Operators could miss a significant opportunity to kick start their 5G rollout campaigns, unless they are given speedy and efficient access to spectrum, according to a new report published by the GSMA. The report highlights the need for closer collaboration between the industry and national governments on spectrum access.

“Operators urgently need more spectrum to deliver the endless array of services that 5G will enable.  Our 5G future depends heavily on the decisions governments are making in the next year as we head into WRC-19,” said Brett Tarnutzer, Head of Spectrum at the GSMA.

With the coming months witnessing a raft of 5G auctions across the globe, GSMA warned that national governemtns must resist the urge to artificailly inflate prices at auction, lest they hinder the long term viability and profitability of their networks.

Without strong government support to allocate sufficient spectrum to next generation mobile services, it will be impossible to achieve the global scale that will make 5G affordable and accessible for everyone.

According to the ‘GSMA Public Policy Position on 5G Spectrum’ report, there will be 1.3 billion 5G connections by 2025, conditional of that operators gaining access to sufficient spectrum.