Legal/Regulatory Framework for 5G and

IoT

Key issues and considerations

Professor William Webb

August 2019

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IoT and 5G are not the same thing
• IoT and 5G likely to be separate until at least 2022 when 5G might introduce
MMC
• Important to promote IoT now because it is needed by industry, it will drive 5G
IoT and promote innovation
• So two separate legal and regulatory frameworks needed

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Legal and regulatory differ but
overlap
• Legal involves:
– Privacy
– Security
– Rights and permissions (eg planning)
• Regulatory involves:
– Spectrum
– Numbering
– Competition
– Obligations

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First step in designing a framework
is to clarify objectives
• What does the regulator / Government want to achieve?
– Consumer benefits – lowest cost, widest range of services (competition)
– Citizen benefits – coverage everywhere, ability to be a digital citizen (obligations)
– Industry benefits – provision of leading-edge wireless services to enable industry to flourish (self-
provision)
– Innovation benefits – seen as a leading hub for digital innovation attracting inward investment and
upskilling industry / populace (investment, tax advantages)
• It is not possible to have it all – prioritisation is needed

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There is a strong local/national
tension
• Key consideration for both IoT and 5G is national versus local
• IoT could be national (NB-IoT) or local (LoRa, Weightless)
• 5G will be national but could also be self-deployed in buildings, factories, oil
refineries, communities, etc
• Mix of licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum (DSA) to enable both of these
in the most popular bands to lower costs and ease device availability

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The business case is increasingly
fragile
• Biggest problem is often the business case so need to keep costs low
• Consider beauty contests for spectrum
• Allow spectrum sharing, network sharing, single networks in key regions
• Reduce bureaucracy especially around planning permission, access to
backhaul, street furniture, etc
• You can take a horse to water….

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What I would do
• Encourage IoT, the most immediate opportunity, by making unlicensed
spectrum available and through Government procurement of substantial
package of services
• Enable 5G but do not try to accelerate – the business case is difficult and better
to let other countries figure this out then be a fast follower
• Open innovation centres to create centres of excellence – relatively low cost
and could build a digital hub
• Aggressively reduce regulation/bureaucracy around network implementation –
this can only help

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