The FCC approved the sensor deployment and coverage plans of three environmental sensing capability (ESC) providers for the citizens broadband radio service band -- CommScope, Federated Wireless and Google. Standing up the ESCs is an important step toward Wi-Fi and other unlicensed operations in the 3.5 GHz band, since they protect the Naval radars that also use the spectrum (see 1904300208). “Each certified ESC must operate in conjunction with at least one Spectrum Access System (SAS) that has been approved for commercial deployment by the Commission,” said the Monday notice by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology in docket 15-19.
The citizens broadband radio service band moved another step closer to opening. NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences released final test reports to companies that participated in testing on sharing the 3.5 GHz band. “The completed tests will drive progress toward initial commercial deployments in the band, prized for its excellent mix of capacity and coverage capabilities,” blogged Keith Gremban, director of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. “With 4G LTE technology for the band available today, industry has already begun to develop specifications to support 5G deployments.” The FCC plans to use the reports to certify that the spectrum access systems are complying with its rules, Gremban said Friday. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly predicts the band will likely be the first mid-band spectrum to come online for 5G (see 1904300208).
Debate over the best plan for clearing spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band is expected to be the big draw for stakeholders during the House Communications Subcommittee's Tuesday hearing on spectrum policy issues. It won't be the only focus. Six other bands are known to be on subcommittee members' radar amid ongoing Capitol Hill interest in U.S. strategy for taking a lead role in 5G development, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The panel is set to start at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn (see 1907100069).
The 6 GHz, citizens broadband radio service and C bands got much of the attention at the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit Thursday. Another hot topic was CBRS-like sharing beyond the 3.5 GHz band. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly touched on all three bands during his keynote speech (see 1906270026).
Consensus is starting to emerge on the C band, with the different proposals getting closer together, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said at the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit Thursday. The FCC needs to get as much as 300 MHz available for 5G “as soon as possible,” O’Rielly said. “My first priority is speed,” he said.
CTIA, the Wireless Innovation Forum and Wireless ISP Association said the FCC should reject a petition by CallComm seeking reconsideration of the 2018 citizens broadband radio service order. The company, in docket 17-258, said the FCC failed to address the protected status of non-federal land mobile radiolocation licensees in the 3.5 GHz band. “Dismiss the Petition as untimely and substantively deficient,” CTIA asked: “The Petition does not identify a single issue raised or decided in the 2018 3.5 GHz Report and Order for purposes of reconsideration and instead amounts to an untimely petition for reconsideration of the Commission’s 2015 3.5 GHz Report and Order.” Due to its secondary status, CallComm “is not entitled to incumbency rights or interference protection with respect to primary services in the band, including the fixed and mobile allocations under which the [CBRS] operates,” the WinnForum said. WISPA also objected.
The 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band is unlikely to play a big role in Wi-Fi and instead will provide the unlicensed component of 5G, Martha Suarez, new president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, said in an interview. Suarez recently joined DSA after serving as general director of the National Spectrum Agency in Colombia. DSA’s global summit is this week in Washington.
Telecom and other groups opposed AT&T proposal to operate using higher power limits in parts of the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. They "express, in the strongest of terms, their policy, operational, and legal objections to AT&T’s proposed" Category C antenna, said Tuesday's letter in FCC docket 17-258. The change would let CBRS devices operate at a maximum effective isotropic radiated power of 62 dBm/10 MHz, 31 times maximum EIRP now, the letter said. “On the verge of Initial Commercial Deployments and General Authorized Access use of the band, AT&T’s ‘questions concerning whether the Commission would entertain’ such a proposal should be met with a resounding ‘NO.’” Altice USA, the American Petroleum Institute, Frontier, Motorola Solutions, Windstream and Wireless ISP Association protested the AT&T request. The company didn’t comment.
Amazon, or one of the big cable companies, may emerge as the elusive fourth wireless carrier, to satisfy DOJ concerns about T-Mobile's buying Sprint (see 1905300058), analysts said Friday. “We do not have an interest in acquiring divested spectrum from the Sprint/T-Mobile transaction,” a Comcast spokesperson said. “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation,” an Amazon spokesperson said. Analysts cited reports such players are scoping Boost, which the companies agreed to sell (see 1905200051) to get FCC clearance. Other divestitures could be forced by DOJ. Agreement is possible, New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin told us Friday. “It will be a complicated negotiation, but there should be a deal that works for everyone.” Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim “would like to approve the deal, but he has a memo from his staff highlighting competitive harms and he has 17 state [attorneys general] threatening to sue if he does approve the deal,” Chaplin said: “The easiest path forward for him would be finding concessions that address the harms and undercut a case by the state AGs. Establishing a credible fourth competitor would be the perfect solution.” Chaplin said cable will get in anyway. “They will buy spectrum,” he said: “They would also love a better [mobile virtual network operator] MVNO than they have now, one that gives them core network control.” While prospects Amazon might jump into the wireless business have caused market jitters, the threat is limited, said Wells Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche. “Spectrum is the life blood of a wireless network -- and while [Amazon] could buy some spectrum divestitures if required to get this done -- it is impossible for us to see how it will amass the necessary spectrum to mirror that of the wireless incumbents,” she told investors. “That the DOJ has forced T-Mobile to contemplate such a transaction suggests the DOJ has signaled that without such a deal, it will file a complaint,” New Street’s Blair Levin told investors. “How much T-Mobile is willing to give up to proceed," he asked. Negotiations are likely just getting started and there are some big questions, Levin said. “We don’t know whether Cable or Amazon are seriously interested or want to see what might be available now or, if the deal doesn’t go forward, from Sprint in the future. ... We don’t know if the Cable players are willing to agree to the terms of a joint venture necessary to make the new entrant a national player.” Barclays' Kannan Venkateshwar noted analysts there have made the case for “convergence between the application layer and the network layer … where we had argued that over the long term, there was a high likelihood of companies such as Amazon and Google getting into wireless.” Amazon and Google are testing in some bands, including the citizens broadband radio service band, Barclays said.
While still hoping to see up to 300 MHz of the C band freed up for 5G use, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly on Saturday said he's amenable to clearing 200 MHz now and a structure that sees more opened up in the future. He said at the FCBA annual retreat that his top priority is clearing the band as quickly as possible. Panels at the event in Hot Springs, Virginia, also covered topics ranging from cybersecurity to autonomous vehicles.