GSMA Debunks False Claims Threatening Future of 5G

5G Impacting Weather Forecasting Services is Untrue, Says GSMA

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The GSMA today hit out against false claims that 5G systems will harm
other services, such as weather forecasting. The mobile industry has
already demonstrated within leading international standards bodies that
5G can be used safely alongside other services, including weather
sensing services, commercial satellite, radar and other applications
using adjacent airwaves.

The GSMA is confident that 5G services and weather sensing services can
co-exist, and warns against giving credence to those claiming a negative
impact from 5G networks on weather forecasting data.

“5G and weather forecasts can and will co-exist – it’s ludicrous to
suggest otherwise,” said Brett Tarnutzer, Head of Spectrum, GSMA. “To
suggest that our 7-day forecast will go away with 5G is simply fake
news. We cannot allow these scare tactics to prevent us from reaping the
huge societal and economic benefits of 5G networks. We urge everyone to
simply look at the facts and not get drawn in by misleading rhetoric.”

The fact is 5G and weather forecasts can co-exist
Existing
services can be safeguarded without hampering the rollout of 5G by
adopting reasonable interference mitigation approaches. The weather
sensing community is basing its scenario on a decade-old scrapped
program of weather sensors that were never deployed. Their arguments
fail to take into account how 5G actually works and tried and tested
approaches to managing interference issues without adopting overly
restrictive protections.

Bad spectrum management harms 5G
Europe is in the midst of
identifying and allocating spectrum for 5G, which will ensure that it
remains technologically and economically competitive globally. For
safeguarding existing services the facts don’t support adopting new
technical limits that would make 50 per cent or more of the spectrum
unusable for 5G services. This would be poor spectrum management and
result in restricted 5G deployments in Europe and globally, needlessly
wasting a scarce public resource.

The socio-economic benefits of 5G at risk
Restricting the
roll out of ultra-fast 5G networks puts at risk the large socioeconomic
benefits citizens and businesses are expected to gain from 5G. The
mobile industry is expected to add $565 billion to global GDP and $152
billion in tax revenue from 2020 to 2034 from mmWave spectrum alone.
Countries risk losing out on these gains if mobile operators don’t get
access to this vital spectrum.

“We are asking Europe and other countries around the world not to let a
campaign of misinformation close the door on a new world of
possibilities that 5G will bring,” added Tarnutzer. “From mobile
broadband at fibre-like speeds to the home to digital factories and
precision surgery – without mmWave spectrum, none of these use cases
will reach their full potential. Making decisions on 5G that aren’t
based on the facts will seriously undermine the potential impact of 5G
on communities and economies.”

-ENDS-

About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile
operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350
companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device
makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies,
as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also
produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los
Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional
conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Contacts

Media Contacts:
For the GSMA
Alia Ilyas, Public Policy
PR Director
+44 (0)7970 637622
[email protected]

GSMA Press Office
[email protected]

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