This is a Final Project submitted as a requirement for completing GSMA Online Course on 5G The Path to the Next Generation

1. Regulatory Implications of 5G
Network Rollout: In context of the
Telecommunications Environment in
Oman
Submitted as a Final Project for GSMA 5G Path to the Next Generation - Online Course
Abdullah Qamar
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
Sultanate of Oman

2. The transition to 5th generation of mobile communications technology is set
to revolutionize the current communications landscape. It is set to provide
unprecedented improvements in network capabilities by enabling ultra-fast,
low latency communications having the capability to connect millions of
devices. This will create a new paradigm shift in the communications
industry while giving rise to new challenges and opportunities. While the
benefits of 5G technology cannot be underscored, governments and
regulators must devise policies to better prepare themselves to effectively
address the implications of 5G network rollout keeping in view the desired
outcomes. In this project, we explore such potential regulatory implications
in context of the telecommunications market of Oman.

3. The regulatory implications discussed are as following:
Spectrum
Allocation
Infrastruct
ure
Sharing
Coverage
Revenue
Models

4. Spectrum
Allocation

5. The key to successful spectrum allocation for 5G radio access lies in global harmony to use these
bands for wireless mobile communications. This implies significant collaborative work for national
regulatory and standardization bodies globally to agree on the new frequency bands in the millimeter
wave spectrum, which is set to be finalized in WRC-19 [2]
Three frequency bands have been identified as
critical for 5G use-cases and realization of its
full potential [4]:
• Sub 1 GHz
• 1-6 GHZ
• Above 6 GHz
In Oman, the two mobile network operators have been allocated 100 MHz of spectrum each in
the 3.5 GHz band for commercial use. The initial deployment of 5G is expected to be in FBB
category which is in harmony with the global industry consensus. However, the challenge could
arise on permitting the use of mobile 5G spectrum for fixed wireless access use cases.
Ericsson [7]

6. Infrastructure
Sharing

7. Economics of site densification [1] – Use of small cells, in-buildings and on street furniture, would be
necessary to provide seamless connectivity with high data throughput. But small cell sites are not
easy to find and site owners may gain significant bargaining power over network operators [3]. The
challenges arising from this trend are:
Site owners making exclusive or restrictive arrangements – This may lead to significant competitive
disadvantage in downstream competition for some network operators in a collection of locations
falling under common control e.g. street lamps. Therefore any anti-competitive practice concerning
these ‘pivotal sites’ would be more critical for regulators to remedy. Possible remedies could be to
oblige site owners to grant physical access to the site on non-discriminatory basis to all MNO’s, or
to oblige MNOs to offer access at wholesale level [3].
In Oman, a state-funded company, namely Oman Tower Company is
mandated to streamline investments in infrastructure and to allow for
greater flexibility in tower sharing while reducing capex and duplication of
investments

8. Coverage

9. The desired coverage outcomes are listed as following:
• Increasing connectivity to achieve near-ubiquitous coverage including urban, rural and remote
areas as defined in the NBS of Oman
• Consistency and reliability to support mission-critical use cases like self-driving cars, remote health-
care, drones
• Decreasing the digital divide
• Percentage of population coverage
• Constraints on site acquisition and deployment must be reduced
Whilst this may be desirable but in practical terms ‘mixed connectivity environment’ would continue to
exist where various forms of connectivity involving 4G and 5G integration would coexist [3]. A plan
similar to ‘The 5G Action Plan’, of EU Member States that requires 5G availability in at least one major
city, may suffice in short-term in providing opportunity to test new 5G applications and services [3].
While there are alternatives available for IoT applications in 4G such as NB-IoT and LTE-M.

