Spectrum

I recently checked on the status of Dish, which is trying to become the fourth major cellular company in the country. Dish entered the cellular business in 2020 as a consequence of the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. Dish was already under pressure at the time from the FCC to use its spectrum portfolio, and the FCC gave Dish until June 2023 to cover 70% of the U.S. population with cellular facilities.

T-Mobile announced it’s adding new capacity to the country’s leading 5G network by activating the 2.5 GHz spectrum it won in auction 108, expanding its Ultra Capacity 5G coverage to new communities and significantly increasing Ultra Capacity 5G bandwidth in many places across the US. That means tens of millions of the Un-carrier’s 5G customers, primarily those in rural areas, will get an immediate performance boost when spectrum comes online. Wondering if you will get a taste of the added capacity? The answer is very likely a resounding yes.

Now that Dish Network has said it will not be buying the 13.5 MHz chunk of nationwide 800 MHz spectrum from T-Mobile that it was entitled to for $3.59 billion, all eyes are on the upcoming auction. Technically, Dish has until April 1 to exercise its option to buy the 800 MHz spectrum. Should April 1 come and go without Dish exercising its option, T-Mobile is obligated to take the spectrum to auction with a floor price of just under $3.6 billion. “We haven't commenced that auction yet, but should they choose not to exercise it, that'll be the next step for us,” he said.

Lobbyists backed by the cable industry are working to prevent 5G providers from obtaining more spectrum in the lower 3GHz band.

The Department of Defense (DoD) recommends a modification to the coordination rules for the 3450-3550 MHz (3.45 GHz) band. Specifically, DoD recommends deleting the Norfolk (VA) Cooperative Planning Area (CPA). The Newport News, VA, Cooperative Planning Area/Periodic Use Area (CPA/PUA) geographically encompasses the entire area of the Norfolk CPA. The larger Newport News CPA/PUA commands the requisite coordination to protect DoD missions operating in the band, to include episodic DoD operations. The DoD therefore deems the Norfolk CPA redundant and unnecessary.

T-Mobile recently announced that it was able to aggregate six channels of spectrum into one bandwidth signal to a customer. The ability to wed channels together was one of the promises of the original 5G specification. The test combined two channels of 2.5 GHz, two channels of PCS spectrum, and two channels of AWS spectrum, creating an effective 245 MHz of aggregated channels. T-Mobile worked with Ericsson and Qualcomm to make this work and was able to create a single 3.6 Gbps connection from a cell tower.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) announced the grant of two long-form applications and issuance of nine licenses for Auction 108. WTB finds the applications for the licenses to be complete and in conformance with the FCC's rules. Granting the applications for the licenses serves the public interest, convenience, and necessity.  Furthermore, the FCC has received full payment for the licenses.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has appointed members to serve on the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC is comprised of a diverse group of leading technology experts.

The Governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom concur on these shared principles for the research and development of 6G wireless communication systems; and recognize that by working together we can support open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, resilient, and secure connectivity. We believe this to be an indispensable contribution towards building a more inclusive, sustainable, secure, and peaceful future for all, and call upon other governments, organizations, and stakeholders

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is reopening an application window for nominations to the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC). On December 27, 2023, NTIA published a Notice seeking nominations to the CSMAC with a deadline of January 31, 2024, for submissions.