Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005) ICASA Radiocommunication Frequency Migration Plan 2019 Appendices Appendix H : Articles 31 and 52 of the ITU Radio Regulations and Rec. ITU-R SM.1603 Attachment 4 to Annex 1 : An example of spectrum redeployment process based on the Benin experience

 

The redeployment of the spectrum is a complex task which can become harder when implemented in a developing country because of the immaturity of the national framework for spectrum management and especially the lack of a national strategy shared by all stakeholders (government, regulatory authority, operators ...).

 

However, these reasons should not be taken as an obstacle for developing countries as a redeployment may represent a real opportunity for effective and efficient use of the spectrum. Indeed, due to the lack of a national strategy for spectrum management, various technologies from various regions have often been deployed in inadequate frequency bands, so a spectrum redeployment usually put things in order and allow the introduction of appropriate technologies and services.

 

This Attachment is based on the Benin experience of spectrum redeployment of the 790- 890 MHz frequency band, which may be useful for some of the developing countries.

 

 

The Benin telecommunications sector is driven by three main actors offering various services:

 

The 790-890 MHz frequency band was previously occupied by the public operator for its CDMA 2000 network as fixed internet wireless access system. Due to the decision of the Government of the Republic of Benin to grant licences for new generations networks, it has been necessary to carry out a redeployment of this band.

 

The main objective of this redeployment was to make the 790-890 MHz frequency band available for the promotion of broadband, and by doing so, to enable the efficient use of the band.

 

 

The regulatory authority of Benin is the structure responsible for the management and control of the radio spectrum. As such, it could lead the redeployment process, from design to implementation, but in order to be impartial and due to the short time given, it was decided to hire a consulting company to carry out the redeployment.

 

The selection of the company was made according to criteria such as expertise in radio engineering, planning and deployment of CDMA and UMTS networks and knowledge of associated costs.

 

A committee was appointed to monitor the redeployment process, with members from the regulatory authority, the Ministry of ICT, and operators involved. The study mission lasted five months and required regular meetings with all the operators involved. At the end of the mission, the following deliverables were developed:

 

 

 

Figure 1 shows the evolution of the occupation of the spectrum before and after the redeployment:

The redeployment of the 790-890 MHz frequency band offer both economic and social advantages. Indeed, the CDMA network operated by the public operator has 93,012 voice subscribers and 48,890 data subscribers (Population of Benin: 9,500,000 inhabitants in 2012) with limited coverage and services.

 

It is therefore obvious that the introduction of mobile broadband in the band will lead to important economic benefits (new licences, operatorsʼ contribution, payment of fees, etc.), as well as social benefits (universal service, job creation, access to mobile broadband for everyone, etc.).

 

 

This redeployment was a very good thing for Benin because it has helped achieving an important aim, which is making available the first digital dividend for the deployment of third generation networks, in line with international trends. This has led to better use of spectrum resources.

 

Moreover, this redeployment allowed to experience the main difficulties of a redeployment and find appropriate solutions. Special attention should be given to the following points during an operation of redeployment in a developing country:

–     The involvement of all stakeholders in the redeployment:

This is an elementary precaution that will guarantee success. Indeed, it is essential all stakeholders be actively involved in the redeployment to ensure that their needs and constraints are taken into account.

–     Service continuity:

Redeployment should not in any case lead to services disruption for subscribers; service continuity must then be ensured. To do so, it should be necessary to make a clear and detailed communication plan to subscribers, as well as a detailed schedule of changing customer equipment when necessary.

–     Financial assessments:

Validation of financial assessments was one of the most difficult tasks of the study because of the lack of documentation to determine the depreciation of the equipment and the residual value of the equipment. The outgoing operator was not able to provide purchase invoices, so the evaluations were based on estimations collected from suppliers.

–     Redeployment funding:

As there is usually no redeployment funding in developing countries, it is crucial to determine early source of funds to finance the implementation of the redeployment and to ensure that these funds will be available when required, so that the effective implementation of the redevelopment will not be delayed.