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Members of the UK telecom industry are concerned that support for the country’s 5G networks may be limited in the upcoming “iPhone 12” release, and fear that it will not include support for 700MHz networks.
5G is believed to be an important feature for the 2020 iPhone lineup, with new communications technology promising high-speed connectivity to consumers. However, Apple’s popular iPhone can cause problems for some carriers, depending on Apple’s implementation of the technology.
According to analysts speaking with The TelegraphIf Apple chooses not to include support for 700MHz 5G bands, this could prevent it from working entirely with carriers that build their networks using it. The operators are expected to participate in a 700MHz spectrum auction taking place in early 2021, organized by national regulator Ofcom.
Operators had the opportunity to repurpose existing unused spectrum they own for 5G communications, as well as repurpose bands already in use for the same purpose, but most chose to wait for the auction to purchase more. The problem is, the carriers are already maxed out with their existing assignments.
The exception to the operators is apparently Tres, as the company already owns a considerable amount of 5G spectrum in bands that are expected to be usable by the iPhone. In the event that the 700MHz bands are not supported by Apple, this would give Three a considerable advantage in the UK.
This would be a similar situation to the one that took place during the launch of the iPhone 5, the EE operator being the only one in the market with enough 4G coverage to be reliable.
After the auction, the rollout of 700MHz 5G networks will be “pretty fast” according to 5G analyst Simon Rockman, “because the networks really need it.” The UK telecoms industry may speak of “missed opportunities” if Apple does not include 700MHz support, suggests Rockman.
The lack of support for 700MHz can also lead to “coverage issues” for consumers, warns Assembly analyst Matthew Howett. “The spectrum bands in which the iPhone works are vitally important,” he said.
The talk about spectrum support may come too late for UK operators, considering the expected launch of the new models on Tuesday. As Apple hasn’t given any indication of which bands it will or won’t support prior to launch, the fears may be completely unjustified.
What is 5G?
Telecommunications known as 5G actually cover two different spectrum areas: Sub-6GHz and mmWave.
Bands below 6 GHz, as mentioned above, will provide wide coverage for operators, with very durable bands that are somewhat close to the ranges used by operators today. This includes T-Mobile’s 600MHz-based 5G network, which pretty much consists of 600MHz spectrum.
5G headline speeds are supplied by what is known as mmWave, spectrum in the 24GHz to 100GHz range, which could provide users with gigabit speed connections. However, mmWave signals are fragile, easily blocked by surfaces and even rain, and operate at much shorter distances.
For operators, this means that mmWave 5G will be reserved for cities and urbanized areas with high population densities, while bands below 6 GHz will be used for general coverage. Everything will be classified as 5G, with most consumers going to use the slower version most of the time and the higher band version when available.
