Study on spectrum assignment in the European Union : executive summary

LS telcom, PolicyTracker and VVA produced this report for the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) of the European Commission. It examines the approaches used by Member States for authorising and assigning spectrum with a view to determining which methods might be most appropriate in the context of future 5G services. The study was based on four key inputs: Interviews with administrations and other stakeholders in all 28 Member States; An examination of available data concerning the elements used in authorisations and assignments and the impacts of those elements on the mobile industry and markets; The analysis of four use-case scenarios which represent possible development paths for 5G services. These use cases were validated and reinforced by an expert academic panel; A public workshop where delegates contributed to the development and analysis of the scenarios. The study has determined that whilst stakeholders would generally prefer to continue licensing spectrum on an exclusive, individual basis, wider adoption of a greater variety of spectrum assignment approaches would benefit the introduction of 5G services, unlocking some of the new use cases enabled by 5G whilst supporting Digital Single Market objectives.