Manx Telecom says there is no strong mandate to move to 5G - and its focus is currently on investing in the fibre infrastructure on which a next generation network will rely.
In October last year, Tynwald unanimously approved a National Telecoms Strategy which outlines the need for high speed broadband and supports the delivery of fibre and 5G.
Tynwald members were told at a presentation in June that 5G is scheduled to be ’fully standardised and ratified’ at the end of 2019.
5G, the fifth generation of mobile networks, is designed to meet the large growth in data and the connectivity required by modern applications including smart homes, smart cars and smart phones.
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But campaign groups claim there are health risks, although public health officials insist current scientific evidence does not support the idea that 5G is harmful.
Manx Telecom’s chief commercial officer Ed Jennings said there was no ’strong mandate to move to 5G’.
He told Manx Radio: ’We are very happy with the speeds and service we currently offer to customers now with our enhanced 4G network.
’In terms of a mandate to move, there isn’t such a strong mandate. To really do 5G you need to get the backbone of your network right. You need to get fibre connecting all of the different 5G sites and that’s where our focus is and that’s where the government’s focus is.’
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The first 5G network in the UK went live in May this year. At first it will work with existing 4G networks, with stand-alone networks developing as use and coverage grows.
It is expected that in the Isle of Man that the key bands for delivery of 5G will be 700MHz and 3.6GHz, which is at the lower end of the frequency range, using frequencies already in use here.
The Communications Commission is currently working on releasing these bands for licensing.
And the Cabinet Office has been consulting on changes to planning rules to accelerate the installation of new telecom networks such as fibre and 5G.
Minutes from strategic board meetings for the Promenade redevelopment scheme reveal that the scheme has been designed for 5G. And they show that the 12m-high columns that will be placed at 250m intervals along the entire length of the seaward side of the prom have already been delivered.
A spokesman for the MT said the company supports the government’s stated aims detailed in the National Telecommunications Strategy which makes it clear the immediate priority is high quality internet access, and 5G will need fibre-based infrastructure.
He said: ’As the market leader in fibre provision on the island, Manx Telecom will therefore continue to focus on increasing investment in fibre and rate of delivery as the most immediate priority.’