The GSMA has reiterated calls for governments to prioritise making mid-band spectrum available for 5G, backing services using the frequencies to contribute $610 billion to global GDP by 2030 should sufficient allocations be available.
The mid-band spectrum, is the middle layer of the cake, that brings together the best of both worlds: long range for broad coverage, with high capacity and speed and the ability to penetrate walls. This is why mid-band has been called the “sweet spot” spectrum for 5G.
It is good news that the 3.5Ghz that NCC is offering the licensees is on the midband range.
The lofty prediction was made by the industry association in its Socio-economic benefits of mid-band 5G services report released on 23 February.
It forecast 5G spectrum in the mid-band range would drive a significant proportion of the $960 billion socio-economic value created by the latest network technology.
Among the areas the GSMA cited as having the greatest financial benefits are services including health and education, manufacturing and smart cities.
However, the GSMA warned $360 billion of the GDP growth expected to be fuelled by mid-band 5G could be lost if spectrum was constrained to levels currently available, noting as demand grows increased network congestion and deployment costs could “stifle” the technology.
It added network quality would suffer without sufficient spectrum, limiting 5G adoption and hampering its economic impact.
The report analyses the impact of various government spectrum policies on economic development strategies, which the organisation highlighted as a key area of its ministerial programme during MWC22 Barcelona, which runs from 28 February to 3 March.
