the whole band for 5G. For this reason, it is recommended to release first the GHz to facilitate fast deployment of 5G in Europe and in the longer term, a solution is needed for the lower part of the 26 GHz band. It is also noted that, as the fixed link operators are often the same as the expected 5G operators, there may be ways to agree with the operators, how they can use the same frequency band for 5G in densely populated areas and for backhauling in other areas. Administrations could take the following actions to mitigate disruption to fixed links users: Stop issuing new licenses for fixed links in this band as soon as possible some countries like the UK are already proceeding in this direction. Provide notice to the existing users of the revocation of licenses after a period of time Put in place a program of migration to other fixed service bands that could be well suited for 5G backhaul 3GPP is also developing 5G technology to enable the option for MNO in-band backhaul (self-backhauling) so that 5G base stations can be rapidly deployed and then the traffic backhauled by the MNO using the same spectrum. This enables base stations to provide communications between the end user device and also other base stations in the same spectrum Sharing between operators Sharing of resources (spectrum, network) between MNOs is already commonplace, when it makes economic and business sense to do so. The MNO will consider the wider business implications and will do their own cost benefit analysis (CBA). The option for network or spectrum sharing among MNOs should be permitted and any other barrier removed to enable this option but it is recommended that this not be mandated in the 5G bands. 19

20 10.3 Other sharing aspects notably verticals A very efficient way to address vertical markets is to have the service offered by MNOs through the network slicing functions. 5G networks are being defined to have the capability to serve different usage needs in terms of data rate, reliability, latency, number of devices, etc. MNOs can define slices that respond to the needs of specific vertical markets, and these slices could run over different frequency bands. For instance, a smart grid network would require ubiquitous coverage to be offered by low frequencies, but a smart factory might require very high data rates at a localised facility and hence a band above 6 GHz could be used. Another approach is one where the vertical user leases spectrum from the MNOs and deploys its own network at its premises. In order to respond to vertical market s needs, it would be wise to remove all regulatory barriers from leasing/secondary markets in 26 GHz spectrum. Leasing has already been successful in facilitating access to 4G spectrum by verticals: for example the Rivas city council in Madrid has deployed a LTE private network for critical communications using spectrum leased from MasMovil, a Spanish MNO. If the regulator determines that leasing is not happening in an effective and efficient manner (i.e. MNOs might not engage in leasing) and at fair and reasonable conditions, then it could consider use-it-or-lease-it clauses, or indicating upfront that it will take action ex-post if there is evidence that MNOs are not responding to leasing requests. Finally, another approach could be to reserve a separate sub-band for geographic/local licences. Such authorisation would suit the requirements of verticals who wish to use the spectrum only in restricted geographic locations (ranging in size from regions to individual premises). GSA views on preferred access models for the 26 GHz band are further detailed in sections 11 and PREFERRED AUTHORISATION APPROACH (LICENSED, LICENSED SHARED, LICENSE EXEMPT) 5G is a new technology and a new market which requires global scale to gain market take off during the launch phase and mobile network operators (MNO) implementation plans and investments play a key role in helping to generate a competitive equipment market. Thus MNOs role in the 5G commercial deployments in the mmwave spectrum is critical. The licensing approach for 20

21 5G in the 26 GHz band should provide certainty in the availability of spectrum for 5G and should ensure a stable network investment environment aimed at providing predictable network performance for a diverse range of 5G use cases. At the same time, spectrum cost needs to be kept at a level that encourages MNOs to invest in the 26 GHz band. MNO spectrum needs in 5G are likely to become more diverse (i.e. more diversity in business cases, with consequential coverage and capability differences) and uncertainty in the access to spectrum together with high spectrum cost could carry a risk that MNOs do not invest in mmwave spectrum. Furthermore, since one main reason for 5G spectrum demand in the 26 GHz band is the highly predictable network performance for embb certainty on the availability of a sufficient amount of spectrum is key. The GSA s preference is to keep authorisation as simple and cost efficient for MNOs as possible, and it is important to note: Timing: considering that 2018 is recommended for licensing this doesn t leave that much time to consider elaborate schemes. Investment: encouraging MNOs, to establish the market and begin to generate economies of scale and competition in the infrastructure and terminals market. Also, high spectrum cost may delay MNOs interest to invest in this band Spectrum Demand: while we appreciate the desire to enable new entrants to have an option for their own spectrum, particularly for the verticals, such as factories, indoor offices, etc, these should, in the 26 GHz band, be balanced against the need to gain traction and the establishment of this new 5G market. This is why the GSA is recommending for Europe that the 26 GHz band should be made available for 5G in the form of nationwide exclusive licensed spectrum : Provision of 5G services will not be substantially different from today s 4G or 3G services: operators will run the networks and provide a service to end users. Predictable/reliable QoS is one of the reasons for the demand for new 5G spectrum. Exclusive licences give mobile operators the confidence that their service is not degraded by interference from third parties 21

