拉丁美洲的频谱管理：对经济和社会发展的影响

GSMA Intelligence The GSMA is a global organisation unifying themobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliverinnovation foundational to positive businessenvironments and societal change. Our vision isto unlock the full power of connectivity so thatpeople, industry, and society thrive. Representingmobile operators and organisations across themobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, theGSMA delivers for its members across three broad GSMA Intelligence is the definitive sourceof global mobile operator data, analysis andforecasts, and publisher of authoritative industryreports and research. Our data covers everyoperator group, network and MVNO in every GSMA Intelligence is relied on by leadingoperators, vendors, regulators, financialinstitutions and third-party industry players, tosupport strategic decision-making and long- Our team of analysts and experts produce regularthought-leading research reports across a range We invite you to find out more at www.gsma.comFollow the GSMA on Twitter/X: @GSMA www.gsmaintelligence.cominfo@gsmaintelligence.com Contents 3Spectrum prices as a tool for efficient assignments 4Policy actions needed to support efficient spectrummanagement 5Future spectrum assignments are key to the successof the digital economy Executive summary 5G provides a unique opportunity to boost theeconomic transformation of Latin America, throughthe rollout of several use cases that will have an However, an analysis of 2,300 assignments across 112countries and more than 300 operators globally since2010 shows significant variation in spectrum prices inLatin America, which cannot be explained by market Effective spectrum management is crucial to unlockthe economic benefits of this digital transformation.Typically, this means that sufficient spectrum needs Key findings The average amount of spectrum assigned in the region is below international benchmarkssuch as EU and OECD countries.This means that network deployment in Latin America isinherently more complex and expensive, as less spectrum available means there is a greaterneed to invest in base stations. Argentina and Ecuador are examples of countries with an The total aggregate cost of spectrum in Latin America – the cost of assignment plus annualfees – adjusted by revenues and the amount of spectrum is more than double the costs seen in Between 2010 and 2022, recurring revenues dropped by approximately 50% in current terms,while total spectrum costs increased by almost 40%.As a result of the large imbalance betweenoperator revenues and spectrum costs, the cost of spectrum as a percentage of recurring revenue(CPRR) almost tripled in the region. A prominent example is Ecuador, where annual spectrum fees The main reason for the imbalance between spectrum costs and operator revenues is thedesign of public policy.This is because the design of public policy in Latin America often When spectrum costs are set above the true market value, incentives for network investmentare distorted.Empirical evidence and analysis have shown that the total cost of spectrum affectsinvestment conditions in the market, network innovation and the levels of connectivity that Upcoming 5G assignments and licence renewals will largelydetermine the success of digital transformation strategies for 5G networks require significant amounts of spectrumacross low, mid- and high bands. 5G assignmentsstarted in the region in 2021 and will speed upfrom 2023, with at least seven countries having With the telecoms sector’s revenues expected toremain either flat or declining, efficient spectrumassignments with conditions that reflect the realityof the market can help ensure the deployment of However, if the developments seen in some LatinAmerican countries where spectrum has already beenassigned for 5G networks are replicated elsewhere,the total cost of spectrum could go up by around 15%in the next five years across the region. For example, 01 Introduction In Latin America, mobile connectivity remains theforemost form of internet connectivity, especially asit is the only form of connectivity for many. However,to provide mobile internet services, operators need to that has high risks. For example, with high spectrumprices the risk of failing to assign spectrum (i.e.no revenues for the public sector) also increases.Empirical evidence and analysis have shown that high Effective spectrum management is also crucialto unlocking the economic benefits of digitaltransformation. 5G in particular represents a uniqueopportunity for the economic transformation of LatinAmerica, as several 5G use cases will have a direct The design of efficient spectrum managementpolicies is key for Latin American governmentsto advance their digital transformation agendas.Spectrum assignment policies should focus onpromoting the use of spectrum (as the resource is Restricting, delaying or increasing the cost ofspectrum access can therefore limit the deploymentof infrastructure, reduce network