According to a new report from think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, national and local policymakers should support the development of 5G wireless networks mainly by ensuring new spectrum is available and by streamlining deployment of physical infrastructure. ITIF stresses that a strong focus on making spectrum available for 5G mobile broadband is a better move than attempting to control the standards setting process, and also points out that local-level policymaker support of deployments will prove key.
“5G means wildly increased capacity for broadband, enabling ultra-high-definition streaming and augmented reality, but also far more numerous and less costly connections to support the growth of the Internet of Things. But policymaker support to streamline deployment at the local level will be key to seeing it truly flourish,” Doug Brake, ITIF’s telecommunications policy analyst and the report’s author, says.
ITIF is recommending that national policymakers should focus on bringing high-band millimeter wave spectrum to market, rather than trying to control the standards setting process.
“Here, the Federal Communications Commission is setting a good example, working to get high-band spectrum into the hands of innovators,” ITIF says in a statement.
The report also calls for streamlined infrastructure deployment at the local level, and ITIF says municipalities should view 5G deployments as a cooperative effort.
“A confluence of technologies will enable an adaptable 5G network that can support exciting new applications,” Brake notes. “But deployment of such a network will be limited by economic realities. Policymakers on every level of the government should aim to make infrastructure deployment as efficient as possible to see the flourishing of 5G networks.”
Filed Under: Wireless • 5G and more, Industry regulations