22 Exclusive national licences give mobile operators certainty that they can deploy their networks when and where there is demand from their customers. Mobile networks evolve as operators extend coverage to unserved areas, or increase capacity to locations with high traffic. This flexibility is key for an MNO business and should be preserved in 5G spectrum. Verticals, such as factories, stadiums, etc, can be served by MNO s networks using network slicing, sub-leasing and use-it-or-lease-it conditions within this spectrum. Once a competitive 5G market has developed and, at that point in time, if network slicing, leasing and use-it-or-lease-it conditions do not allow vertical markets to grow, then regulators could consider making dedicated spectrum available. This could strike a reasonable balance between establishing the 5G market with MNO s and providing a pragmatic solution for verticals. Licensing of the 26GHz band should be done in way that minimizes the MNO spectrum cost in order to encourage MNOs to invest in the band. We also think that the duration of licences needs to be reviewed. 5G is a nascent technology and it will take some time to develop fully in terms of deployments, ecosystem and operator s expertise. As a result, some operators may only start deploying in large scale several years after the licences are awarded. We think that the duration of the licences should be expanded significantly, or better still licences should be made automatically renewable (on yearly basis for instance) without an expiration date. This would remove the substantial uncertainty that operators face as licences approach expiration date. This uncertainty acts as a barrier to investment and, in our view, stops potential secondary market transactions from happening. In summary, we think that nationwide exclusive licenced spectrum has been a key underpinning of the phenomenal success of mobile services. This regime should be maintained as the main solution for the 26 GHz band for 5G. A different approach for this 5G pioneer band could disrupt a wellestablished regulatory framework and delay the take up of 5G services. We also support extending the duration of current mobile licences or, better still, automatically renewable licences and also we support consideration of useit-or-lease-it conditions. 22

23 12 EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY As discussed previously there are significant developments in Asia and North America regarding 5G trials and planned commercial deployments. The 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands will be specified in 3GPP for 5G New Radio in the GHz frequency range: GHz and GHz respectively with the target for completion by December 2017 and the latest by June 2018 during Release 15. Korea, Japan and North America are releasing spectrum within the 28 GHz band and China has consulted on releasing spectrum within the 26 GHz band. These two bands share GHz in common. First implementations in Europe can benefit from early deployments and commercially available 28 GHz equipment from these other countries within the timeframe. This all helps to generate global economies of scale which are essential in the initial phase of establishing a competitive infrastructure and terminals market for 5G equipment. As the networks scale and more spectrum is made available, the previously established equipment market can then continue to grow. The majority of the current focus for chipsets, terminals and infrastructure manufacturers, is to meet the demand within the GHz band but it is recognized that the band GHz up to 27.5 GHz is also vitally important and it is essential that Administrations in Europe, China and elsewhere, licence the GHz band as soon as possible in order to generate sufficient demand and confidence for equipment manufacturers to produce equipment for the whole band. A number of announcements have been made regarding commercial equipment availability. Intel s 5G Modem supports 5G operation in both sub-6ghz bands and 28 GHz mmwave spectrum in the U.S., Korea, and Japan with a single device implementation. It pairs the 5G RFIC with the 28 GHz RFIC supporting 5G New Radio features including low latency frame structure, advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, and beamforming. In combining the capabilities of the 28 GHz RFIC, which is already commercially available, and the 5G RFIC, the Intel 5G Modem delivers on critical 5G requirements for multi-gbps throughput, hundreds of MHz aggregated bandwidth and ultra-low latency. 23

