The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) has confirmed that two telecommunications companies in Jersey will be recommended for licences to operate Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Phone Services in the Island following a formal application process.
The JCRA has been progressing local plans for 5G throughout 2022, consulting on plans to licence the radio spectrum needed to deploy new services in the Island. After establishing a chosen approach, the JCRA invited interested local operators to apply for the spectrum packages being made available.
This invitation to tender (ITT) process closed in November, with an appointed evaluation panel reviewing applications to determine whether they meet a series of requirements established as necessary to run 5G services.
The JCRA has now announced that applications from JT and Sure have been accepted. The next step in the process is making recommendations to the UK communications regulator Ofcom, which has responsibility for licensing Jersey’s radio spectrum, to award 5G spectrum to JT and Sure. This is expected to happen in 2023.
During 2023, the JCRA also plans to run a another ITT for further spectrum, intended for Island-wide networks providing publicly available services for the maximum number of users.
Tim Ringsdore, CEO of the JCRA, said: “We are pleased to confirm the outcome of our application process for 5G spectrum licences in Jersey and make important progress towards Islanders being able to access next generation mobile services.
“There has been a lot of internal focus and effort made to reach this point, supported by welcome involvement and commitment of local telecoms operators and UK communications regulator Ofcom. We are looking forward to concluding the licensing process next year.”
5G is the latest international mobile telephone standard, developed to significantly improve mobile broadband speeds and greatly increase the quantity of devices connecting wirelessly to the internet. Operators envisage its introduction will aid the development of new applications including driverless cars and smart home appliances.
