No. 488: Flexibilization of frequency regulation and the frequency plan
Summary
The trend toward digitization in society, the economy and public institutions in Germany is accompanied by an increasing demand for high-performance radio services for a wide range of digital applications from different user groups. If frequencies were to be assigned exclusively in silos for specific frequency uses only (a prevailing paradigm in frequency assignment to date), this would result in a shortage of frequencies and frequency assignment conflicts. Stakeholders could be left with nothing.
5G is a radio technology that supports a variety of digital radio services. Such digital radio services are: digital wireless services to enable Autonomous Driving, digital wireless services to enable Smart Farming, digital wireless PPDR services, digital operational and trunked radio services, wireless digital PMSE services, digital wireless military services and last but not least mobile services in mass markets. Usage and assignment conflicts could be resolved by spectrum sharing if spectrum regulation is designed in a flexible way. An operator model or radio platforms for different digital radio services would thus become possible. Discarding the classic paradigm of individual networks for specific digital radio services and individual allocation for services of frequencies that can be used for this purpose in the frequency plan could avoid frequency assignment conflicts. Scarce resources could thus be used even better.
