The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition told the FCC this week the 12 GHz band can be opened up for 5G wireless use without interfering with existing satellite operations. The coalition represents more than 30 telecom companies, trade groups and public interest organizations that view opening up 500 MHz of the mid-band spectrum as crucial to the United States staying competitive against China.
Some of the coalition members are DISH, Granite Telecommunications, Mavenir, NextLink, Rural Wireless Association and INCOMPAS. “The record in this proceeding supports the FCC making modifications that would expand the use of the band for two-way communications and mobile services by showing that shared use of the band is technically feasible and that doing so has enormous public interest benefits, including for the 5G economy, U.S. global leadership, national security, competition, and bridging the digital divide,” they say in comments to the agency.
They claim a new or expanded terrestrial mobile allocation can be added in the 12 GHz band without causing harmful interference with incumbent licensees, Inside Towers reported. They cite the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, which supports the idea “conceptually” and welcomes the submission of technical proposals.
The coalition also mentions a DISH study that reaffirms a two-way terrestrial mobile service can be managed and configured to protect DBS receivers. “These studies prove that claims of possible interference in the band are outdated and fail to take into account technical advances in satellite architecture and spectrum management,” asserts the coalition.
Not so fast, say SpaceX and AT&T. SpaceX uses the band for its Starlink satellite broadband service. The company has argued that opening up the band would undermine the investments it has made, and CEO Elon Musk personally lobbied then-FCC Chair Ajit Pai last fall on the matter.
SpaceX pooh poohed the DISH study and told the Commission this week that DISH “bankrolled an astroturf ‘coalition’ with the same members it uses for all its lobbying campaigns in an effort to pressure the Commission to go back on its decision, harm competitors, and strand consumers, just to give DISH yet another spectrum windfall opportunity.”
SpaceX also criticized a study done by DISH partner RS Access, “a serial spectrum flipper,” that paid for “a technical ‘study’ that purports to show that people who depend on next-generation satellite services will not be harmed too much” by opening up the 12 GHz band. In general, SpaceX said MVDDS (Multi-channel Video Distribution and Data Service, a type of television and internet delivery technology) proponents have “completely failed” to show that terrestrial use of the 12 GHz band can be expanded without harming incumbents.
AT&T agrees with SpaceX on all points, saying the MVDDS commenters “lack a clear vision for two-way mobile service, undermining both their coexistence claims and the public interest. The purported 5G service they envision would only reach a tiny fraction of the U.S. population and would be subject to technical limitations that would greatly inhibit its utility,” stated the carrier.
The 12 GHz band can only be a home to 5G services if the Commission clears the band and auctions new rights, says AT&T. “If the Commission chooses to adopt an expanded terrestrial allocation in the 12 GHz band, it would need to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. This would entail relocating all incumbent operations out of the band and compensating them commensurate with the investments they have made in the band thus far.”
T-Mobile agrees with SpaceX that the Commission should examine other bands to determine whether they are being put to their highest and best use. SpaceX has identified the AWS-4 band “as true mid-band spectrum that has been sitting fallow for nearly a decade and should be reassigned.” T-Mobile further identified high-band spectrum with similar propagation characteristics as 12 GHz that could be allocated for 5G without harming satellite users. Specifically, T-Mobile suggested the Commission explore the 13 GHz and 17 GHz Bands.
Public comments were due this week to the Commission on how to best maximize the efficient use of the 12 GHz band, and the agency will need to decide how that spectrum can be used. The FCC issued its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in January under former Chairman Ajit Pai, with all five commissioners in agreement. However, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks expressed concerns about the potential impact on satellite broadband investments of opening up the band.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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