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Such hurdles include the stalemate in negotiations with Russia on the launch of the 3.5 GHz priority frequency band and the previous government’s decisions on the State Critical Communications Network, which has been deprived of many frequencies in the important 5G bands.
Additionally, some carriers cite the lack of 5G-enabled end devices on the market, including smartphones and tablets, among the issues.
Previously, there were expectations of holding a frequency auction in 2020, but according to the Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), all operators agreed to postpone the auctions until Bitė completes the acquisition of the Internet, data transmission and IPTV business under the brand Mezon.
This transaction was completed on December 30, so the auction of the 700 MHz frequency band is scheduled to be discussed in mid-January, so RRT indicates that the auction should take place in the first quarter of this year.
“We hope to be able to announce the 5G auction in the 700 MHz band one to two weeks after the discussion of the conditions, if one round of discussion is sufficient.” The operators have asked for three months to prepare for the auction, which will determine the earliest date of the auction, ”said Mindaugas Žilinskas, deputy director of RRT, at BNS.
However, much more serious problems arise from the 3.5 GHz frequency band, which Russia uses for military purposes and which Russia is not going to abandon.
Difficult negotiations with Russia
Russia has already made strategic decisions to remove television programs from the 700 MHz band, allowing the auction of frequencies in this band in the near future.
However, there are many more problems with frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band; RRT admits that the negotiations are complicated and have not produced the expected results so far.
“Russia intends to use the main 3.5 GHz 5G frequency band for military systems, the parameters of which it does not disclose,” Žilinskas said.
However, one of the RRT managers emphasizes that Russia cannot be said to be deliberately hampering the development of 5G in Lithuania.
According to him, Russia itself has begun to actively implement 5G technologies at high frequencies (26 GHz), it has also requested the use of the 4.8-4.99 GHz band, which is intended for military use in NATO countries.
“Therefore, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland are in an almost mirror situation. Therefore, this situation looks more like a confrontation between two military blocs, at the peak of what we are,” said a representative of the RRT.
M. Žilinskas admits that the stalled negotiations on border frequencies with Russia make it difficult to use the 3.5 GHz band for 5G purposes.
“Of course, the negotiations make it difficult to use the 3.5 GHz band, although Belarus is known to use part of this band also for military purposes, but we have been able to find mutually acceptable solutions with our colleagues in Minsk,” he said.
Compatibility is important
According to the RRT representative, the regulator will find solutions that do not violate the procedures of the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and will allow the introduction of 5G communication in Lithuania.
Because 5G is a frequency neutral technology, it can be implemented in bands other than 700 MHz or 3.5 GHz.
However, Mindaugas Ubartas, director of the information communication and technology association Infobalt, says that Lithuania must also take into account the global context, where most of the 5G devices and technologies are being developed in these frequency bands.
“5G can also be used in other frequency bands. But it is necessary that there is compatibility between terminals and networks. The most logical thing is not to try to be an island in the ocean, but to be the axis of Europe and use what all of Europe uses ”, the Infobalt head told BNS.
Almost all over the world, it has been agreed that the suitable frequency band is 700 MHz in the lower band and 3.5 GHz in the middle band. As a result, states have sought in recent years to launch these bands for 5G connectivity.
Lower frequencies are needed to cover as much territory as possible, and higher frequencies are needed in areas with higher population densities, especially in large cities.
“The 700 MHz band provides significant area coverage, but does not provide the benefits that 5G should bring, that is, high speeds or low delays,” said Ubart.
“If you don’t get higher speed, you don’t get shorter lag, you get the same 4G, it’s just called 5G, a slightly different technology,” he added.
Wheel arches are a fundamental communication network
Last fall, the telecommunications companies and Infobalt were surprised by the decisions of the then Government regarding the State Network of Critical Communication (VKRT).
Then they warned that this network, which would be used by about 11,000. Officials of the Ministry of the Interior (MIA) system want to unleash a solid part of the frequencies that could be used for the development of 5G.
In June last year, when deciding on the 5G development guidelines for Lithuania in 2020-2025, the Government cited in a resolution the conclusions of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) that the main radio frequency band for Lithuania 5G services in Europe is 3400-3800 MHz (or 3.5 GHz).
At that time, spectrum below 1 GHz is needed to ensure wide coverage, which the RSPG considers the appropriate and harmonized band for the entire EU 694-790 MHz (700 MHz).
However, a few months later, the Government, when approving the establishment of the State Critical Communications Network, instructed the Ministry of the Interior to request the RRT to reserve two 15 MHz wide frequency bands of 694-790 MHz and a 100 MHz radio frequency band wide from the 3.4-3.8 GHz band to VKRT. .
As explained by Mr. Ubart, there is no dispute about the frequency of departmental networks in the 700 MHz band, as it is the standard in Europe.
According to him, the band of the 700 MHz band reserved for the critical network is even greater than the 11 thousand required. MIA officials.
“Meanwhile, 3.5 GHz is a complete and non-standard invention somewhere in Europe, and the presentation that we might need 5G for those 11,000 in 10 years. officials – they don’t need it, because the 3.5 GHz frequency band is used in cities ”, emphasized M. Ubartas.
The MIA BNS indicated that on September 30, the reservation of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band was requested. However, according to the Ministry of the Interior, at least at the beginning of the network’s operation, frequencies from the network are not required. 3.5 GHz VKRT band.
“In the following stages, the need to use them would depend on the users of VKRT, the technical solutions necessary for the functions of public security and emergency services in the handling of emergency situations,” BNS commented to the Ministry of the Interior.
Operators: on the starting line
Mobile operators interviewed by BNS say they are either ready or in the process of preparing for commercial 5G operations.
Telia was the first to launch a next-generation connection in November, although it operates in test mode at various locations in Lithuania, with test frequencies provided by RRT.
Dan Stromberg, director of Telia Lietuvos, later said in an interview with BNS that the company is already standing on the starting line and waiting for the frequency auction.
“I can say that we are ready. When the auction takes place, we assume it will be in the first quarter of next year (this, BNS), we will start the next day,” said D. Stromberg.
Bitė also says that it plans to launch 5G already this year, after the 5G frequency auction.
“For now, it would be difficult to specify a more specific date as it is related to a number of important third-party decisions,” said Gintas Butėnas, CTO of Bitė Lietuvos.
At the time, Andrius Baranauskas, representative of Tele2, affirms that the company is preparing for a new generation of communications: it has carried out preparatory work and has largely adapted the systems to 5G. However, according to him, the development of 5G will be affected by several factors.
“It just came to our attention then. There are some moments; firstly, the question of which frequencies we will receive and how many. We must not forget that VKRT currently claims a large part of the frequencies,” A. Baranauskas told BNS.
“If you divide operators into 20 MHz, you must leave additional bands of several MHz between those frequencies to avoid frequency interference,” he stressed.
According to the Tele2 representative, it is also important what development conditions RRT will establish by allowing the use of frequencies, in addition, the price will be an important factor: if the frequencies are paid, then the service will be available only to residents with higher income.
Furthermore, A. Baranauskas drew attention to the lack of 5G support terminal equipment, such as phones and tablets.
“If we look at the total mass of all the phones (in Lithuania – BNS), how many of them are 5G compatible? That percentage will be in the single digits until today,” he said.
For his part, Stromberg said that it was in 2020 that 5G devices appeared on the market.
“Now you can have 5G on Samsung devices, Apple. If we look at Asia, there are a lot of devices there and they all support 5G,” Telia Lietuvos director said in an interview in November.
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