The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has identified 23 countries that have auctioned or allocated C-band spectrum for mobile broadband.
C-band refers to spectrum in the 3300 to 4200 MHz frequency range offering an optimal balance between coverage and capacity. 5G applications suited to C-band spectrum support include Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Ultra High Definition (UHD) video, smart home, smart manufacturing, health care and drones. The 3300-4200 MHz band will also provide both mobile connectivity “on the go” and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for domestic and business applications.
GSA 5G Spectrum Auction Tracker, just announced, reveals that Italian operators have paid the most per MHz per head of population for C-band spectrum in recent auctions – more than double the $/MHz/Population final payment value of recent auctions in Germany and the UK. The prices paid for the C-band spectrum have varied widely, with the amount operators are prepared to spend in each market being influenced factors such as competition, spectrum licensing terms, existing spectrum holdings and the amount spent by mobile customers in the country concerned.
The GSA 5G Spectrum Auction Tracker is a new information database from GSA and is available to all GSA members. Coming in Q1 2020, it will be integrated into the GSA Analyzer for Mobile Broadband Devices (GAMBoD) database, which is a unique search and analysis tool that has been developed by GSA to enable searches of LTE and 5G devices and new global data on Mobile Broadband Networks, Technologies and Spectrum (NTS). The new 5G Spectrum Auction Tracker database contains details about spectrum auction and allocation trends, including data about the prices of spectrum sold at auction or allocated to operators through administrative proceedings.
GAMBoD is a resource dedicated to promoting the success and growth of the Mobile Broadband (MBB) industry and ecosystem and is fully available to all employees of GSA Executive and Ordinary Member companies and GSA Associates who subscribe to the service.
The GSA C-Band Auction Snapshot containing summary statistics can be downloaded at no charge at this direct link... .
The first 23 countries to auction or allocate C-band spectrum for 5G include Australia, Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, and the UK.
Joe Barrett, President, GSA, said that the C-band spectrum has historically been made available around the world for fixed wireless services using legacy technologies, or has been allocated for satellite or government/military use. While a few countries have made portions of C-band spectrum available for LTE, with the advent of 5G access to C-band spectrum is being opened up to support mobile broadband services, often specifically including 5G. The momentum behind 5G spectrum, networks and devices gathered pace throughout 2019 and will accelerate further in 2020 – and the GSA’s new 5G Spectrum Auction Tracker database is the go-to industry resource for anyone who wants to understand the very latest both global and local status.