Wireless consultancy Real Wireless says the UK is is likely to suffer a spectrum crunch in 2020 unless more bandwidth is made available for mobile and WiFi services. Around 300MHz more cellular spectrum and 350MHz more WiFi spectrum is required, according to the company.
These figures have been calculated with help from the Real Wireless CAPisce analysis tool, which evaluated current networks and the potential of 4G, WiFi and White Space technologies as well as potential new frequency bands.
Simon Saunders, Technology Director and co-founder of Real Wireless, said “Although new spectrum provided in the 4G auction has given some breathing space in meeting new demand growth, we will face a renewed spectrum crunch in around 2020 without further action. The challenge faced by governments and regulators is how best to manage this demand and ensure that consumers and other wireless users continue to see an improvement in their service, while ensuring other critical services still have access to the spectrum they need. We’ve recently upgraded our CAPisce tool and can now assess the costs and technical impact of shared spectrum, white space devices, small cells, Wi-Fi and the potential for 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz alongside existing bands. While we’ve conducted the analysis for the UK so far, these upgrades now allow us to tackle the challenges faced in any international market.”