SBE Favors EU Plan Over U.S. for C-band

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UPDATE As part of the discussion over whether and how to open up C-band spectrum for 5G, the Society of Broadcast Engineers offered a counterproposal to portioning the 3.7-4.2 GHz band, a reverse auction, or other action that it says would not protect incumbent C-band receive-only earth stations.   

The FCC is trying to get a more accurate picture of use of the band and the deadline to register satellite downlink earth stations with the Commission was October 31. More than 16,000 registrations have poured in over the last few weeks. The SBE suggests that, given the huge number, the FCC’s initial premise that the C-Band could be shared with 5G as an overlay is “simply wrong,” according to filed comments.

The European 5G proposal is 3.4-3.8 GHz, offering 1 MHz of overlap with the U.S. proposal, according to the association. The SBE suggests the U.S adopt the European allocation, put the commercial broadband providers in the 3.4-3.7 GHz band and use the small overlap segment with C-band for local, private 5G networks.

“If the European allocation of 3.4-3.8 GHz is implemented in the United States instead of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band, the limited overlap between that and the C-band downlink frequencies is merely 3.7-3.8 GHz. That level of overlap could be accommodated easily,” says the SBE. “It leaves the vast majority of the spectrum, 3.8-4.2 GHz, intact with no 5G,” according to the group.

“In contrast to other proposals, nothing is lost for current C-band users with the SBE plan. 5G moves into military radar spectrum, which was already designated years ago for broadband reallocation as part of the National Broadband Plan,” states the SBE.

November 5, 2018