Tanzania’s recent 3.6 GHz spectrum auction marks a major step toward 5G, but its design choices raise important questions about efficiency and fairness. Coleago’s latest white paper reviews the TCRA auction and shares key lessons for regulators and operators shaping future 5G spectrum awards.
In May this year, Coleago published a report prepared for the UK Spectrum Policy Forum which provides a technical and strategic assessment of future options for use of the UHF band (470–694 MHz) in the United Kingdom beyond 2034.
For years, European policymakers and telecom operators have touted the impressive figure: “89% 5G coverage of populated areas.” On paper, this paints a picture of near-ubiquitous, high-speed connectivity. Scratch the surface however, and the reality looks quite different.
Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft are poised to revolutionise urban mobility, with commercial operations expected to begin as early as 2025 and significant growth anticipated by the 2030s.
Coleago Consulting in collaboration with its client, the UK Spectrum Policy Forum, has released a landmark report, “Future of the UHF Band After 2034,” setting out a detailed assessment of the United Kingdom’s Ultra High Frequency (UHF) spectrum landscape. The report looks at the industry trends and the critical trade-offs required to balance the needs of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Mobile Communications, and Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE).
At the European 5G conference, Stefan Zehle highlighted that differences in mobile data usage across countries result from variations in price and network availability. While European policymakers celebrate 89% 5G coverage, gaps in both outdoor and indoor connectivity limit usage. William Webb’s prediction that data traffic will plateau at 20 GB per user per month by 2027 seems unlikely, given that top users already exceed 100 GB. To fully realise 5G’s potential, policymakers must address these coverage issues in a cost-effective manner.
In his book The End of Telecoms History, William Webb uses extrapolation of mobile data usage growth curves to claim that mobile data user requirements are nearly met
and that we have all we need
. He predicts mobile data usage to plateau at around 15-20 Gbytes/user/month
. Webb claims that no further investment in 5G capacity is needed and that the only remaining problem is ubiquity, notably in-building coverage. This article provides evidence that, while the author makes some good points, his analysis with regards to mobile data usage is flawed and hence the conclusions he draws are quite wrong.
Sudan’s 2023 multi-band spectrum auction offers important lessons for regulators on reserve pricing, rule design and bidder preparation. Coleago provides an insider’s perspective on what worked, what did not, and how future awards can be improved.