Bahamas seeks comment on draft roadmap to enable 5G deployment

The Bahamas launched a consultation process regarding a draft roadmap to enable 5G deployment.

The goal is to collect input from market players to identify any regulatory and policy issues that might need to be addressed ahead of a 5G launch, according to a statement by public utilities regulator URCA, which manages the process.

The draft said mobile operators will likely follow a gradual transition to 5G rather than implement an immediate change in network configuration. 

URCA said the first path for thetechnology would not be pure, or standalone (SA) 5G, but rather the non-standalone (NSA) version that uses network assets and infrastructure in place.

“This will allow devices to access both 4G and 5G networks simultaneously using the same spectrum. This gradual transition to 5G may permit mobile operators to spread investment costs over a longer period of time, allowing operators to assess how the demand for 5G evolves over time,” it said.

URCA said that the implementation of 5G will require time and a “non-trivial” amount of investment by operators to upgrade existing networks and infrastructures.

In late 2023, URCA carried out a first consultation process looking to assess demand for 5G-enabled services. 

That process “revealed that end users are primarily focused on receiving reliable internet access at decent speeds, with the main future demand use cases being tourism and national security/law enforcement,” said the watchdog.

Based on the first consultation, URCA said that local operators view 5G as a natural evolution to improve network capacity but emphasized the need for a “supportive” regulatory and policy environment to facilitate rollout in due time.

The authority said the new stage comprises stakeholder meetings, the consultation on the draft framework and finalization of the framework.

See the full draft in the Documents box in the top-right corner.

Comments must be submitted to URCA by 5pm on October 7 via mail or email info@urcabahamas.bs.