5G technology is not only the new paradigm of mobile communications, but it will be the essential technological component in the digital transformation with a transversal effect on society and the economy in the most advanced countries during the next decade.
The main enabling solutions for such digital transformation, the Internet of Things and big data, robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence or ultra high definition, will be supported on 5G technology. To this end, the new mobile communications networks and infrastructures will provide the basis for an unprecedented increase in the number of connected devices, data transfer volumes and real-time remote management capabilities, which will constitute the basic technological substrate for developing digital transformation.
Thus, the development of 5G technologies is a priority of the European Union and the Government of Spain, as demonstrated in the decisions they have been adopting for some years now.
In the strategic context of the EU, in 2016, the European Commission adopted the “5G Action Plan for Europe”, which promoted proper coordination between countries and aimed to generate an environment conducive to investment in 5G networks, as well as creating new innovative ecosystems, so as to improve European competitiveness and offer concrete benefits for society.
The European Commission identified the development of a Europe adapted to the digital age as a strategic priority for the period 2021-27. In February 2020, the European Commission adopted the strategy for the period 2020-25, “Shaping Europe’s Digital Future”. Within pillar 1, Technology at the service of people, a set of key actions are included, among which is to accelerate investments in connectivity suitable for the Gigabit Society. One of the main goals indicated is to decisively promote the implementation and generalization of 5G technologies.
With regard to the strategic context of 5G in Spain, a first turning point was the approval of the “National 5G Plan (2018-20), which marked its ultimate goal, to place us among the most advanced countries in the development of this new technology so that when 5G reaches its technological and commercial maturity, Spain is prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities of this technological paradigm.
On the other hand, in July 2020, the strategy “Digital Spain 2025” was presented, which includes a set of 50 measures, reforms and investments, articulated in ten strategic axes, aligned to the digital policies of the European Union for the new period. One of the strategic axes is the promotion of 5G technology. For the deployment of this strategic axis, on December 1, 2020, the “5G Technology Impulse Strategy” has been published. One of the objectives in the promotion of 5G technology is the availability of “A radio spectrum enabled for 5G services”. Specifically, among its lines of action, it is providing the market with frequency bands dedicated to 5G technology, including the 700 MHz band.
The 700 MHz band has been identified as one of the priority bands for the introduction of 5G based services in Europe, taking into account that in the European Union the use of this frequency band for mobile communication services is already harmonized. This has been pointed out by the European Union Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) which approved, in November 2016, the Opinion in which it identifies the frequency bands to be used initially for the launch of 5G in Europe.
Furthermore, Decision (EU) 2017/899 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on the use of the 470-790 MHz frequency band in the Union provides in Article 1 that ‘By 30 June 2020, Member States shall authorise the use of the 694-790 MHz frequency band (hereinafter ‘700 MHz’) for terrestrial systems capable of providing wireless broadband electronic communications services exclusively under the harmonised technical conditions laid down by the Commission pursuant to Article 4 of Decision No 676/2002’.
In order to comply with the provisions of the aforementioned Decision, Royal Decree 391/2019 of 21 June was approved, approving the National Technical Plan of Digital Terrestrial Television and regulating certain aspects for the release of the second digital dividend and establishing the new scenario for the reordering of the spectrum and of said release process.
In this royal decree, it was established that “The cessation of broadcasts on the radio channels of the frequency band 694 MHz to 790 MHz exploited by the providers of the television audiovisual communication service in no case may occur after June 30, 2020 for any digital multiple or radio channel and in any of the geographical areas or demarcations of local television”.
As a result of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, there has been a delay in the date scheduled to complete the process of liberation of the 700 MHz band, this process having been completed on October 31, 2020, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020, of June 23, which approves measures in the field of energy and in other areas for economic reactivation.
The 700 MHz band is therefore freed from its previous use for digital terrestrial television service, and available for use for the provision of electronic communications services, in accordance with the harmonised technical conditions laid down by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/687 of 28 April 2016 on the harmonisation of the 694-790 MHz frequency band for terrestrial systems capable of providing broadband wireless electronic communications services and for flexible national use in the Union.
For all these reasons, the 694-790 MHz band will be tendered to make these frequencies available to the electronic communications services market, thus complying with one of the forecasts included in the “5G Technology Impulse Strategy”.