OUR: Build it and they will come approach won’t work for 5G tech
ANSORD HEWITT, the director general of the Office of Utilities Regulation [OUR], is advising that a full assessment of all the factors in the successful implementation of fifth generation [5G] technology must be undertaken by sector players instead of assuming that potential users will immediately gravitate to it.
Addressing Wednesday’s second day of the Spectrum Management Authority’s [ SMA] inaugural two-day Caribbean Spectrum Management Conference at the Half Moon Hotel’s Conference Centre in Montego Bay, St James, Hewitt stated that the Caribbean region, including Jamaica, must consider t he most efficient strategies of 5G integration that will keep consumers’ interests at the forefront.
“Considerations need to be given to whether the road map for 5G deployment should resemble or mimic that of previous mobile technologies. Is it necessary to have an islandwide rollout of 5G network? Is such a deployment feasible, or should we focus on the niche development of 5G where the speed and intensity offered by the technology are required and generate the highest returns on investments? Hewitt asked.
“Given the high capital outplay involved in ubiquitous commercial network deployment, it is safe to say that the ‘build it and they will come’ approach cannot necessarily be taken in relation to 5G and future connectivity technologies … I suggest that it is necessary that assessments be undertaken to develop a more indepth and evidence-based understanding of the current and potential future demand for the enhanced Internet connectivity and 5G services,” Hewitt continued. “Such assessments will allow governments in the region to establish t he most efficient way of meeting this demand and enabling use cases in their individual countries.”
While acknowledging that the implementation of 5G technology is faced with several hurdles, Hewitt noted that the OUR is now reviewing how the technology can be deployed in Jamaica’s various economic sectors.
“Compared to previous mobile network technologies, 5G typically relies on a large number of smaller cells in the access network. This means that the transition to 5G will require network densification and the update of network layers, thus necessitating investment across all network elements. Caribbean governments are also challenged in their ability to fund capital investment projects aimed at deploying 5G infrastructure. Countries, such as Jamaica and its regional counterparts, are still grappling with how to extend connectivity to the unserved and under-served areas,” said Hewitt.
“The OUR is currently in discussion regarding initiatives to explore the potential impact of 5G deployment or adoption and the readiness for 5G adoption. These include assessments to identify spaces which could drive selective deployment or adoption of 5G in Jamaica, i.e., in areas in which the use of 5G technology can deliver greater efficiency in economic sectors, such as the manufacturing and logistics sectors,” Hewitt added.
In 2021, concern was raised that Jamaica’s telecommunications companies were not prioritising the rollout of 5G mobile technology, even though radio frequencies for the service had already been earmarked by the SMA for that purpose.
At that time, the SMA’s Managing Director Dr Maria Myers-Hamilton suggested in the agency’s annual report that Jamaica should seek to establish national committees to look at local spectrum needs for 5G and practical ways in which spectrum may benefit the Jamaican economy.
In the meantime, Charles Douglas, senior manager in charge of government and regulatory affairs at telecoms company FLOW, stressed that while his organisation is
onboard with 5G technology conversion, attention must be given to assisting consumers who still rely on older-model technology for their operations.
“At the heart of that transition is the consumers. Can you perhaps be surprised that there are tens of thousands, at one point 300,000 between all the networks, perhaps in a market of three million, who are on 2G devices that need either an upgrade, a change, a subsidy, or something to remain connected as we go forward? How do we not leave them behind in trying to further their interests when we still have connectivity gaps across the country?” Douglas asked.
“We are eager and poised to do it [transition to 5G], but we’ve been trying to work with businesses who have IOT [internet of things, a network of various connected devices]-type services on 2G as well, logistics, banks, and various types of companies. It is the reality of our economy, and we have to be responsible about it,” Douglas added.