Lawmakers on the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday said they oppose a proposal by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) that the 3.7 gigahertz (GHz) to 3.8GHz frequency band be set aside for the exclusive use of 5G application developers.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) was scheduled to brief the committee on progress in preparation for the 5G spectrum auction, which is to begin on Dec. 10.
So far, five telecoms have requested applications to participate in the auction, NCC Acting Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said.
The Chinese-language Economic Daily yesterday reported on opposition from the commission over the ministry’s proposal of giving developers of 5G applications exclusive use of the 3.7GHz to 3.8GHz frequency band.
According to the Economic Daily, the proposal was supported by Minister Without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), but the commission said that the government should distribute the frequency band based on Article 94 of the Budget Act (預算法), which says the government must hold auctions or invite the public to tender bids when distributing frequency or limited number of special licenses.
“Each frequency is a national resource that is rare and belongs to the public. We should not give it away for no reason. The commission should not benefit any developer in the name of conducting a science experiment,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said at the committee meeting.
If private companies are to be given the right to use a specific frequency band, they must be conducting something for the benefits of the public, DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said, adding that must not interfere with the users of adjacent frequency bands.
Chen said the commission is still considering the ministry’s proposal.
“We must first understand what 5G application developers would use the frequency band for and whether their experiments are feasible. The NCC has set up rules on what developers can carry out on the band. If the MOEA or private companies want to use specific frequency bands, they should first conduct experiments. From the results, we will gauge whether they should be given the right to use the frequency band,” he said.
Private companies could submit a request to conduct an experiment on a frequency band, in compliance with the commission’s rules, he said.
If companies wanted to test a business model, they could apply for a six-month approval and then apply for one six-month extension, he said.
Not-for-profit experiments or public services would not have a deadline, the commission said.
For the 5G auction this year, the commission had planned to release 2,790 megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth — 270MHz in the 3.5GHz frequency band, 2,500MHz in the 28GHz band and 20MHz in the 1,800MHz band.
The 3.5GHz frequency band is considered the “golden frequency band” for the development of 5G service, as it offers low-frequency bandwidth and is more cost effective in the coverage layer for mobile data service, the commission said.
The frequency band in the ministry’s proposal is too close to this “golden” band, the commission said, adding that it would be better if 5G application developers chose a high-frequency bandwidth, like that in the 28GHz or 35GHz bands.
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