26 GHz band critical for early 5G adoption, telecoms say

The 26 GHz band will be one of the most critical and earliest-adopted bands for 5G services, telecoms said in reply to an Innovation Canada consultation on millimetre (mmWave) wave spectrum, but there’s disagreement about when exactly the government should move to auction it. The consultation, launched in June, is part of a larger endeavour ISED has taken to eventually auction off mmWave spectrum frequencies for fixed, fixed-satellite and mobile service use. The comments, released Monday, address the addition of the 26 GHz frequency band — constituting 26.5 to 27.5 GHz — into the existing mmWave consultation looking into the 28, 37-40 and 64-71 GHz frequencies. The telecoms said that making the 26 GHz frequency readily available will be critical, and auctioning that spectrum along with the 28 GHz frequency will deliver increased benefits for 5G deployment. “The combined 26 GHz and 28 GHz band is to become the most critical flexible use mmWave launch band given its propagation characteristics and expected early global adoption as supported by 3GPP,” Telus Corp. said in its submission. “The band...received TELUS’ highest assigned priority by virtue of its inclusion in the list of mmWave bands addressed in WRC-19 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2019),” the company added. In fact, Rogers Communications Inc. said in its own reply that the 26 GHz band, together with the 28 GHz, will be “among the first bands used for 5th generation services.” The importance of that spectrum for 5G was highlighted by all telecoms who replied to the consultation. It follows similar sentiments to ISED’s consultation on the 3.5 GHz, which the telecoms said is critical for the evolution of 5G. ISED announced at a conference last month that the 3.5 GHz spectrum auction would occur in 2020. But the urgency for which the telecoms are calling for the release of the 28 GHz frequency has also been the deviating factor in replies which are largely in agreement. “We recommend that the Department make the 26 GHz band available prior to the World Radio Conference 2019 (WRC-19) to enable service providers to begin rolling out 5G networks and introduce advanced applications and services to Canadians as soon as possible,” BCE Inc. said in its submission. The 26 GHz band is not available in the United States, but Bell said ISED should still make it available in Canada as soon as possible and ahead of the U.S. if necessary. It said the U.S. will eventually adopt it, which will eventually make harmonization — meaning it can be used by devices from other markets available — possible. Cogeco Inc. said in its submission that it anticipates the 26 GHz will be a key band for 5G services in Europe and that means a “good equipment ecosystem should therefore develop quickly after it is formally identified as a global band for 5G at WRC-19.” Because both bands will be used for similar services, Cogeco said they should be released at the same time to allow operators to “gain a foothold in the market as early as possible.” But Telus, despite its comments about how critical the spectrum is on the mmWave scale, said it perhaps “should be auctioned as soon as possible after the 3.5 GHz auction,” with the 37-40 GHz band auctions coming in at the same time. “Any delay in either auction will put Canada and Canadians at a disadvantage on the global stage,” Telus said. The replies also recommended a flexible use model for the band, which means it would be used for both fixed and mobile use purposes, and that contiguous blocks of spectrum in the amount of 1.85 GHz from 26 to 28 GHz should be auctioned off at the same time. If that method is adopted, it would “lead to greater overall efficiency and flexibility during licensing and deployment,” Shaw Communications Inc. said, adding the bands have the potential to allow for global roaming. “The Department would have the flexibility to licence the spectrum in several larger spectrum blocks, potentially enabling new use cases that require ultra-fast fixed and mobile broadband applications, while also balancing the need for new competitors to access the spectrum,” Shaw added. — With reporting by Ahmad Hathout at ahathout@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

26 GHz band critical for early 5G adoption, telecoms say

News | July 10, 2018

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