10. The National Broadband Strategy aims to connect 100% of households with high-
speed broadband (10-200 Mbps) in Muscat Governorate by year 2020. In addition it
also sets an ambitious goal to connect all households of Oman by fiber broadband
by year 2030 [5]. 5G could play a major role in the realization of this goal given the
numerous challenges of connecting the rural and remote communities distributed
sparsely in mountainous geography
Oman’s NBS has three main objectives:
1. Every household in Oman has access to high-speed broadband at affordable prices
2. Businesses in Oman have access to world class broadband services
3. Rural and remote communities have access to broadband connectivity to close the
digital divide

11. These objectives are to be realized by 3 major pillars:
1. Review of telecom regulatory framework
2. Stimulating demand for broadband
3. Enhancing the broadband infrastructure
Oman has an overall score of 90.33
and ranks on 30th position in ITU’s ICT
Regulatory Tracker with 4th generation
of ICT regulations
Information Technology Authority
is the enabler of e-govt services
and Oman Digital Strategy to
stimulate demand for broadband
Oman Broadband is a govt
company mandate to rollout
national broadband infrastructure
to streamline investments
ICT Regulatory Tracker [8]

12. Revenue
Models

13. One of the most important capabilities of 5G network would be to offer new network
management possibilities that would enable a single physical network to support different
virtual networks with varying performance characteristics [3]. Network slicing would enable
different users to get tailor-made services for applications with specific requirements [3].
E.g. An emergency first responder may require treating the patient remotely before reaching
the hospital to be allocated a network slice with dedicated bandwidth with high reliability,
ultra-low latency and high throughput, where as a near by dense IoT network may prioritize
low-power consumption over low latency and high throughput [3].
This is set to give rise to the so called new industry verticals across different sectors that
have varying performance requirements. This would open new revenue streams for mobile
network operators and would also give rise to new entrants like intermediaries that could
bundle connectivity and repackage it for particular industries [3].

14. Conclusion
 The key to achieving the full potential of 5G use-cases would start by allocating sufficient spectrum
in the 3-bands identified to be the most critical and global harmony in allowing use of this spectrum
more flexibly contrary to the traditional restrictive spectrum and licensing conditions imposed in
some countries.
 The deployment of small cells and consequent cell densification in the millimeter wave spectrum
would require making right of way arrangements with municipal authorities to allow smooth rollout
of 5G in traffic hot spots. In addition, the regulator should to maintain oversight on site owners to
allow infrastructure sharing between MNOs and avoid anti-competitive practices.
 Achieving coverage targets for implementation of new applications would still require integration
with less capable previous generations of wireless communications technologies to complement
5G as one single technology cannot provide seamless connectivity in the foreseeable future.

15. References
[1] E. J. Oughton, Z. Frias, “The cost coverage and rollout implications of 5G infrastructure in Britain,”
Telecommunications Policy, vol. 42, pp. 636-652, 2018.
[2] J. Lee et al., “Spectrum for 5G: Global Status, Challenges, and Enabling Technologies,” IEEE
Communications Magazine, vol. 56, issue 3, pp. 12-18, March 2018.
[3] DotEcon Ltd, Axon Partners Group, “Study on Implications of 5G Deployment on Future Business
Models,” BEREC, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://berec.europa.eu/.../8008-study-on-implications-of-5g-
deployment-o_0.pdf
[4] GSMA, “5G Spectrum GSMA Public Policy Position,” GSMA, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.gsma.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5G-Spectrum-Positions.pdf
[5] Ministry of Transport and Communications, “National Broadband Strategy,”,2014. [Online]. Available:
https://www.motc.gov.om/files/National%20Broadband%20Strategy.pdf
[6] Huawei, “Regulations to Support 5G Innovation,” 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.huawei.com/my/about-huawei/public-policy/5g-spectrum/regulations-to-support-5g-
innovation
[7] Ericsson, “5G Radio Access,” 2016. [Online]. Available:
https://www.ericsson.com/assets/local/publications/white-papers/wp-5g.pdf
[8] ITU, “ICT Regulatory Tracker,” 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.itu.int/net4/itu-d/irt/#/tracker-
by-country/regulatory-tracker/2018