White House to Retool Pentagon Airwaves for 5G Networks -- Update
August 10 2020 - 7:11PM
Dow Jones News
By Drew FitzGerald
The Trump administration on Monday outlined a plan to
commercialize a broad swath of military radio frequencies for use
in next-generation 5G networks, yielding to cellphone carriers that
have sought the spectrum for their own use.
The White House plan would arrange for the Federal
Communications Commission to auction 100 megahertz of prized
mid-band spectrum starting in December 2021, allowing telecom
companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications to bid
on licenses for them. The telecom industry has long sought the
rights for more mid-band spectrum, which is considered ideal for
new fifth-generation wireless signals because of its extensive
bandwidth and reach.
"Under this administration's approach, the American private
sector will continue to build the next 5G networks," White House
technology adviser Michael Kratsios said during a telephone
briefing with reporters.
The framework, if adopted, would strike a rare compromise among
the Pentagon, FCC and other Trump administration agencies that have
sometimes squabbled over federal 5G policies. Department of Defense
officials resisted past efforts to turn over its reserved
frequencies to the private sector. The mid-band spectrum at issue
serves naval radar systems, missile control and air traffic, among
other uses.
The latest compromise grew from a new multiagency task force
launched within the past year to coordinate the use of mid-band
spectrum, according to people familiar with the matter. Other
countries, including China, have already commercialized that
mid-band spectrum.
Recent technological advances have made it possible for telecom
companies to send data over shared military frequencies when
high-priority users like aircraft carriers aren't using them. An
ongoing auction of nearby spectrum has shown that mid-band
frequencies are in high demand. That auction for Citizens Broadband
Radio Service licenses had fetched more than $3 billion in bids by
late Monday.
The Department of Defense agreed to subject its next auction to
fewer restrictions than those governing the CBRS band. Industry
experts expect another swath of unrelated mid-band spectrum to
fetch tens of billions of dollars in another auction set to kick
off in December.
Meredith Attwell Baker, chief of the wireless industry
association CTIA, welcomed Monday's move to open more airwaves to
"full power commercial operations," meaning smartphones and cell
towers could exchange data without limiting their signal
strength.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who last week visited the White House for
an unrelated event to promote telehealth services, called Monday's
decision "a key milestone in securing United States leadership in
5G."
"The FCC looks forward to moving quickly to adopt service rules
for the 3.45 GHz band and then hold an auction to bring this prime
mid-band spectrum to market," Mr. Pai said in a statement.
Write to Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 10, 2020 18:56 ET (22:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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