On November 12th, Dr. Rikin Thakker, MMTC Vice President of Telecommunications and Spectrum Policy, moderated a panel discussion on “Winning the Global Race to 5G: Why it all Comes Down to Policy and the Pace of Infrastructure Deployment” at the DC5G Summit.The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has publicly stated that its primary mission over the next few years is to ensure that the United States wins the race to full 5G deployment, while allowing private industry to ultimately determine how it will be done. This presents a unique challenge for the U.S. telecommunications industry - how can it get investment capital, government policy, and commercial markets moving at the same speed to outpace international infrastructure developments? How can industry leverage government support in a way that puts the nation at an advantage in the race to 5G?
Panelists included Qualcomm Senior Vice President of Spectrum Strategy and Technology Policy Dean Brenner, Intelsat US Senior Vice President of Strategy and Asset Management Bruno Fromont , Crown Castle Senior Government Relations Counsel Bob Ritter, and CommScope Vice President of Global Strategy and Business Development Trevor Smith.
The panelists thoroughly addressed the questions raised in the panel, and Dr. Thakker provided a succinct summary of the biggest takeaway:
“It is certain that no country wants to be left behind in the global race to 5G,” he said. “However, the panelists agree that ‘race’ is an accurate descriptor of the fervor with which countries are scrambling to lead the way in 5G development, deployment, and adoption. Regulations that help boost small cells deployment and increase spectrum availability will certainly help the U.S. strengthen the two biggest factors that will determine who the leader is in this race.”
Watch a video excerpt of the panel here.
