Russian Digital Development Ministry considering technological neutrality of LTE frequencies for 5G, changes to auction possible
MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax) - The Russian Digital Development Ministry is discussing the possibility of using LTE frequencies for fifth-generation mobile networks on the principle of technological neutrality, and allows for corresponding changes to the upcoming auction for 5G frequencies, Deputy Digital Development Minister Dmitry Ugnivenko said.
Technological neutrality provides for the possibility of using radio frequencies allocated for one technology for the development of others.
"We hear the market regarding the possibility of technological neutrality of LTE frequencies [in the interests of 5G]. We are thinking about this directly. As I said, some changes in the auctions may appear. And possibly, it will be the technological neutrality of LTE, if we manage to obtain all the necessary approvals, including from the security departments," Ugnivenko said on Friday at the Telecom: Reload conference, organized by Comnews.
Most likely, LTE technological neutrality will be available only to operators who win the 5G auction, he said.
In Russia, an auction for the distribution of frequencies for 5G in the 4800-4990 MHz range should take place by the end of the year, and it will be divided into two lots, he said.
"We are conducting an open dialogue and listening to the industry regarding other possible proposals that companies have. If we manage to find some compromises, then there may be minor changes regarding the current format of the auction's conduct and its content," he said.
The operators' victory in the auction will allow them to increase the amount of available radio frequencies, he said.
"It is necessary to understand that holding an auction for frequencies intended for the fifth generation means not only the introduction of new services and technologies, but also an absolutely utilitarian, applied task. Given that traffic in cellular networks is growing at a rate exceeding 20% per year, the LTE spectrum of our cellular operators in large cities or in certain areas of large cities may approach its logical end somewhere by 2028-2029 [and] we may get service degradation. Therefore, even putting aside the presence, the necessity of introducing new modern telecom standards, we simply need to expand the bandwidth so that colleagues do not experience degradation of standard services for subscribers," he said.
"Whether there will be participants [of the auction] or not, the market will show, but we believe that the task, including the utilitarian, applied, technological one, facing the operators can be accomplished with the help of the 4.8-4.99 GHz band. Part of the traffic in case of building a network in the 4.8-4.99 GHz range can absolutely certainly be offloaded to the newly built network, thereby freeing up the existing LTE spectrum, which will experience significant loads with continuing traffic growth," he said.
The auction provides for a number of obligations for the winners, he said. This includes with respect to network coverage of large cities and the number of Russian base stations on the networks being built. At the same time, the ministry does not rule out postponing the network deployment deadlines.
"We are still thinking about the schedule, considering the timelines for the appearance of Russian-made base stations and the possibilities of implementing end-to-end Russian cryptography on the networks. These are issues that require study and discussion. Therefore, most likely, the schedule [for network deployment] will be slightly shifted. But such requirements will definitely be presented, and operators will have to fulfill them," he said.
Speaking about the possibility of freeing up the "golden range" most attractive for 5G networks, Ugnivenko said that the Digital Development Ministry is working in this direction, but it is "absolutely certainly not a quick issue."
A frequency range below 4.8 GHz may be put up for auction in the future, he said, without specifying which one.
