5G New Radio offers mobile operators access to new frequency bands, such as the C-Band, 3.3 to 4.2 GHz spectrum, as well as access to millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. This has helped operators to create 3 main spectrum categories for 5G: (i) Low Band (< 1 GHz), (ii) Mid Band (1 to 6 GHz), and (iii) High Band or mmWave (24 to 100 GHz). On the back of the growing mobile data traffic demand and the access to higher frequency bands, mobile operators can optimize their spectrum allocations to meet their rapidly changing traffic demands. T-Mobile was the first to coin the term “Layer Cake” to explain their strategy for spectrum deployment. Having an optimum spectrum strategy will be essential as data traffic management are evolving. According to ABI Research, by 2025, mobile data traffic will reach 2,700 exabytes (EB), growing at a CAGR of about 35% from 2021 to 2025.
