Simon Saunders' Wireless Blog: December 2015

SPF publishes Real Wireless report on spectrum usage and demand | The mobile industry is at tipping point | Making the most of wireless in retail | The evolution of telecoms regulation by 2020

Spectrum Policy Forum publishes Real Wireless report on spectrum usage and demand

Yesterday, the UK Spectrum Policy Forum (SPF) launched its final report on UK spectrum usage and demand. The report, prepared by Real Wireless gives a snapshot of current spectrum usage and the long-term future needs of the UK's major spectrum users. It identifies the 11 distinct sectors making use of spectrum and the associated 'pinch points', illustrating how the SPF's future work programme will seek to address these challenges. Ed Vaizey MP, Minister of State for Culture and Digital Economy, was the keynote speaker at the report launch and Real Wireless’ Mike Goddard took part in the panel discussion and Q&A on the report. The Spectrum Policy Forum is an industry-led sounding board to Government and Ofcom on future policy and approaches on spectrum. One of the Forum’s main aims is to promote the role of spectrum in society and maximise its economic and social value to the UK. Download the full report here »

The mobile industry is at tipping point: a few key decisions will shape the future

Recently, Real Wireless hosted a breakfast meeting with Bloomberg to consider the future of the mobile industry, and the implications for operators. Given mobile demand is expected to increase as much as 30 times present levels by 2030, the mobile industry is on the cusp of significant change. Real Wireless’ presentation highlighted the challenges facing MNOs: the need to deliver major capacity increases and improve earnings while avoiding customer churn through price increases and data caps. Real Wireless outlined the potential options available to operators that wish to maintain current standards of mobile connectivity while keeping pace with demand. One option would be to offload subscribers from macro cells to small cells in busy areas to offer a better throughput and quality of experience at a significantly lower cost than macro cells. Read the full blog post here »

Making the most of wireless in retail

Forward-thinking retailers know investment in technology is a must to meet customer demand and keep ahead of competitors. Many retailers are innovating hard, with functions such as mobile payments, personalised offers, price comparisons and stock control keeping customers engaged and improving the in-store experience. All these services require wireless connectivity to function efficiently, but wireless isn’t always an easy challenge to address – from provision across a complex building to the business case for investment. For information on the opportunities enabled by wireless and the business case to support them, download our free report on the value of wireless to the retail sector »

The evolution of telecoms regulation by 2020

How will telecoms regulation evolve in the coming years? Mergers and new entrants have made the market more complex and the challenge for regulators is to balance competition with encouraging investment and ensuring consumers still get the best service. There is also a need to improve symmetry between traditional telecoms operators and OTT (over-the-top) players on issues such as switching, privacy and data protection, identification and safety. Another consideration will be the implications of superfast broadband speeds and new entrants to the fixed market, with issues such as pricing, bundles, competition and barriers to entry becoming more important. In order to improve the long term health of the industry, regulations will need to support innovation and encourage the development of new fixed and mobile technologies. Crucially, these challenges need to be tackled by governments as well as regulators. Read the full blog post here »

Meet Real Wireless at this event

Date: 22-25 February 2016
Event: Mobile World Congress
Venue: Barcelona

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