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back to article Blighty watchdog Ofcom has a butcher's hook, clocks spectrum for 5G

Ofcom has identified the spectrum bands in the UK for the much-hyped use of 5G, ahead of the yet-to-be-determined international standards for 5G. The first wave of commercial products is expected to be available in 2020. However, initial pre-commercial deployments are already expected to start from 2018. The Update on 5G …

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  1. Mage Silver badge
    Flame

    Ofcom has identified

    Ofcom has identified a way to raise revenue selling spectrum licences.

    It's not really anything to do with 5G

    Also above 2.6GHz is really only femto cells and the cells are too big and ill-defined at 700MHz for decent speed/capacity. It's basic physics, the *G standard is irrelevant. The 5G can't magic decent mobile above 3GHz or capacity below 900MHz.

    Build more masts and have smaller cells between 900MHz and 3GHz.

    Set sensible licence conditions on coverage and capacity/speed to force the investment, otherwise ROI (Customer revenue vs number of masts) means it won't happen.

    Have a single wholesale RAN for ALL mobile. Splitting spectrum between operators at LEAST results in loss of half capacity, or more, statistically, as at a cherry picked urban location one operator's mast sector could be oversubscribed while the others sit idle.

    The problem is that regulators are no interested in efficiency or the consumer, but raising revenue. VAT serves that purpose better.

    Ofcom's proposal is worthless, short term greed.

    5 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ofcom has identified

      Agree, it would be far better to virtualise the spectrum allocation, have a per call, spectrum allocation set up fee, i.e. per call licensing, because operators are bound to set up phantom calls/data, just to fill out their available spectrum otherwise.

      The other way, is to look to at the previous years allocation and allow underused spectrum to be taken back, allocated to other operators on a year by year basis (assuming they don't abuse the system ) Doing this on a per mast basis though doesn't sound as simple or beneficial to the taxpayer, as lump sum payments.

      The interesting idea with this is you could allow 'set up fee credits' to pay operators each time a rural mast is used, to aid rural rollout.

      5G as said before, will utilise cloud processing of RF signals, rather than on site line cards as much as possible, so there is a lot more you could do regards spectrum allocation , than large upfront licence auctions.

      Ofcom need to move with the times.

      0 0 Reply
    2. Commswonk
      Reply Icon

      Re: Ofcom has identified

      Also above 2.6GHz is really only femto cells...

      Has anyone done any decent research to detemine the effectiveness of trying to use frequencies that need "G" as a multiplier? Even allowing for the use of femto - cells building penetration is going to be a problem, along with the fact that as frequency increases refraction & reflection losses increase markedly along with increased attenuation by anything in the path. SHF is not known for being "line of sight" without good reason.

      I would also expect that making a transmitter that can develop "useful" levels of power in a cellphone will also result in increased current consumption from the battery, with a corresponding reduction in useful battery life between charges.

      0 0 Reply
  2. Slx

    Brexit Imperial Wavelength of 16.89inches

    Well, now that you're going it alone you can skip ETCI standards and go for good old Imperial Britianna Standards. So how about Generation V broadband on 16,89 inches.

    1 1 Reply
    1. Andy The Hat Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Brexit Imperial Wavelength of 16.89inches

      16inches? You're boasting again ... :-)

      0 0 Reply
    2. richardcox13
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: Brexit Imperial Wavelength of 16.89inches

      > 16,89 inches

      I think you mean 16.89: no foreign decimal points here!

      0 0 Reply
      1. Kay Burley ate my hamster
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        Re: Brexit Imperial Wavelength of 16.89inches

        Shirley it should be 16 inches and 89 one hundredths of an inch?

        0 0 Reply
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Re: Brexit Imperial Wavelength of 16.89inches

      But doesn't the United States use inches? You must mean 0.085 perches, surely.

      Although I expect we'll be getting North America back along with the rest of the Empire, once Brexit has happened.

      0 0 Reply
  3. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    It's better

    5G *must* be better than 4G because ... it's 5 not 4!

    I can't get 4G as there's a blade of grass between me and the mast so 5G will improve my service no end ... won't it?

    3 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's better

      but this one goes up to 11

      1 0 Reply
  4. Detective Emil

    Factoid?

    “… it would be far better to address patchy 4G, with the UK having recently been found to have worse coverage than Albania.”

    Credible citation required. Although this claim comes from OpenSignal, its 4G coverage maps for the UK and Albania make one wonder how it can be true. I can only conclude that those in Albania who have the OpenSignal app on their phones, and who can apparently pick up a 4G signal more consistently than their UK counterparts, don't leave the cities and major roads much.

    (I heard an interview by the BBC's Radio 4 Today with a person in Albania about this story when it broke. It sounded as though they were talking over a low data-rate 2G connection…)

    2 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Factoid?

      We're currrently in Wales, between everyone here: O2 and Vodafone are both 2G, EE is 4G, three is 3G. None are much good indoors 1-2 bars, given the Slate buildings/stone buildings we're in. It seems none can sustain an unbuffered YouTube stream indoors. We'd all use the App but it would probably skew the figures even more.

      The Albania quote sounds about right regards Mobile for Wales at least, and given my experience of Scotland (outside Edinburgh and Glasgow) pretty similar there too.

      3 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Factoid?

        I wonder if there's a niche for a new MNO, targeting customers who like to frequent stone buildings in the middle of nowhere while watching Youtube videos ( but not using wifi )?

        0 1 Reply
        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: new MNO

          CottageCom?

          Of course they would be uploading to Youtube...

          I'll get my coat.

          0 0 Reply
  5. caffeine addict

    [ insert obligatory "I can't even get decent 2G coverage 5 miles from a major British city" comment ]

    0 0 Reply
    1. ArrZarr Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      I can't even get consistent 2G coverage sitting at my computer IN a major British city.

      1 0 Reply
  6. Zmodem

    90% of the uk still needs to get a 4G phone

    1 0 Reply

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