Global Regulators Embrace Spectrum Sharing, Though Questions Remain

Regulators all over face the same challenge -- data demands are increasing while spectrum remains a “finite resource,” said Hasan Mohamed Ali, director of the Spectrum Directorate at the Bahrain Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). The organization sees flexible regulations as critical to getting the most out of the airwaves, he said. “All regulators believe that having more efficient use [of spectrum] will help the industry.”

Sharing “will enhance the efficiency of spectrum usage,” Ali said. The TRA introduced “regulatory sandbox and innovation” licenses, which allow for testing of wireless technologies, he noted, adding that the TRA is also developing guidelines for private networks and updating its policy for fixed links. In addition, it's examining better tools for monitoring spectrum use and interference.

Better sharing will lead to more affordable access to spectrum and greater innovation, said Dynamic Spectrum Alliance President Martha Suarez. Her group supports a balance between licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum, she said. For the ITU’s International Mobile Telecommunications-2030 initiative to be successful, Suarez said it can’t just focus on licensed spectrum.

“We have seen a long evolution. It’s a long path,” with sharing starting in the TV white spaces in the U.S. and U.K., Suarez said. The launch of sharing in the citizens broadband radio service band and in 6 GHz advanced the technology, and there are a number of bands seen as candidates for shared access, she said. There are more than 400,000 CBRS base stations deployed in the U.S., which shows that the band has been a success, she added.

Fatima Karim, Huawei director-spectrum regulation policy, said every new generation of wireless starts with a focus on making spectrum use more efficient. “5G came with spectral efficiency,” and advancements “have improved it and will continue to improve it.” The 3rd Generation Partnership Project released its latest 6G study item last month, and one of its objectives “is to have improved spectral efficiency compared to existing technologies,” she said.

Whether sharing will work, and whether static or dynamic sharing is more appropriate, is “band- and technology-specific,” Karim said. To find the answers, we need “deep sharing studies, done in a transparent environment like ITU.” She stressed that sharing works best when done on an internationally harmonized basis.

The MENA region has adopted technologies in a way that was “very fast and very successful,” Karim said. She urged regulators to keep spectrum rules as simple as possible. “Complexity introduces uncertainty,” and “uncertainty is not … compatible with predictable quality of service.” If you build a highway, you don’t want to allow bicycles and pedestrians in addition to cars and trucks, she said. “That would not be an efficient use of that highway.”

Nada Abdelhafez, who leads Shure's spectrum and regulatory affairs, said the company's wireless microphones are good neighbors, but the need for program making and special events (PMSE) spectrum is growing. “We have been sharing spectrum in different bands across different incumbents,” she said. “We need to look at new sharing methods to efficiently use the spectrum.”

The main PMSE band is 470-694 MHz, the UHF band, Abdelhafez said. “We have been successfully sharing this band with the broadcasters for the last six decades.” PMSE also shares 960-964 and 1350-1400 MHz in some countries, she said.