DSA applauds MTC’s decision to enable unlicensed access to the 6 GHz

Ministerial resolution 373-2021-MTC/01 and Viceministerial resolution N° 162-2021-MTC/03 adopted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Peru (MTC), published last Friday established important measures to improve connectivity in the country.

“Highlighted was the possibility of accessing 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 5925-7125 MHz band for Wi-Fi 6E, which will benefit millions of Peruvians and additionally will boost the country's economy”, said Martha Suarez, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA).

Unlicensed access to the 6 GHz band will add the economic value of US$ 15.83 billion in GDP contribution, US$ 3.6 billion in producer surplus to Peruvian enterprises, and US$ 3.40 billion in consumer surplus to the Peruvian population over the next 10 years.

This is according to the study: “Assessing the economic value of unlicensed use in the 6 GHz band in Perú” published by DSA and Telecom Advisory Services LLC (TAS). This study assessed the economic value of unlicensed use of the band in Perú, by evaluating different sources of value like the impact on the coverage and affordability, the increased speed by reducing Wi-Fi congestion, the enhanced deployment of municipal Wi-Fi and the deployment of Free Wi-Fi Hot Spots which provide Internet access to households that cannot afford a broadband plan. Results revealed that enabling license-exempt access to the 1200 MHz generates an economic benefit from the beginning.

“Due to the extensive usage on almost every aspect of our lives today such as remote education, work and commerce, the MTC decision to dedicating more spectrum to Wi-Fi over 6 GHz effectively supports the modern digital ecosystem”, said Martha Suarez. “Unlicensed access to the whole 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi will be critical to allow growing ultra-fast Wi-Fi demands for new applications and new industries.”

From 5925 to 7125 MHz it is possible to operate seven 160 MHz channels that will grant enough capacity to meet new applications such as HD video, Augmented and Virtual Reality. Moreover, this decision will enhance the capability for cellular off-loading, as the Cisco forecasts estimate that about 54% of mobile traffic in Latam will be routed to Wi-Fi networks by 2022.

The MTC is moving in the right direction by allowing more efficient use of the spectrum in the 6 GHz band as the existing incumbent services can continue to thrive in the band without receiving any harmful interference and at the same time millions of new users can benefit from the latest generation of Wi-Fi.

The Viceministerial resolution is the result of a transparent process that had two public consultations, one public hearing of interested parties and many contributions from industry and different stakeholders. This decision is aligned with the regional trends where already seven countries have decided to authorize unlicensed access to the entire 6 GHz band (United States, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Peru).

DSA also celebrates the decision to enable the use of TV White Spaces technologies in the 470 MHz to 698 MHz band. It establishes the conditions for innovative business models required to provide sustainable broadband Internet access in unserved or underserved areas.