Samena Telecommunications Council is backing the need for allocating additional mobile spectrum to telecom operators in the region at the ongoing 19th ASMG (Arab Spectrum Management Group) taking place in Doha, Qatar.

At this meeting, senior officials from the Arab region are contributing to crucial discussions centred on allocation of mobile spectrum in the region, in preparation for the ITU WRC-15 conference later this year.

Industry trends and Samena Council's own findings, especially with respect to the adoption of digital services and applications in the region, point to a clear indication that mobile services throughout and beyond the Samena region are undergoing rapid growth, causing telecommunications networks to experience unprecedented device connections, which result in high data traffic.

This is generating a need for access to more airways among telecommunications operators and highlights the essential nature of efficient spectrum allocation and spectrum harmonization for the future success of global mobile services.

Samena Council anticipates that the discussions at ASMG's regional meeting will drive consensus around the spectrum issue ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) in November in Geneva.

Samena Council's CEO, Bocar BA, said: “With massive growth being experienced in mobile data, the need for additional spectrum, dedicated specifically to International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT), has become severe. Additional spectrum is a mission-critical business requirement that telecom operators simply cannot afford to keep unfulfilled, as both private and public sectors work extensively to bring benefits of advanced connectivity to their people."

“In many countries, current availability of spectrum may appear to be sufficient for meeting short-to-medium term requirements posed by the increasing connectivity of mobile devices and data flows.

“As a result, this may not prompt immediate attention from policy-makers to revisit spectral efficiency needs and current frequency allocations, but at the speed in which the industry is transforming along with the challenges to the networks in terms of consumer data consumption, the inevitability of allocating more spectrum to operators will soon become more evident. Samena Council simply wants to ensure that this agenda of spectrum allocation is set forth in the policy-makers' mind sooner rather than later,” he added.

“In the best interests of consumers and service providers, bands such as Sub 700MHz UHF Band, L-Band, 2.7GHz - 2.9GHz, and C-Band offer the best combination of coverage and capacity, both of which are required to ensure that mobile networks are capable of providing cost-effective, high-speed services in both rural and urban areas,” Bocar noted.

“Moreover, with the emergence of a new marketplace, driven by Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies, considerations for more harmonized licensed spectrum at affordable prices must be recognized and applied promptly. Samena Council also recognizes that the possibilities of cross-interference in some frequency bands do exist, and thus the decision-making process on spectrum allocation must also focus on this aspect and set harmonization as a top priority."

Samena Telecommunications Council is South Asia - Middle East - North Africa (Samena) region’s sole operator-driven industry association that represents telecommunications service providers from around the region, and beyond. – TradeArabia News Service