Our ever-increasing wireless world produces cosmic-sized benefits for American consumers and our society. From lifestyle information and health improvements to emergency communications and work productivity, wireless connectivity can sprout longer and fuller lives. Yet, this can only happen if wireless frequencies — slices of the electromagnetic spectrum — are made available for newer and far-reaching technologies. That is not exactly the situation today, and the latest example is with the 12 GHz band, where the case for a great 5G candidate band is being muddled by specious claims of possible problems to existing users.
By all accounts, additional spectrum is critically needed for next generation wireless services, be it 5G or eventually 6G. Statistics by the wireless industry show mobile data use reaching the stratosphere, soaring by over 100 times in the last decade. Couple this with the need for larger contiguous spectrum blocks (or slices) for unlicensed and licensed uses – think autonomous vehicles and augmented/virtual reality – and you have a major demand issue. On the supply side, all of the past efforts I helped lead to bring more bands to the commercial marketplace haven’t been enough to keep pace. Despite adding C-band, 3.4 GHz, CBRS, and others as newly instituted 5G bands, spectrum experts are clear: U.S. wireless providers face a shortfall of hundreds of megahertz, especially if we seek to remain a world leader in wireless services. Consider that 82 bidders are lining up right now to try to win the mostly rural licenses in the 2.5 GHz auction.
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