Spectrum: the Climate Connection
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Spectrum policy and carbon emissions
The potential for spectrum policy to help tackle climate change has recently garnered increased interest and focus among regulators. Efficient use of spectrum can lead to a reduction in carbon emissions while simultaneously generating economic benefits to society. Inefficient spectrum policy can raise the cost of building and operating mobile networks and lower the adoption of emission-saving technologies.
This report examines the impact of four spectrum policy aspects that can vary between countries: the timeliness of spectrum assignments; amount of spectrum assigned; level of fragmentation; and flexibility to use spectrum for different technologies.
The analysis helps gain an understanding of how efficient spectrum policy can support the race to net zero, reducing the carbon emissions of the mobile sector and increasing mobile’s enablement effect in helping other sectors tackle climate change.
Related research
The impact of spectrum pricing in Bangladesh
At around 16%, Bangladesh’s spectrum-cost-to-revenue ratio exceeds the Asia Pacific median (10.4%) and is twice as high as the global median (7.7%). High spectrum cost has been shown to negatively impact consumer outcomes, such as network coverage and speeds. Reducing prices by 50% would align spectrum costs closer to the Asia Pacific median at about 12% by 2035, boosting 4G speeds by 17% and enabling 99% 5G coverage, yielding a cumulative $34 billion GDP boost. Aligning costs to the global median of 8% of operators’ revenue would increase 4G speeds by 22% and accelerate 5G rollout further, generating a $45 billion GDP boost.
Network Sunsets, Q2 2025
This quarterly series leverages GSMA Intelligence data on network sunsets to identify the key trends and understand the future. The report outlines the latest developments in network sunsets. The data provided here covers network sunsets by year, technology and region. The report also spotlights the momentum in 2G/3G network sunsets in the context of total active 2G/3G networks globally.
Spectrum Pricing in the 5G Era: Türkiye
As demand for mobile data accelerates, spectrum policy will play a decisive role in determining whether Türkiye can keep pace with international connectivity standards or fall behind.
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Learn moreRelated research
The impact of spectrum pricing in Bangladesh
At around 16%, Bangladesh’s spectrum-cost-to-revenue ratio exceeds the Asia Pacific median (10.4%) and is twice as high as the global median (7.7%). High spectrum cost has been shown to negatively impact consumer outcomes, such as network coverage and speeds. Reducing prices by 50% would align spectrum costs closer to the Asia Pacific median at about 12% by 2035, boosting 4G speeds by 17% and enabling 99% 5G coverage, yielding a cumulative $34 billion GDP boost. Aligning costs to the global median of 8% of operators’ revenue would increase 4G speeds by 22% and accelerate 5G rollout further, generating a $45 billion GDP boost.
Network Sunsets, Q2 2025
This quarterly series leverages GSMA Intelligence data on network sunsets to identify the key trends and understand the future. The report outlines the latest developments in network sunsets. The data provided here covers network sunsets by year, technology and region. The report also spotlights the momentum in 2G/3G network sunsets in the context of total active 2G/3G networks globally.
Spectrum Pricing in the 5G Era: Türkiye
As demand for mobile data accelerates, spectrum policy will play a decisive role in determining whether Türkiye can keep pace with international connectivity standards or fall behind.
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