U.S. Defense Department
U.S. Defense Dept (DoD) to share 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G services in U.S.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will make 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum currently used by the military available for sharing with the private sector for use in development of 5G technologies. That adds to the 3.55-3.65 GHz range currently under FCC auction 105 (CBRS band) and the 3.7-3.8 GHz band planned to be sold in December. The FCC said the latest announcement means that a total of 530 MHz in the range 3.45-3.98 GHz is set for release for 5G network providers.
The FCC said it would move quickly to adopt service rules for the 3.45 GHz band and hold an auction for the frequencies. The DoD said the spectrum would likely carry similar terms to the AWS-3 band, where for the most part the spectrum will be available for commercial use without limits, while simultaneously minimizing impact to defense operations.
According to Dana Deasy, chief information officer at the DoD, the spectrum was cleared for 5G following a 15-week review. It will be provided under a new spectrum-sharing framework that will also allow defense radar services to continue to use the frequencies. America’s Mid-Band Initiative Team (AMBIT) identified a contiguous, 100MHz segment that was available for sharing.
The Defense Department uses the segment of spectrum from 3450-3550 MHz for such things as radar operations that support missile defense, counter-mortar capabilities, weapons control, electronic warfare, air defense and air traffic control. The spectrum-sharing solution proposed by AMBIT will ensure the spectrum band continues to be available to the department, while it also becomes available for use by the private sector in the lower 48 states.
As part of the U.S. military’s participation, the department established a Mid-Band Spectrum Working Group that included experts in fields such as ship, ground, electronic warfare, test and training capabilities. All four services, as well as representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, were represented.
The AMBIT also leveraged technical work performed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a spectrum-sharing solution that would allow 5G development to progress in the private sector, while at the same time, allow the U.S. military to continue to use that spectrum to meet national security requirements.
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5G networks require a mix of high-, mid- and low-band spectrum. The low band carries signals over long distances, whereas the high band travels shorter distances but is good for data intensive tasks. Mid-band spectrum is attractive for 5G because it can deliver high capacity and reliability over larger geographic areas.
The 3.6GHz (mid) band has been recognized internationally as a an important band for 5G, along with the 700MHz (low band) and 26GHz (mmWave) bands.
According to Analysys Mason, mid-band spectrum is the key to 5G networks because of its blend of capacity and range. A study carried out by the research company earlier in 2020 on behalf of the CTIA showed that the US needed to effectively double its mid-band to keep pace with Japan, China, South Korea and other countries.
“DoD will share spectrum with private sector to further development of U.S. 5G capabilities”
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The FCC is currently in the middle of the CBRS spectrum auction – dubbed Auction 105 – that will provide 70MHz of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band. The FCC has also adopted rules to auction 280MHz in the lower C-band (3.7GHz-3.98GHz) later in 2020.
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References:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1292958910534516739
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/us-opens-up-100mhz-of-mid-band-spectrum-for-5g/d/d-id/763095?