Out-Law News 1 min. read
17 May 2016, 5:31 pm
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has opened an eight week consultation seeking industry views on "the infrastructure requirements for the deployment and development of 5G in the UK".
In March UK chancellor George Osborne set out his ambition for the UK to become a "world leader" in '5G' mobile wireless communications. Osborne said the government will "deliver a 5G strategy in 2017" and, as part of the lead up to that strategy, asked the NIC to carry out "an assessment of how the UK can become a world leader in 5G deployment, and how it can take early advantage of the potential benefits of 5G services".
The government said its 5G strategy will be informed by the recommendations made by the NIC, which are expected to be outlined before the end of the year.
In its consultation paper the NIC said that the rise of 5G technology is "widely predicted to mark a step change in digital communications". It said 5G is expected to "provide fast connectivity and the perception of virtually ubiquitous broadband capacity, not only to individual users but also to connected objects (the ‘internet of things’)".
What constitutes 5G connectivity has still to be defined through technical standardisation but the NIC said its introduction is likely to spur a major spike in UK internet traffic, creating "a capacity challenge for networks driven by the demands of a range of emerging applications. many not yet conceived".
The NIC has asked industry to help pinpoint the possible and most plausible "use cases" for 5G technology as well as the "regulatory, planning and other key challenges" that need to be overcome for 5G telecommunications networks to be established across the country.
Further issues industry have been asked to provide views on include the scope for collaboration in enabling 5G deployment, whether current spectrum management policies are "well placed to support future 5G technologies" and how much companies estimate it will cost to deliver 5G networks in the UK.
"It is important for the Commission to understand the benefits that 5G mobile technology can deliver and the advantage for the UK of being at the vanguard of deployment," the NIC said. "The Commission also wants to understand the challenges the UK will face in deploying the infrastructure needed for 5G roll out."
The NIC consultation is open until 11 July.