White Paper: Thoughts from the Spectrum Americas Conference
By: Founder of Disruptive Analysis Dean Bubley
A new white paper from Dean Bubley, Founder & Director of Disruptive Analysis, examines competing perspectives on spectrum sharing offered at the annual Spectrum Management Conference, organized by Forum Global. He explains why demands for more high-power, exclusive spectrum by CTIA and the Big Three should take a back seat to smarter, more precise sharing frameworks better suited to future wireless needs.
Read more from Dean Bubley, Founder of Disruptive Analysis:
On October 1st-2nd, the annual Spectrum Management Conference, organized by Forum Global, took place in Washington D.C. It covered a wide scope, mostly via detailed panel discussions, on topics such as CBRS, WRC-27 goals, spectrum sharing, satellite networks and spectrum for 5G Advanced and 6G.
Speakers came from a diverse range of organizations, including FCC Commissioners Gomez and Carr; industry associations such as CTIA, NCTA, GSMA, and GSOA; and companies such as Verizon, Nokia, Qualcomm and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
There were too many themes covered to discuss in a single article, but one repeated question was of particular importance to discussions around spectrum sharing: Will the FCC return to auctioning new spectrum bands for high-power, exclusive use once it regains authority? Or will it pivot further to new methods of spectrum allocation and assignment, either with smaller, focused auctions, or other mechanisms such as a “price lists” for chunks of spectrum shared in time or location?
Unsurprisingly, much of the discussion hinged on the concept of a “pipeline” of spectrum bands being lined up for auctions, primarily aimed at existing carriers for exclusive high power use. As seen before with C-band and other releases, this involves clearing existing incumbent users, and then organizing bidding for access to the new frequencies. Yet in many ways, the industry – and the US in general – would be better served by a smart and precise “spectrum sprinkler,” delivering the right amount of frequencies at the appropriate places and times. . .
Read the full white paper here.