Post by Global 5G Evolution

A recent report by the GSMA highlights a striking paradox in the Philippines' telecommunications landscape: despite having 1,005 MHz of assigned low- and mid-band spectrum—the highest in Southeast Asia—and a decade of operator CapEx averaging 29% (well above the APAC average of 20%), mobile download speeds lag at just 77 Mbps compared to the 162 Mbps average of global peers with similar spectral assets. The primary bottleneck is severe spectrum fragmentation across core bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2.3 GHz, and 2.6 GHz), where a patchwork of legacy 2G assignments and in-band guard bands restricts operators from deploying the wider, contiguous channels necessary for efficient 4G and 5G performance. To bridge this gap and meet the targets of the National Digital Connectivity Plan, the GSMA advocates for an accelerated, regulator-led spectrum defragmentation initiative championed by the DICT and NTC. Consolidating these bands into contiguous blocks mirrors successful turnarounds in markets like Australia and Indonesia, offering a capital-efficient, fast-tracked route to immediately boost network capacity, lower operator CapEx/OpEx, reduce carbon emissions, and pave the way for seamless transition to advanced mobile technologies. Given that spectrum defragmentation is fundamentally faster and more capital-efficient than opening entirely new frequency bands, how can the DICT and NTC best incentivize local operators to collaborate on a coordinated restacking process without disrupting active legacy services? Let’s discuss in the comments. 👇 More updates: 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 Cloud AI-Native, EDGE virtual conference. https://lnkd.in/gUEAYb45 ♻️ Repost to help your network get started 👉Subscribe to #global5gevolution newsletter https://lnkd.in/ge9gsyjE 👉Subscribe to our YouTube https://lnkd.in/g8M7YvKq 👉Follow us on Kaneshwaran Govindasamy & Global 5G Evolution 👉Click comments