Given the significant growth in data traffic across operator networks, telecom industry stakeholders have been demanding more spectrum from the government. In an interview with tele.net, Veena Rawat, senior spectrum adviser, GSMA, and former chairman, World Radio Conference (WRC), and Nitin Sapra, spectrum and policy manager, GSMA, talk about the need for the government to allocate additional spectrum to support data traffic growth for 2020 and beyond…

What are your views on the high data traffic growth being witnessed in India?

Nitin Sapra

Data services in India have grown manifold in the recent past mainly due to the high proliferation of devices such as tablets, iPads and smartphones, which can be attributed to the rise in affordability. Growth in data services is very good for the Indian market and is essentially driving the need for more spectrum. Hence, the next priority for the industry is to get the second carrier for the 3G spectrum.

How important a factor is spectrum for offering better data services?

Nitin Sapra

Indian operators have been given a small quantum of spectrum as compared to other operators in the world. Currently, we are witnessing growth not only in data traffic but also in mobile broadband connections. We are forecasting broadband connections to reach 250 million by 2017 (both 3G and 4G) and more than 500 million by 2020. Therefore, the operators would need spectrum to cater to not only the traffic but also the new connections being added to the network.

Veena Rawat

Spectrum is the lifeline of wireless connectivity and therefore the right amount of spectrum is important. Long-term spectrum planning is done at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations organistion. The WRC, which will be held in Geneva in November 2015, has future spectrum needs on the agenda as significant growth is projected in mobile broadband traffic. The WRC makes spectrum available at either the global level or the regional level, thereby ensuring harmonisation, which is the key to achieve economies of scale.

The GSMA has focused on a number of frequency bands based on traffic growth, estimated spectrum needs and what bands are more suitable to meet these needs. On the one hand, there is need for the provision of network coverage in a cost-effective manner in order to serve rural areas; on the other, there is a demand for suitable spectrum, which will address very high capacity needs in dense areas. These requirements dictate the suitability of the spectrum.

We estimated that 600-800 MHz of new spectrum will be needed based on the traffic growth projections for 2020 and beyond. WRC 2015 is important because it usually takes 8-10 years to put spectrum into use or get it deployed following an international decision because a number of national decisions have to be taken, ranging from policy and regulations to equipment availability and ecosystem development.

The GSMA is focusing on four specific bands and looking to gain support from countries across the world. These are:

470-698 MHz: We consider this as a coverage band because it provides much larger coverage from the same tower. It is also synergistic with the 700 MHz band. So, if an operator falls short of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for serving in rural areas, it can opt for the 470-698 MHz band.

L-band (1427-1518 MHz): This is a low enough frequency band to provide coverage but has sufficient bandwidth to provide capacity. This band has been allocated globally, but its identification for mobile broadband at the ITU level is needed to create an opportunity for harmonisation. Then all countries globally look at that particular spectrum when they need to make it available in their own countries to offer broadband services.

2.7–2.9 GHz and C-band (3.4-4.2 GHz) are the two other bands. 

Many countries are using different spectrum bands for 4G services. In such a scenario, how can harmonisation be achieved?

Nitin Sapra

You cannot really say that one spectrum band will be for 4G services and the other for 3G. The 700 MHz band is coming up and becoming globally harmonised like the 2100 MHz. As the technology develops, the existing bands are moving towards 4G but you cannot identify one particular band as that for 4G or 5G.

Veena Rawat

Fundamentally, when there is a need to introduce a new technology, bands that do not require refarming are considered. The US has opted for the 700 MHz and 1700 MHz bands due to the availability of sufficient bandwidth.

Nitin Sapra

We also need to understand that a single spectrum band cannot cater to the kind of data growth being projected. Multiple bands will be needed to cater to that kind of data traffic in the next 5-10 years. Therefore, the GSMA is recommending these four bands to be made available, which would be sufficient to cater to the forecasted data traffic.

Veena Rawat

The conferences do not permit discussion on the same topic in two consecutive conferences. So, if there is no positive outcome from this conference on mobile broadband, this issue cannot be put on the agenda at the next conference, which would be in 2019.

Nitin Sapra

The government needs to take a decision now, otherwise this mobile broadband agenda will only come up for discussions after 2023 as it cannot be discussed in 2019. Assume that the governments do not support these bands in the upcoming WRC. In 2023, when they may need spectrum to cater to the growth, there would be no allocation for mobile broadband.

Veena Rawat

The GSMA is focusing on this spectrum for the long term. This is about planning and having flexibility. ITU will not decide a particular band for a given country or when and how much of that spectrum will be needed. But if the decision is not taken at the ITU level, the governments will not be prepared. This will affect the ability to deliver mobile services including e-governance to citizens. Moreover, it will not be possible to have smart cities without having mobile broadband connectivity.

Nitin Sapra

Other countries are looking to India to take the lead. If the government supports the GSMA proposed bands, imagine the kind of manufacturing it will bring into the country for “Make in India”. After five to seven years, equipment will start being manufactured in India for these particular bands.

Which of the proposed GSMA bands is the most efficient for data services?

Veena Rawat

They all are, and it depends on the requirement. The sub-700 band can be used for coverage. If the operators are looking to serve high density areas, then C-band would be suitable. L-band can provide both coverage and capacity.

Nitin Sapra

It works very well for a market like India to have a mix of coverage and capacity. Big geographical areas and rural areas can be covered by the sub-700 MHz band and all the big cities can be served by high frequency bands.

How can solutions like carrier aggregation and Wi-Fi offloading be leveraged for optimising data traffic?

Nitin Sapra

First of all, these technologies should be left to market forces. Operators are the best judge of how to take care of the data traffic. In fact, many operators are already using these technologies. However, solutions such as Wi-Fi offloading are not long-term solutions and may be applicable for a few spots only. For instance, the entire state of Delhi cannot be served by Wi-Fi offloading. These technologies still cannot replace the requirement for new spectrum.

Veena Rawat

Operators will continue to undertake Wi-Fi offloading wherever it makes sense. However, when you are looking for high data growth in a high mobility environment, Wi-Fi cannot be the solution.

What are your views on the recently cleared spectrum sharing guidelines?

Nitin Sapra

The GSMA believes that spectrum sharing increases the efficient use of spectrum and results in optimisation. However, spectrum sharing cannot act as a substitute for the allocation of fresh spectrum. We expect the government to soon release spectrum trading guidelines as well, so that operators can take a call accordingly. Spectrum sharing could be a short-term solution but overall, the industry is looking forward to the next round of spectrum auction as well as spectrum trading guidelines.

What are your expectations from the Indian government?

Veena Rawat

We need the support of the government for the four proposed spectrum bands. We are looking for its influence and leadership at the conference. We want to convince it of the importance of the decisions, the implications of not missing the opportunity and how this is not a zero sum game. There are other stakeholders and it is the regulator’s job, going forward, to decide when and how the spectrum should be made available and for what applications. But they may not be able to make that decision without having a global decision at the ITU level. The GSMA will support them in providing the right arguments so that they can influence other regulators in the region as well as globally.

Nitin Sapra

Hundreds of millions of more connections are likely to be added. Although the currently available spectrum is sufficient to cater to the existing consumers, we will need these bands after 2020.