Happy New Year and welcome to the first GTPRN newsletter of 2025! In this issue, we present key insights and discussions on the latest developments in telecom policy, spectrum management, and artificial intelligence. We are very grateful to our distinguished authors and are proud as well to provide our readers with our biggest issue till today with seven exclusive articles from some of the most prestigious names in the industry.
We cannot get enough of our favorite author, Prof. William Webb, which has recently published the seminal book, “The end of Telecoms History”, a must read of any telecom policy researcher. A critical review of the book can be found at the Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy. Check Prof. Webb Article in this issue “Time for Some Radical Thinking at UHF?”
The billionaires space race between Amazon’s Kuiper and SpaceX’s Starlink has highlighted the concept of NTN and D2D in the telecom debate. In this issue, Prof. Rob Frieden, Academy and Emeritus Professor of Telecommunications and Law at Penn State University, and the honorable Chairman of GTPRN Board, highlights in his latest article “Creating Effective Incentives to Conserve and Safeguard Space Resources Before It’s Too Late” several important aspects related to the space race including uncertainties elements in the Five U.N. Space Treaties and challenges related to ITU Consensus Building on Spectrum.
It is worth mentioning that Rob Frieden has recently been awarded the prize of “Distinguished Researcher” at PTC-25, the annual conference that focused this year on fiber networks, satellite communications, and subsea infrastructure. PTC has a very active research community under the leadership of Prof. Heather Hudson, Prof. Elizabeth Fife, and Prof. Jeniffer Sunrise, and their PTC young scholar program is an important milestone for any emerging telecom policy researcher. More information on PTC-25 can be found here.
A more technical overview on D2D challenges is provided by John Pahl, CEO of Transfinite, and the author of the famous book “Interference Analysis: Modelling Radio Systems for Spectrum Management” which is considered as the handbook for researcher interested in conducting technical studies especially within the ITU realm.
Artificial Intelligence is at the heart of several debates within the academia and the industry, and in this issue, we have the privilege of featuring the founder of the AI Universal Council, Mr. George Victor, an initiative focusing on responsible AI with his inspiring article “The AI Energy Paradox: Advancing Sustainability vs. Climate Footprint”. The AI Universal Council was also founded by Mr. Naser AlRashdi, a well-known leader in the MENA region with great influence in the field of space regulation and spectrum management. We cannot get enough of AI and we welcome again the contribution of Dr. Ahmed Shalaby on Macroeconomics of AI. One must admit that it is rare to find a heart surgeon who is also an expert in digital transformation!
GTPRN is lucky also to feature in this issue two of the biggest names in telecom consulting, Plum and Coleago, which have been instrumental in framing many elements of telecom management in enormous countries with a focus on niche topics such as spectrum management. Stefan Zehle, CEO of Coleago Consulting, argues in his article “Policy and Regulatory Actions Required to Deliver True 5G” that the current 5G deployments fail to meet the true promise of high-speed, ultra-reliable connectivity. Selçuk Kırtay and Tim Miller of Plum examine in their article “Defense Radio Spectrum Use – Overview of Key Issues” the complexities of spectrum allocation for military applications, balancing national security needs with growing commercial demands.
We are very thrilled to announce the launch of GTPRN YouTube channel with four main webinars that have been successfully conducted recently. You can check more details on the webinars later in this issue and you may watch their recordings at our YouTube Channel.
Finally, you are more than welcome to join our Facebook or LinkedIn Groups, follow us on twitter @GlobalGtprn, or to subscribe directly to our website www.gtprn.org where you have the chance to comment on each article or post.
Take care and stay safe.
GTPRN Team – [email protected]