Spectrum sharing is taking off as a concept in nations around the world, speakers said during the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Spectrum Management Conference, which streamed from Bahrain on Thursday. Sharing technologies is becoming more dynamic as the need for access to spectrum grows, speakers said.
The citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band uses technology that's “simplistic” and “at this point …obsolete,” so it shouldn’t be considered the best model for sharing, Rysavy Research President Peter Rysavy said. Rysavy spoke as part of an American Enterprise Institute series on spectrum, posted Monday. He also argued that 7/8 GHz spectrum should be allocated for full-power licensed use. CBRS hasn't been very widely used because “it involves coordination between incumbents and secondary users,” and “there’s a very complicated environmental sensing capability that secondary users must rely on to detect” DOD operations.
NAB on Monday sought reconsideration of an FCC order that expanded the parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low-power devices are permitted to operate without coordination (see 2412110040). The FCC declined to set aside 55 MHz as a “safe haven” for electronic newsgathering operations, as NAB requested (see 2410290052). Commissioners approved the order 5-0 in December.
Representatives of the Association of American Railroads and major members CSX and BNSF Railway Co. discussed spectrum needs in a meeting with an aide to Chairman Brendan Carr. The representatives noted railroads’ use of spectrum in the 160-161, 219.5-222, 450 and 900 MHz and 6 GHz bands, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-200.
As the spectrum wars continue, WifiForward released a study Wednesday that found Wi-Fi was responsible for more than 7 million U.S. jobs in 2023. It projected that the figure would grow to more than 13 million by 2027 and 21 million by 2032. “This growth is driven by significant direct employment derived from the economic value of Wi-Fi, coupled with substantial indirect employment from upstream supply chains and a Wi-Fi-facilitated boost in consumer spending,” the analysis said. Telecom Advisory Services wrote the study.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, drew some colleagues’ incredulity Wednesday after his office released a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking documents that could support his claim that military officials during the Biden administration circumvented federal lobbying restrictions by pressuring defense contractors to lobby against spectrum legislation.
Representatives from the Wi-Fi Alliance spoke with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about how to “further unlock the full potential of 6 GHz Wi-Fi,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. The alliance discussed the importance of “allowing client-to-client communications under the control of a low-power indoor (LPI) access point” and allowing “higher spectral power density limits for LPI and Very Low Power (VLP) devices,” the filing said. Also discussed were “permitting standard-power access points to operate in motion or with directional antennas” and “alleviating the restriction on VLP devices operating on oil platforms.”
The recent Mobile World Congress came at “a critical juncture” for the wireless industry, said Prakash Sangam, principal of Tantra Analyst, during a Wireless Communications Alliance webinar Thursday. CTIA Chief Technology Officer Tom Sawanobori cited AI as another prominent theme at the GSMA's trade show in Barcelona earlier this month.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Tuesday on a Tesla request for a waiver of FCC rules to allow authorization for an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning system operating in the 7.5-8.5 GHz frequency range “to facilitate wireless charging of electric vehicles.” Comments are due March 27, replies April 11, in docket 25-101. “Tesla describes how it intends to use an impulse radio UWB system to enable peer-to-peer communications between a UWB transceiver installed on an EV and a second UWB transceiver installed on a ground-level pad -- which could be located outdoors -- to achieve optimal positioning to enable wireless charging for the EV,” OET said.
C3Spectra, approved by the FCC last month to operate an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system in the 6 GHz band (see 2501150018), asked if it could take building entry loss (BEL) into account for “composite” standard- and low-power devices that are restricted to operating indoors. “Allowing C3Spectra’s AFC system to account for BEL up to 6 dB will enhance indoor coverage and data rates, promoting efficient spectrum use while protecting incumbent services from harmful interference,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-352.