Federated Wireless Promotes 4.4–4.94 GHz Band for 6G
Federated Wireless, a longtime proponent of the 3.55-3.7 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, urged policymakers to look instead at 4 GHz as they seek to put together a spectrum pipeline for the future. The revised budget reconciliation package, which was signed into law in July, exempts the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands from reallocation, but not CBRS (see 2507070045).
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The 4.4–4.94 GHz band “offers a timely and strategic opportunity for the United States to lead the world into the 6G era,” Federated said in a paper released Thursday. “With growing international alignment, a clean regulatory starting point, and federal operations that are concentrated” within DOD “and technically well-understood, this band presents a uniquely solvable spectrum opportunity,” the paper said.
Federated noted DOD’s strong opposition to use of the lower 3.1–3.45 GHz segment for 6G, which makes the broader 3 GHz spectrum less suitable for licensed wireless use. The question of “whether and how” DOD “will support commercial access is unresolved,” the paper said. DOD has signaled that any transition “would involve years of technical analysis, coordination, and investment, with no meaningful policy clarity expected before 2033.” Until the broader 3 GHz band is “technically harmonized and institutionally aligned -- it is premature to build a national 6G strategy around it,” Federated said.