Al Jabour: Coronavirus crisis gives another boost for 5G rollout in Jordan
Al-Anbat - Connectivity is a mainstay of Jordan's digital economy and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic might light a fire under the introduction of the 5G telecommunications technology in the Kingdom, according to Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Dr. Ghazi Al Jabour.
In an interview with Petra, Al Jabour said: "The foundation of our digital economy is connectivity. Today, 5G connectivity is accelerating innovation across the global economy, and will soon make its mark in Jordan."
The current COVID-19 situation has already underscored this point as demand for network usage and data increases rapidly for remote working, education, and healthcare, he emphasized.
Jabour said that the current COVID-19 pandemic, the wider conditions that the world is currently facing, the growing demand for advanced technologies, and how the Internet of Things is being used more day after day, have all led to the urgent need for 5G technology services in the Kingdom.
This has led the Authority to conduct meetings and discussions with telecommunication companies to study the possibility of introducing 5G networks within the services they provide. As a proactive step, the Authority has allocated frequencies that aim to conduct technical experiments.
Dr. Al Jabour has stated to PETRA that at the beginning of the pandemic’s effect, the Authority had granted telecommunication operators in the Kingdom multi-beams in different systems bands with the aim of using them to increase the capacity of their radio communication networks. This had a positive impact on improving the quality of all the telecommunications services provided to users, including data transmission services and the Internet.
Dr. Al Jabour highlighted that the Authority, in its capacity as the regulator of the ICT sector, has been pushing for introducing and keeping up with the latest developments in the use of new radio communication networks in the Kingdom, especially after confirming the effectiveness of innovative technical solutions and providing them commercially in global markets. The Authority believes that there is great importance in adopting 5G technology services in the coming years, considering the nature of the services it supports.
Mobile services through 5G technology began to spread in 2019 across the Middle East, and this technology will become the general trend for the financial and business world, as well as everyday life. Improving ICT infrastructure, particularly network developments to enhance 5G technology, is inevitable, especially since these networks not only provide high communication and download speeds, but have proven to be a driving force to develop business services for all sectors and industries.
With regards to the Authority’s discussion with companies to provide 5G services in the Kingdom, Dr. Al Jabour said it has recently provided frequency packages in the 3500 MHz frequency band to conduct experiments on operating 5G technology networks for mobile communications in the Kingdom by licensed service providers.
The Authority has also granted companies which have renewed their licenses for general frequency, a technology-neutral feature that will enable them to invest in operating the latest radio communication technology services within the Kingdom, including those related to 5G technology.
In relation to the Authority’s exposure to similar international and regional experiences in applying globally-agreed spectrum policies, Dr. Al Jabour said that the authority is familiar with the best practices implemented regionally and internationally when it comes to planning, allocating, and licensing rare spectrum resources.
This has been implemented by conducting consultations, exchanging experiences, and holding coordination meetings through participation in global and regional radio meetings and conferences with The Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), affiliated with the League of Arab States, and the Member States in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
In terms of the Authority having plans and incentives to encourage companies to provide 5G services in an attractive method and well thought out prices, Dr. Al Jabour said that the Authority is currently in talks with companies operating in the ICT sector and other government entities concerned with studying measures that can facilitate investment in the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector; providing the best and latest services to users with the highest quality and reasonable prices.
In this context, the experiences of purchasing spectrum for 3G and 4G networks inside and outside of Jordan have proven to be a significant investment, if not a life changing one for mobile operators. There is no doubt that telecom operators make many of their investment decisions with regards to 5G and other future technologies based on their past experiences.
Dr. Al Jabour stressed that government entities and telecom service provides need to agree to provide 5G technology capabilities as Jordan continues to enhance its ICT infrastructure in line with the Jordan 2025 economic development plan.
Based on this, the decisions to allocate and license 5G spectrum is key to achieving this goal. He added that technology can, with its huge potential, support economic diversification in Jordan and other countries in the region with the right regulatory foundation.
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In an interview with Petra, Al Jabour said: "The foundation of our digital economy is connectivity. Today, 5G connectivity is accelerating innovation across the global economy, and will soon make its mark in Jordan."
The current COVID-19 situation has already underscored this point as demand for network usage and data increases rapidly for remote working, education, and healthcare, he emphasized.
Jabour said that the current COVID-19 pandemic, the wider conditions that the world is currently facing, the growing demand for advanced technologies, and how the Internet of Things is being used more day after day, have all led to the urgent need for 5G technology services in the Kingdom.
This has led the Authority to conduct meetings and discussions with telecommunication companies to study the possibility of introducing 5G networks within the services they provide. As a proactive step, the Authority has allocated frequencies that aim to conduct technical experiments.
Dr. Al Jabour has stated to PETRA that at the beginning of the pandemic’s effect, the Authority had granted telecommunication operators in the Kingdom multi-beams in different systems bands with the aim of using them to increase the capacity of their radio communication networks. This had a positive impact on improving the quality of all the telecommunications services provided to users, including data transmission services and the Internet.
Dr. Al Jabour highlighted that the Authority, in its capacity as the regulator of the ICT sector, has been pushing for introducing and keeping up with the latest developments in the use of new radio communication networks in the Kingdom, especially after confirming the effectiveness of innovative technical solutions and providing them commercially in global markets. The Authority believes that there is great importance in adopting 5G technology services in the coming years, considering the nature of the services it supports.
Mobile services through 5G technology began to spread in 2019 across the Middle East, and this technology will become the general trend for the financial and business world, as well as everyday life. Improving ICT infrastructure, particularly network developments to enhance 5G technology, is inevitable, especially since these networks not only provide high communication and download speeds, but have proven to be a driving force to develop business services for all sectors and industries.
With regards to the Authority’s discussion with companies to provide 5G services in the Kingdom, Dr. Al Jabour said it has recently provided frequency packages in the 3500 MHz frequency band to conduct experiments on operating 5G technology networks for mobile communications in the Kingdom by licensed service providers.
The Authority has also granted companies which have renewed their licenses for general frequency, a technology-neutral feature that will enable them to invest in operating the latest radio communication technology services within the Kingdom, including those related to 5G technology.
In relation to the Authority’s exposure to similar international and regional experiences in applying globally-agreed spectrum policies, Dr. Al Jabour said that the authority is familiar with the best practices implemented regionally and internationally when it comes to planning, allocating, and licensing rare spectrum resources.
This has been implemented by conducting consultations, exchanging experiences, and holding coordination meetings through participation in global and regional radio meetings and conferences with The Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), affiliated with the League of Arab States, and the Member States in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
In terms of the Authority having plans and incentives to encourage companies to provide 5G services in an attractive method and well thought out prices, Dr. Al Jabour said that the Authority is currently in talks with companies operating in the ICT sector and other government entities concerned with studying measures that can facilitate investment in the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector; providing the best and latest services to users with the highest quality and reasonable prices.
In this context, the experiences of purchasing spectrum for 3G and 4G networks inside and outside of Jordan have proven to be a significant investment, if not a life changing one for mobile operators. There is no doubt that telecom operators make many of their investment decisions with regards to 5G and other future technologies based on their past experiences.
Dr. Al Jabour stressed that government entities and telecom service provides need to agree to provide 5G technology capabilities as Jordan continues to enhance its ICT infrastructure in line with the Jordan 2025 economic development plan.
Based on this, the decisions to allocate and license 5G spectrum is key to achieving this goal. He added that technology can, with its huge potential, support economic diversification in Jordan and other countries in the region with the right regulatory foundation.
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