Spectrum Auctions Globally Being Slowed by Pandemic

international mobile telecom (IMT) at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference, but the big spectrum struggle could be between the mobile industry and broadcasters, said ITU Space Services Department Chief Alexandre Vallet. Mohaned Juwad, Intelsat senior manager-spectrum policy, said French and Czech Republic C-band auctions are delayed and auctions in Austria, Portugal and elsewhere could become behind schedule. He said those changes, atop disruptions to the mobile handset supply chain and particularly from China, could mean 5G progress gets slowed. Whether delays affect bid prices, “Who knows?” said Ethan Lavan, Eutelsat orbital resources director. Inmarsat Spectrum Regulation Director Paul Deedman said added time for C-band auctions could give the satellite industry a temporary respite from moving earth stations. UHF spectrum for IMT will be a huge focus of 2023 WRC, said Vallet. While quite important for broadcasters, the band is ideal for improving mobile network coverage, he said. Vallet said parts of the C band for IMT use also will be a focus of WRC-2023. Juwad said regulators have somewhat recognized a lot of spectrum is available for IMT and there's a need to get justification before allocation. ITU is early in organizing for WRC-2023 so the pandemic timing shouldn’t significantly disrupt the planning cycle, said Vallet. The next 24 months “will be challenging, no doubt,” for the satellite-provided in-flight connectivity market for satellite, Juwad said. Contracts are delayed, not canceled, he said, saying demand for uplink traffic will increase once the market rebounds.