At the Caribbean Spectrum Management Conference held in Jamaica earlier this year, the Cayman Islands was recognized as a leader in the region when it comes to wireless broadband connectivity, and both Flow and Digicel launched 5G services in June.
Speaking at the conference, Richard Marsden, senior managing director at NERA Economic Consulting, highlighted the need to provide available spectrum bandwidth to operators, saying: “When you look at Caribbean countries in terms of the amount of spectrum they have released for mobile, there is quite a bit of variation. The Cayman Islands is unusual in the region in terms of having released spectrum.”
“Cayman Islands operators already have the spectrum they need to deploy the latest 5G technologies, including the deployment of high-capacity, high-speed networks using larger spectrum blocks allocated to them in the 2300, 2500 and 3500 MHz frequency bands.”
According to the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (OfReg), this means that mobile operators in the Cayman Islands have been provided with the “raw materials” they need to build cutting edge connectivity solutions: “It is now their responsibility to invest in the infrastructure that will deliver the next generation of wireless services to both consumers and businesses, enabling applications such as virtual reality, 3D streaming and calling, distance learning and healthcare.”
OfReg acting CEO Sonji Myles said planning and preparation are key to ensuring the potential of 5G is harnessed: “The Cayman Islands will be one of the first countries to bring 5G network services online for consumers and businesses across the region and we naturally expect that the necessary planning and preparations have been done to ensure it is fit for purpose.”
He explained: “An entirely new cellular technology network is not just a matter of installing new equipment and switching it on. Before any of that can happen, the available radio spectrum must be carefully planned and managed.”
“As the industry regulator, OfReg’s role is to free up that bandwidth and allocate it effectively to ensure operators’ and licensees’ networks have the capacity to deliver the innovative new opportunities that 5G brings. We are working to monitor and assess the secure operation, the performance of 5G connections and whether licensees are complying with their obligations under the conditions of their licence.”
