NTIA and DoD report: Spectrum Sharing strategy for users of lower 37 GHz band
In a new 31-page report, the U.S. NTIA and the DoD offered spectrum sharing recommendations for federal and non-federal users in the lower 37GHz band. The NTIA is the government agency that handles federal usage of spectrum. The FCC handles commercial spectrum usage.
“The FCC, NTIA and DoD began discussions in 2020 on the details of a coordination mechanism. These discussions resulted in a draft sharing framework, based on first-in user rights,” the NTIA wrote in a press release. Here’s the backgrounder from NTIA:
- Building on prior collaborative efforts of NTIA, DoD, and the FCC, the findings reflect coordination across a range of government and industry stakeholders.
- The recommendations for a sharing framework take advantage of the physical characteristics of this band, which is well-suited for short-range and line-of-sight wireless applications.
- The report recognizes the need for flexible access tailored to both Federal and non-Federal user requirements to foster technological advances and policy innovation.
With limited incumbent uses, the band presents a “clean slate” for developing a new model for co-primary Federal and non-Federal access. Specifically, this spectrum supports the creation of very narrow, directed beams and limited propagation for ground communications, making robust forms of sharing possible.
- U.S. policymakers have long recognized the unique sharing opportunities of the Lower 37 GHz band, as well as the need to protect Federal sites, including 15 military sites, five National Aeronautics and Space Administration receiving earth station operations and two National Science Foundation sites.
- In coordination with NTIA, the FCC in 2016 adopted an Order that concluded that non-Federal fixed and mobile applications can share 37-38.6 GHz with DoD operations. The Order made the Lower 37 GHz band available for co-primary sharing, with both Federal and non-Federal users accessing the band by registering sites through a coordination mechanism.
- In 2019, the FCC established service rules addressing Federal sites for a 2020 auction in the 37 GHz band, with sharing rules for 37.0-37.6 GHz to be addressed at a later date. Among other things, the decision added one Federal site to the list of protected Federal sites in the 37 GHz band and limited future DoD access to the 37.6-38.6 GHz (Upper 37 GHz) band unless the Department could demonstrate that its operations cannot be accommodated in the Lower 37 GHz band.
- To enable an innovative sharing approach for the Lower 37 GHz band, the FCC, NTIA and DoD began discussions in 2020 on the details of a coordination mechanism. These discussions resulted in a draft sharing framework, based on first-in user rights.
- Following the release of the NSS Implementation Plan, the FCC released a 2024 Public Notice, that sought information on sharing issues in the Lower 37 GHz band, including how to accommodate various use cases through a coordination mechanism between Federal and non-Federal operators.
Image Credit: Dmytro Razinkov/Alamy Stock Photo
The NTIA outlined a detailed, two-phase sharing process for the 37GHz band: “The first phase would use simple propagation models to determine whether there are overlapping contours and permit operations to proceed in the absence of any overlap,” the NTIA wrote. “The second phase would apply in the event of overlap between a proposed site registration and an existing site already registered in the database and would require the parties to exchange more detailed data and attempt to coordinate their operations.” Next the FCC would have to implement the NTIA’s sharing recommendations.
Expected uses of the Lower 37 GHz band include data-intensive applications, such as high speed, low latency 5G services. Wireless operators view this spectrum as well-suited for providing additional bandwidth, for example during large events through indoor distributed antenna deployments. Industry also sees value in the band for addressing increased demand for mobile network capacity by offloading traffic from other bands.
- Potential use cases include fixed wireless access; high-capacity backhaul; cable supplement for Internet of things (IoT) networks and augmented reality applications; and mobile or private networks that support industrial IoT, smart factories and other high-bandwidth indoor communications applications.
- Federal users, including DoD, may leverage some of this same technology, including as part of potential additional adaptations to meet mission requirements (e.g., hardening).
- Although not being proposed for any specific frequency allocation at this time, DoD is evaluating additional use cases to meet military missions, including: (1) Unmanned Systems to provide terrestrial or maritime to aeronautical mobile and potentially space to aeronautical mobile (maritime, terrestrial) unmanned systems; and (2) Wireless Power Transfer to provide a variety of capabilities currently in development by military research labs to deliver power to wireless communication systems, mobile vehicles, surface and subsurface vehicles, and other potential uses cases.
References:
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/dod-agrees-to-spectrum-sharing-paradigm-in-37ghz
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