The GSM Association (GSMA) is keeping up the pressure on India’s decision-making bodies to identify and support 6GHz band spectrum for 5G.

According to a letter to the Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, quoted by India’s Economic Times, the GSMA, which represents mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, said: « The 6GHz range is the primary mid-band spectrum to meet the needs for 5G expansion and its timely availability will drive cost-efficient network deployment, help lower the broadband usage gap and support digital inclusion. »

This is the GSMA’s second letter on the subject in three months. In addition, GSMA Director General Mats Granryd, during a visit to India last month, asked Vaishnaw to identify the 6425-7125MHz range frequencies for wireless services.

He’s not alone. In December the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)  recommend that the most optimal allocation for the country in the 6GHz band would be to identify the entire 5925-7125MHz spectrum in the 6GHz band for mobile applications 

Currently, part of the 6GHz band is used in India and other countries for satellite services and some representatives of the satellite industry are concerned about potential interference from terrestrial services.

The Wireless Planning and Coordination wing (WPC) of India’s Ministry of Communications last year formed a committee to draw up a strategy for identifying the 6GHz band for mobile services. WPC is the national radio regulatory authority responsible for frequency spectrum management, including licensing.

Given the size and influence of the Indian market, this issue will no doubt continue to generate headlines, not least because the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), at which the global use of radio frequencies will be reviewed and updated, is due to take place in Dubai at the end of this year.

The GSMA noted in a recent blog: “One of the measures of WRC-23’s success will be in its ability to secure 5G’s future in the identification of 6GHz spectrum. With it, the conference can deliver fast, affordable mobile broadband to all parts of the world, lower the usage gap and narrow the digital divide.”

Nor is satellite the only industry outside cellular competing to use 6GHz. Collaboration forum the Wi-Fi Alliance recently voiced its disappointment with the decision by Mexico’s Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) to open only the lower portion of the 6 GHz band for license-exempt applications such as Wi-Fi.

Some metro fiber, a new data center, a bit of network slicing, and some FTTH: … [visit site to read more]

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The Philippines smartphone market declined by 8.6% year-on-year as manufacturers shipped 16.3 million units in 2022, as consumer and vendor confidence was hit by macroeconomic conditions.

Q4 of 2022 registered a decline of 16.3% as vendors focused in the quarter on clearing out inventories instead of bringing in new shipments during the holiday season “due to unfavourable conditions”.

IDC Philippines senior market analyst Angela Medez said: “Both consumer and vendor confidence has been seriously dampened as inflation progressively soared throughout 2022 ending the year at a 14-year high.”

Chinese manufacturer Realme was the highest shipping company in 2022 after it launched several new smartphones for price-conscious consumers, but it saw a 5.9% decline to 3.72 million units, taking 22.8% market share.

Transsion, the parent of smartphone brands Tecno, Itel and Infinix, was the only top-five vendor to see growth with a year-on-year increase of 18.3% to 2.92 million – plus a market share of 17.9%. IDC noted the company launched more models in the price range of US$100 and above, as well as catering to entry-level device consumers.

Oppo suffered the greatest decline in the top five with a 12.3% decline to 2.3 million, Samsung was in fourth with 2.2 million units an 8.2% decline and finally, Xiaomi shipped 1.86 million in 2022, a 3.3% dip.

« Though inventory levels started to normalize towards the end of 2022, IDC is lowering its forecast for 2023 as vendors will remain cautious in their shipments amid the looming economic uncertainties and accelerating inflation, » Medez added.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Glenn Chagnot, Senior Director of Product Management, Cloud Solutions, Spirent

Communication service providers (CSPs) have big plans for 2023. 5G densification, virtualized radio networks, edge computing, private wireless, and more, it’s all on the table. But which projects look poised to make the biggest waves for telecom operators and their customers? … [visit site to read more]

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