Mobile frequencies for 5G have been allocated
The auction for the allocation of mobile frequencies for 5G came to an end on February 7, 2019. Three network operators were able to acquire a wide range of new frequencies.
On behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) has the Bakom auctioned off a wide range of additional mobile communications frequencies (700 MHz, 1400 MHz and 3500 MHz). The network operators Salt, Sunrise and Swisscom benefited. According to ComCom, the frequencies will be awarded for 15 years, which gives the operating companies long-term planning security for network construction.
Five frequencies without a customer
Five frequency blocks of 5 MHz each in the 2600 MHz band and in the 700 and 1400 MHz ranges remained unsold, ComCom writes. The latter are so-called supplementary downlink frequencies which can be used in the future for increased data download capacities. The unallocated frequencies would remain with the federal government and are to be put out to tender again at a later date, ComCom said.
The frequency allocation is of central importance for the digitization of Switzerland and is in line with the Federal Council's "Digital Switzerland" strategy. In addition to high-performance mobile communications, 5G will enable many new applications in the future, for example in the Internet of Things (IoT), for medical applications (eHealth), for image-processing applications (virtual reality, augmented reality) or for self-driving vehicles.
Serving a good 60 communities with 5G by the end of 2019
Swisscom, which bought the largest batch of mobile frequencies at auction for almost 200 million Swiss francs, plans to go live with 5G as quickly as possible: By the end of the year, the provider wants to make 5G available in 60 cities and communities on a selective basis. According to Swisscom, the first 5G-capable terminals are expected on the Swiss market in the next few months; such applications allow higher speeds, faster response times and greater capacities.
Attention risk
5G will undoubtedly bring many benefits to society and the economy. However, there are also a few risks to consider, for example from technical specifications. Researchers at the Information Security Group, for example, have subjected the 5G mobile communications standard to a comprehensive Security analysis subjected. Conclusion: Data protection is improved compared with the predecessor standards 3G and 4G. However, security gaps still exist. (rs)
