The 4th CIS & CEE Spectrum Management Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed all aspects of life, including radio spectrum policy. Governments, regulators and industry representatives have all been adapting and innovating in order to meet the challenge of keeping citizens connected during a time of unprecedented demand for connectivity and broadband access. This session will look at some of the measures that have been taken, and at how countries across the CIS region and beyond have departed from their standard spectrum policies to deliver the capacity to keep citizens, societies and businesses connected.

• How did usage across networks rise during the crisis and what impact was seen for the various connectivity providers and stakeholders?
• What response to this was seen by regulators and industry representatives across different countries, and what spectrum management tools and techniques were utilised as part of this?
• What was learnt about the best ways to put under-utilised spectrum to use in times of crisis and the potential opportunities to rearrange access to it?
• Which approaches worked best, and which were less successful? What lessons can be taken from the communication sector’s response to the crisis?
• Did emergency services ultimately have access to sufficient spectrum to facilitate their response to this global crisis? Was anything learnt about the best way to deliver the reliable, robust connectivity that is required?

WRC-19 took place in Egypt just over a year ago, delivering key decisions and directions on spectrum policy for the next four years and beyond. Now that the dust has settled, the general consensus from most stakeholders seems to be that overall a fair balance was reached. In the 12 months that have followed, focus has shifted to the implementation of key outcomes, and also towards the early planning and studies for WRC-23. This session will look at the work that has been done in these areas to date, and the path ahead.

• What new bands were identified for IMT at WRC-19 and what progress has been made to date to plan for the clearance and re-allocation of these bands?
• What are the next steps and how can it be ensured that the available spectrum is made available as quickly and efficiently as possible?
• What are the key agenda items and bands to be discussed at WRC-23, and what are the next steps in the build-up to this?
• With much of WRC-19 focussing on IMT2020/5G ‘capacity’ bands, what now needs to be done to ensure that sufficient spectrum is available to deliver IMT2020/5G coverage?
• The 6GHz band is set to be one of the key topics for discussion in the lead-up to WRC-23. Where does the balance between licenced and licence-exempt use in this band?
• Will we still be talking about ‘spectrum for 5G’ when we reach 2023, or will the focus have switched to B5G or 6G?

As we saw in the last session, one of the key focusses at WRC-19 was to identify additional spectrum for IMT in the mmWave bands. No awards in these bands have taken place across CIS countries to date, but this This session will now take the opportunity to look at this emerging mmWave ecosystem in a little more detail.

• How much mmWave spectrum was allocated for IMT at WRC-19 and what will this do to the future mmWave landscape? To what extent has this changed plans within mmWave bands both in CIS and elsewhere around the world?
• Which mmWave frequencies are emerging as the key bands for IMT2020/5G? What strategies are emerging in the CIS region and in neighbouring countries?
• What is the likely demand for mmWave spectrum for IMT2020/5G across CIS countries both in the short term and longer term future? How can the balance be met between this and also meeting the needs of incumbent users in the bands?

In much of Europe and Asia, large chunks of C-band spectrum in the 3.4 GHz–3.8 GHz band has designated for IMT. Across the CIS region however, this approach is problematic, with the C-band used extensively for fixed satellite service including distribution of DTV to regional TV stations. This had let to regulators exploring alternative options in order to identify the required mid-range bandwidth for IMT. This session will look at the shape of spectrum usage across the entire mid-band range and explore where the bandwidth to meet the needs of mobile broadband and all other key users can be met.

• How much spectrum (if any) could realistically be made available for IMT in the C-band across CIS countries?
• How much mid-range bandwidth is going to be needed to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband?
• What other options exist to find the required mid-band spectrum to meet future requirements for mobile broadband?
• Could bands such as 4.4-5GHz, 4.8 – 4.9GHz, 6GHz, 2.3GHz or 2.6GHz be options across the region?
• How can it be ensured that the requirements of satellite and other incumbent users of mid-band spectrum are fully taken care of?
• How important is it that as co-ordinated approach to mid band allocation is taken both across the region and also with neighbouring countries?

A continuing challenge for regulators across the CIS and CEE region is to deliver connectivity to rural areas and to close the digital divide. There is not a one size fits all solution for this, and a mix of innovative approaches and different technologies is needed to deliver the affordable and efficient rural connectivity that is required. This session will look at some of the different approaches being put forward. It will look at the importance of low frequency spectrum bands (such as the 600, 700 & 800Mhz bands) in providing the required coverage spectrum for mobile broadband, and at how the needs of other users in these important frequencies (for example broadcasters) can also be met. Ultimately, it will look at the mix of key technologies spectrum bands that are required in order to break down the digital divide.

• What different technology and policy options are being put forward to help deliver low cost and sustainable connectivity to rural areas?
• How can Governments, regulators ensure that they are truly understanding the connectivity requirements of these rural communities, and then work with the private sector to meet these?
• What is the current landscape below 1GHz in the region such as the 600, 700 & 800Mhz bands), and how much spectrum in this band is needed by mobile in order to deliver the coverage that is required?
• How can it be ensured that the requirements of all users (for example broadcasters) in these bands are being met?
• How are technology companies, connectivity providers and other key stakeholders collaborating to help deliver connectivity in rural areas?
• What role can unlicensed technologies play in the solution?

With the emergence of IMT2020/5G, future connectivity networks are going to look fundamentally different to the network infrastructure that is seen across CIS and CEE countries today. As well as allowing for faster speeds, greater capacity and low latency, IMT2020/5G networks are going to have to be agile and flexible, and most likely able to adapt to applications that haven’t even been envisaged yet. With many regulators across the region now starting to prepare for commercial deployment in the not too distant future, this session will look at the challenges that still need to be overcome in order to deliver this, and to ensure that our networks are truly ready to handle IMT2020/5G.

• What are the main challenges that still remain for operators looking to deploy a IMT2020/5G network in both urban and rural areas?
• What work is beginning at both a regional and national level to smooth the path to IMT2020/5G deployment and introducing policies that enable the easy roll out of networks?
• To what extent can approaches seen in other regions be used as a template for CIS and CEE countries looking to reduce costs and red tape involved in deployment?
• What is the current situation across CIS countries regarding the licencing regime for small cells and base stations and how conducive is this to easy roll-out of IMT2020/5G networks?
• What challenges do current EMF limits across the region pose for IMT2020/5G deployment, and how can a solution be found that safeguards the general public without slowing down IMT2020/5G deployment?
• As the volume of data increases, which areas in future end-to-end IMT2020/5G networks offer the greatest risk of becoming potential ‘bottlenecks’, and how can network operators plan now to avoid these appearing?
• What challenges are faced when developing backhaul networks for IMT2020/5G and how can these be overcome?

Spectrum sharing and coexistence of different technologies within a spectrum band are seen as a key regulatory tool for regulators and stakeholders around the world to increase spectrum efficiency. Different approaches are being put forward, but at the heart of these needs to be the principle of protection, and insuring the avoidance of interference. This session will look at some of the latest proposals, techniques and technologies that are being put forward to deliver this, and at the best way forward to ensure a regulatory framework that encourages spectrum sharing and provides protection for all users.

Led by Albert Nalbandian, this session will provide an opportunity for final discussions on the key issues that have been raised during the conference. Members of the audience will be able to bring their audio and video feed live. The aim will be to gain consensus on summaries, outcomes and conclusions from the event.

With the involvement of all key stakeholders and all audience members