24 Qualcomm has announced the availability of its X50 Snapdraggon modem which offers 28 GHz support, 4G/5G multi-mode with dual connectivity and up to 5 Gbps download speeds. The first commercial products featuring Snapdragon X50 5G NR modems are expected to be available in Samsung Electronics has unveiled its end-to-end portfolio of 5G mobile network products and solutions for 2017 which included chipsets, consumer devices for fixed wireless access connectivity, a 5G Radio Base Station (5G Access Unit) and Next-Generation Core Network infrastructure. Ericsson is planning to release 5G base stations for GHz and GHz by the first half of Huawei, will be ready to provide E2E 5G commercial products compliant with the 3GPP standard in 2018, including New Radio and New Core equipment. With clear interest for 5G mobility applications already emerging from operators, notably in markets like the U.S., China, Japan and South Korea, Nokia will implement early 5G specifications, enhancing 5G FIRST with the 3GPP 5G Phase I protocol. This 5G NR (New Radio) air interface standard, which is due at the beginning of 2018, is designed to support a wide variety of 5G devices and services. Equipment for 28GHz is already available for trials since early 2017 as part of our 5G FIRST solution and commercial availability is planned for This RF can also be used for early trials at 26 GHz in the upper 1 GHz of the band. Nokia will continue to evolve and expand 5G FIRST as an end-toend solution, designed to drive broader market adoption of 5G, as well as testing multiple 5G use cases. The company is building on extensive field experience already gained with Nokia 5G FIRST Terminals and devices usually lag the announcements from the chipset and infrastructure community and announcements on these are anticipated over the next months. 24

25 13 SPECTRUM RELEASE TIMING AND PHASING The first RSPG opinion on 5G requests member states to make part of the band available before The GSA supports this approach, and encourages countries, where the band has little use overall, to proceed with release as early as in We note, however, that the GHz range might be heavier used in a number of European countries. In those cases, we suggest a phased spectrum release: the GHz range is largely unused in most of Europe, so it could be released first in The rest of the band should be made available for mobile in a second phase, as soon as possible, so that bandwidths of MHz per operator can be achieved. A progressive release of the 26 GHz band starting with the GHz range first in 2018 will enable Europe to catch up with ongoing developments In US/Korea and Japan allowing the earliest opportunity for the development of new services and applications in a real world commercial situation (as opposed to technology trials). The industry envisages spectrum in the 26 GHz band being deployed in the 2019 timeframe supported by a wide and global eco-system of equipment, devices and chipsets. Last but not least, it will be essential that European administrations give clear guidance as soon as possible of when the rest of the band would be released. This would allow operators to choose between the first phase or the second phase of licensing, depending on their view of when the business need will appear. It is recommended that at least MHz per network is assigned, as this strikes the appropriate balance between the amount of spectrum available in the first phase, the number of networks for competition purposes and sufficient spectrum per network to provide hot spot services. Regulators that follow this path should not lose sight of the objective to efficiently allocate the whole 26 GHz band. 25

26 14 RECOMMENDATION TO ENABLE 5G DEPLOYMENT IN THE 26 GHZ BAND BEFORE 2020 GSA recommends the following for 26 GHz in Europe; National governments and regulators should license 26 GHz as early as in 2018 in order to meet this commercial deadline and provide sufficient time for trials, for commercial arrangements to be put in place and getting the technology working in a real world environment Countries in Europe should do their utmost to make the whole 26 GHz band available for 5G use before ITU WRC-19 In countries where the lower band has little use, the whole GHz should be made available. Where the lower part of the band is heavily used, at least GHz as a minimum should be licensed in a first phase in 2018 as this is relatively underused and therefore easier to make available for 5G. This also benefits from other anticipated commercial deployments which operate at 28 GHz, such as in the US, Japan and Korea and therefore benefits from global economies of scale as this new technology is launched. The remainder of the spectrum, to 26.5 GHz, which is more heavily used by other radio services such as fixed links and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) in a number of countries should be released in a second phase, but regulators should give clear guidance as soon as possible, when this spectrum could become available. In particular, regulators should commence planning for national clearance measures/refarming already in 2017 to ensure that the essential regulatory conditions for 5G use are in place. That commercial 5G services at 26 GHz are launched in each of the stadiums and cities hosting the European Football Championships in 2020, UEFA Euro It would also be important to ensure that other European capitals not hosting football are not left behind, so 26 GHz spectrum should also be licensed there. Nationwide exclusive licenced spectrum has been a key underpinning of the phenomenal success of mobile services. This regime should be maintained as the main solution for 26 GHz band for 5G. A different 26

27 approach for this 5G pioneer band could disrupt a well-established regulatory framework and delay the take up of 5G services. Where the lower part of the band is heavily used, licenses should be issued to MNOs in the GHz band. In this case, the recommended bandwidth in order to enable 5G services is at least MHz per network. Where the lower part of the band is not heavily used and all of the 26 GHz band ( GHz) is available then 1 GHz per network should be made available. Licenses should allow leasing. In addition, use-it-or-lease-it clauses attached to licensing conditions could be considered by regulators. These regulatory tools coupled with network slicing and other similar solutions can enable efficient spectrum utilization for both MNOs and verticals. These recommendations and proposed timings should be built into the European RSPG second opinion and national government and regulators 5G plans so that technology league. Europe is kept on top of the global 5G 27