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The mobile world has spent the past 7 years finding solutions to the capacity crunch. A range of new technology and spectrum bands are on their way. The new intellectual challenge for the next 7 years will be a “coverage crunch”. It has become a three layered problem. There is the basic layer of simply getting a signal. This has been getting worse in recent times. A new layer of the coverage problem is the “coverage of capacity”. The third layer is the “coverage of dependable connectivity”and reflect how our digital life has become more essential. It is now time for the mobile community to resolve to find solutions for the coming “coverage crunch” with the same energy that they have been successfully applying to the “capacity crunch”.
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How did a single digital photograph trigger an exponential chain reaction that led within days to an identical largely irrational response from millions of people? And what political world is emerging where government policies can be changed in days under the impact of such a high velocity wave of public opinion? Have we created a digital eco-system with the potential to not only create gyrations in government policies but even tear whole regions apart?
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The review by the Competition and Markets Authority of BT’s proposed take-over of EE has brought clamors from rivals for the break-up of BT. Ofcom has said publicly that this as one of the options in their review of the telecoms market. Here’s the argument why enforcing the break-up BT is the wrong answer.
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The mobile world is rapidly painting itself into a corner that 5G is about 10 GB/s data speeds using mmWave technology, massive MiMo and beam steering. To self-limit 5G to a dense urban nomadic story and based on a technology that may not be ready for mass global commercialisation by 2020 is a tactical mistake. We need to re-write the 5G script as a revolution in evolutionary instalments. The most pressing task for the 5G “thought leaders” is how best to remove the road-blocks in the way of the other installments.
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“Everywhere” is a word that appears in a number of 5G visions. Yet the focus of attention appears to be mainly on massive data rates and huge capacity coupled with the use of milli-metre (mm) wave spectrum bands. By default 5G is being steered towards a dense-urban story. It would be a great pity if the benefits of a generation change of cellular technology stopped at the City limits.
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The expression “it takes two to tango” definitely applies to getting 5G from visions to standardisation. So far the mobile network systems vendors have been dancing largely on their own. The publication of the NGMN White Paper on 5G heralds the arrival of the mobile operators onto the dance floor. One of the most important engagements between suppliers and customers of next generation mobile networks has begun.
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The US FCC has moved decisively in favour of Net Neutrality for the fixed broadband access networks.The popular clamour for net neutrality is driven by an assumption that traffic “discrimination” is a negative thing. But the right sort of “net discrimination” is essential to achieve a far superior goal of a predictable “Quality of Experience”.
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There is a note of triumphalism in the FCC announcement that they raised $44.9bn from their auction of 65 MHz of radio spectrum in the 1695-2180 MHz range. Do these prices fairly reflect future revenues from the use of this spectrum? Or are we seeing echoes of the infamous 3G auctions?
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