5G: the rural opportunity

Plum was engaged by a UK-based wireless services operator, to assess new commercial models for 5G deployment and assess related benefits in rural areas. Our work included detailed review of emerging regulation on spectrum management and policy issues. We also carried out primary research to assess stakeholders’ needs in rural areas, and built commercial and[…]

High performance wireless broadband: an opportunity for rural and enterprise 5G

Plum was commissioned jointly by UKWISPA[1] and INCA[2] to conduct an independent and updated assessment of the potential benefits of fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies, for provision of broadband services in the UK market. Our focus has been directed towards review of the performance levels available with modern commercially available FWA solutions. Within the study,[…]

How can Europe succeed in 5G?

It is fairly well known now that the ‘traditional’ cellular investment thesis breaks down when run with both 5G financial and engineering numbers, driven by ongoing traffic growth, insufficient cost efficiency improvements, and weak top line growth. Whilst some say that traffic growth may slow once we plateau on video, this is uncertain. Virtual reality[…]

All change: how 5G will shake up spectrum management

Although the technology underpinning 5G is still in development, it is likely to offer additional capacity and efficiency in the radio access network much as preceding generations have. However, with ever-growing traffic demand, challenging competition, and the rise of OTT services, operators are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain healthy business margins. There is uncertainty[…]