Canada ranked on lowest tier for 5G readiness
WASHINGTON – China holds a narrow lead in overall 5G readiness ahead of South Korea and the United States, according to a new report commissioned by CTIA, a trade association representing the U.S. wireless communications industry.
Global Race to 5G – Spectrum and Infrastructure Plans and Priorities, conducted by Analysys Mason, ranked 10 countries (including Canada) between December 2017 and March 2018 on their 5G readiness by comparing proposed 5G spectrum and infrastructure policies as well the commercial industry plans.
The findings show China, South Korea, the United States and Japan as the lead competitors in that order, noting that China’s slim lead is due to a combination of both “proactive government policies and industry momentum”. The second tier consists of Germany, UK and France, while Canada was included on the third and lowest tier, with Singapore and Russia.
Other key findings from the report include:
– All major Chinese providers have committed to specific launch dates and the government has committed to at least 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum and 2,000 MHz of high-band spectrum for each wireless provider;
– Countries around the world are moving quickly to make spectrum available for 5G. This year alone, the U.K., Spain, and Italy are all holding 5G spectrum auctions;
– At the end of 2018, the U.S. will rank sixth out of the 10 countries in mid-band (3– 24GHz) spectrum availability, a critical band for 5G. The U.S. joins Canada and Russia as the only countries currently without announced plans to allocate mid-band spectrum on an exclusive basis to mobile by the end of 2020; and
– Countries like the U.K. and regions like the European Union are taking significant steps to modernize infrastructure rules to facilitate the deployment of 5G networks.
