Jamaica needs 10 years to catch up to 5G implementation – Cooper

WESTERN BUREAU:

ABEAN COOPER, manager of band planning at Jamaica's Spectrum Management Authority [SMA], has noted that the country will require up to 10 years to catch up to the rest of the world technologically, even amid the current global shift to fifth-generation, or 5G, mobile technology.

Cooper made the admission while he was speaking to The Gleaner during the second day of the SMA's inaugural two-day Caribbean Spectrum Management Conference at Half Moon Hotel's Conference Centre in Montego Bay, St James.

“With regard to mobile technology, we are behind, because you must remember that we are now heading into the direction of smart cities and V2X [vehicle to everything] technology where your vehicle is connected to all surrounding infrastructure, but we are not quite there yet. In the emergence of 5G, as core 5G, we would be able to get in line and get with the times,” said Cooper.

“When we look at speeds, we look at streaming on your phone; with 3G or 4G, you can stream on your phone, but for the real services to evolve technologically in Jamaica, we are going to need that capacity, that 'sweet spot' which the C-band is,” Cooper added. “Because we use these devices, we need to appreciate that these devices are connected in some way, somehow, so with an appreciation for the spectrum, you create an awareness, and with that awareness will birth opportunities and growth. If we have that awareness, I think that we can get technologically on track within five to 10 years, realistically.”

The C-band is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that are allotted for satellite transmissions in the 4GHz to 8GHz frequency range. C-band frequencies are currently being used to support 5G networks.

Cooper noted that Jamaica must reconcile its existing services with the demands that currently exist or might potentially exist for 5G technology.

“With the C-band, it's gearing toward 5G and satellite. 5G is not here in the C-band right now, which is why I say we have to balance out the demand, the potential demand, the emerging demand, or the current demand with the existing services to find the best way,” said Cooper.

“We don't want to have spectrum waiting for 5G and it may never even happen, while satellite services are coming up and they can provide direct-to-device services and mobile satellite services which can help us to technologically evolve in Jamaica. We need that balance with the existing persons using the spectrum and the demand to find the best way to assign the spectrum, to give us what we need to advance as a nation,” Cooper continued.

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.

Up to that time, most of the world had assigned high frequency bands – in ranges of 24.25 to 27.5 GHz; 37 to 43.5 GHz; 47.2 to 48.2 GHz; and 66 to 71 GHz – for deployment of 5G technology. In the geographic Region 2, which includes Jamaica, the 47.2 to 48.2 GHz range has been allocated for 5G.