The government of New Zealand said that the spectrum will be available for long term use around May 2026

New Zealand’s Radio Spectrum Management agency (RSM) has unveiled its high-level allocation decisions for the 24-30 GHz radio spectrum range, following a consultation process in 2021.

In a release, RSM noted that this decision “is intended to provide the mobile and satellite industries with certainty on which portions of spectrum will be available for what purposes in the long-term, allowing industry to plan accordingly.”

The New Zealand government stated that the 24.25-27.5 GHz spectrum range will be primarily allocated for mobile use, with the option to include some satellite services in some areas under technical conditions.

Meanwhile, the 28 GHz band will be split uptwo portions. The 27.5-28.35 GHz spectrum range will follow a sharing model between mobile and satellite services, while the 28.35-29.5 GHz spectrum range will be primarily allocated for satellite services, with the option to include some mobile use under technical conditions.

“We have heard from both mobile and satellite industries that each foresee substantial need for this spectrum in future. This initial high level allocation decision aims to balance these interests, with each industry receiving an opportunity to access spectrum in a portion of the bands, with a further portion of the band being allocated for shared use between both industries,” RSM said.

“We are working towards making this spectrum available for long term use around May 2026. A work program including technical work, industry consultation and assignment processes, regulatory design and further decision making, will occur between now and 2026,” RSM added.

The government also said that satellite service providers who hold current licenses will be allowed to apply for extensions until May 2026, so they may continue providing services to New Zealand for the interim.

In May, the government of New Zealand said it has signed contracts with local carriers Spark, 2Degrees and One New Zealand to accelerate the roll-out of 5G services to small towns across New Zealand and improve rural connectivity.

The government said that the country’s three mobile network operators each received 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, which according to the authorities, is sufficient radio spectrum for all three companies to operate nationwide 5G networks.

The government also confirmed that Dense Air New Zealand, which had been in negotiations for long-term spectrum rights, had decided to withdraw from the process. The long-term rights to the 3.5 GHz spectrum band for 5G services were expected to comeeffect on July 1, 2023, following the expiration of the short-term rights granted in October 2022