During what remains to be a critical time to stay connected around the world, over 325 industry and government leaders connected at the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance's [6] (DSA's) Global Summit 2020 to discuss spectrum sharing innovations and technologies.

As global demand increases for both greater capacity and rural connectivity, a wide range of innovations and spectrum sharing technologies and frameworks, from TV White Spaces, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) to Wi-Fi 6 and 3D spectrum management in mmWaves, are being shared as industry delegates and government regulators discuss next steps for wider adoption.

"A record high attendance at this year's Global Summit represents the demand and need for collaboration and innovation to enable greater connectivity - especially during this year, where our work, education and healthcare have been reliant on it," said Martha Suárez, President of the DSA. "With over half of all the connections to the Internet starting or ending with Wi-Fi access, the utilization of the 6 GHz band has been a key focus in making efficient use of spectrum, providing economic and social benefits, and facilitating the deployment of Wi-Fi 6 to meet growing capacity demands."

To address the current global situation, Mario Maniewicz, Director, Radiocommunication Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), presented the ITU's response to the effects faced by the unconnected in a post COVID-19 world. In a later session, diverse technologies and regulatory initiatives were explored to connect the unconnected in both rural and urban areas with speakers from the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) Mexico, Amazon, Microsoft and Loon.

Concluding the Global Summit today is a diverse panel of speakers representing different regional groups responsible for spectrum harmonization like the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT), the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT). Together, they discuss about the preparation of the World Radiocommunications Conference WRC-23 and some regional initiatives to modernize spectrum management and create the right conditions for different innovative technologies to grow.

The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance award winners have also been announced, recognizing the efforts of individuals and institutions who are committed to furthering innovation, accelerating digital inclusion and exploring new opportunities for dynamic spectrum access:

* Communications Authority of Kenya (Innovation in Dynamic Spectrum Access Policies)
* Secretaría de Innovación, Gobierno De El Salvador (Increasing Digital Innovation)
* Mr. Paul Garnett, Founder and CEO, The Vernonburg Group (Lifetime Achievement Award)
* Universidad Santo Tomás de Bogota (Research on New Opportunities for Dynamic Spectrum Access)

Suárez commented: "We congratulate all the winners, every action supporting wider and affordable connectivity is relevant and they have championed the adoption of innovative technologies benefiting those that are still not digitally included."

To continue driving forward dynamic spectrum sharing progress, information and research is key and the DSA is committed in providing relevant information to spectrum management authorities. The Alliance has announced the release of its three new studies, one assessing the economic value of unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band in Brazil by Telecom Advisory Services LLC, a second one about the role of Wi-Fi in Brazil as the key technology to meet the increase in online activity due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19 by Access Partnership, Finally, a third whitepaper about how to realise the full potential of 6 GHz spectrum, particularly focused on Europe, Middle East and Africa (ITU Region 1).
The full studies are available at the DSA Website.

For further information about the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and the Global Summit 2020, please visit the website or follow @DynamicSpectrum
and #DSAGlobalSummit on Twitter [8] for the latest reactions and discussions.

The full virtual Global Summit sessions are available on demand on the DSA website [9] and YouTube channel.