5G Americas President Chris Pearson says mid-band spectrum allocation in the U.S. is close to a tipping point because there’s no long-term national spectrum plan. NTIA recently began a process to identify 1,500 MHz of spectrum for potential new use cases, the first step in a plan the government hopes will spur competition and innovation, Inside Towers reported.
The industry trade organization released a white paper outlining the use of several potential mid-band frequencies for 5G. 5G Americas says the lack of a national plan is concerning because it takes several years to identify, allocate and repurpose spectrum. Peterson and other trade groups like CTIA, for example, note that mid-band offers a “sweet spot” between coverage and capacity.
Pearson cites specific challenges for each of the current and planned mid-band deployments for commercial uses spanning 2.5 GHz, CBRS, 3.7 GHz to 3.98 GHz C-band, and 3.45 GHz to 3.55 GHz. 5G Americas believes spectrum plans should prioritize availability of lower frequencies in the mid-band range, notes Mobile World Live.
The group says the FCC and NTIA should work with industry to oversee spectrum allocations. Both federal agencies committed to developing a national spectrum plan as part of a spectrum coordination initiative they announced in 2022, Inside Towers reported.
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