Mexico. Let's talk about the 5th Generation of mobile connectivity, that is, the so-called 5G, but what does a new generation mean? Among many things we know that it represents much higher speeds of uploading and downloading data, better quality and reliability of network, lower latency, and with everything, the enabling of massive connectivity of devices (Internet of Things or IoT, such as cars, robots, critical devices of the productive apparatus, etc.) and the effective materialization of the Internet of Everything (IoE, in English).
If it were worth making a simple average of the coverage or adoption by mobile technological generation in Mexico, the current coexistence of 2G, 3G and 4G, leaves us in that we are still a 3.4G country. So why not cover the route in full to 4G, before thinking about this new evolution?
It is advisable to continue with a series of basic questions.
Historical and international evidence tells us that this type of infrastructural ventures cannot and should not be unplanned in their deployment. They are articulations of capital, financial and regulatory, which must take advantage of the "technological visibility" that we enjoy today, for their productive and social optimization. That is why recently the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was plagued by announcements of numerous capitalization exercises of these networks and the launch of new equipment and devices, before this imminent arrival of 5G.
What are the necessary conditions for its development? First, the transition to 5G requires investment efforts by operators for the deployment of next-generation infrastructure, as well as its adjustment to the new international standards of provision of their services. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the download speed experienced must be at least 100 Mbit/s, while the upload speed must be 50 Mbit/s.
The availability and allocation of compatible radio spectrum bands is also essential, which then requires tenders.
Another of the necessary factors is the offer of mobile devices with technologically aligned, which guarantee the use of processors in smartphones that support the latest generation transmission capabilities.
And what is it up to governments to do? They have to define strategies, for example, of strategic linkage with industries and segments of society that must make critical use of these improved capabilities.
And how are we doing in Mexico in the transition to 5G? In our country, efforts have been launched by the regulatory body to count, arrange and harmonize the optimal radio spectrum bands for 5G, with the release of that of 600 MHz, the rearrangement of 3.4 GHz and the authorization of experimental tests in 3.5 GHz.
However, we still lack a roadmap for the deployment and launch of 5G in Mexico. So far in the new presidential administration, no significant pronouncement has been made, as is the case in the US and several other governments.
The design of public and regulatory policies, multi-industry linkage strategies, commercial models and investment schemes for the optimal and timely use of this evolution in Mexico is urgent.
Consumers and the telecommunications industry as a whole are waiting for the definition and implementation of strategic actions for the effective supply of 5G. It is time for the alignment of efforts from market players and government to reach this new technological milestone.
Text written by Ernesto Piedras of The Competitive Intelligence Unit, CIU.
