As CBRS awaits the regulatory go-ahead, operator and vendor interest continues to pick up
In the 5G future–ideally at least–we’ll see dynamic radio support for any blend of licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum. To that last point, in the U.S. the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band is seen as an opportunity for capacity expansion based on a three-tiered spectrum access system; globally the frequencies are being eyes as a key 5G roaming band. As regulatory dialogue continues with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, operators and vendors are prepping for commercialization of CBRS.
Case in point, T-Mobile US is now asking the FCC for what’s called “special temporary authority” to “to understand the propagation characteristics and gain a better understanding of new innovative services this band can offer,” according to a document filed with federal authorities.
In conjunction with Ericsson and Nokia, “T-Mobile is working with equipment vendors to conduct product testing of new 3550-3700 MHz equipment. The trials at the various locations…will allow T-Mobile to test four different units of prototype equipment in outdoor and indoor setting prior to equipment certification.”
Requesting permission to begin testing on Oct. 9 with a target end date of April 9, T-Mobile wants to conduct its planned trials at two sites in Las Vegas, two sites in Dallas, and a fifth in Richardson, Texas.
According to Monica Paolini, principal of Senza Fili Consulting, “The CBRS 3.5 GHz framework in the U.S. is an innovative take on spectrum sharing. Regulators and the rest of the wireless industry worldwide are watching the adoption of CBRS…because it has the potential to increase spectrum utilization and to create entirely new business models, and to strengthen existing ones (e.g., small cells or neutral host).
“The CBRS regime creates many opportunities to inject capacity into existing networks, to deploy new networks (e.g., MSOs), to make existing models financially sustainable (e.g., small cells), and to create new types of networks (e.g., LTE private networks). From this perspective, it is more difficult to see how CBRS will not succeed, rather than whether it will succeed at all.”
For a deeper dive on CBRS, check out Paolini’s report “Learning to share. CBRS in the 3.5 GHz band changes how we use spectrum.”
To Paolini’s point regarding MSO interest in the band, earlier this year Nokia asked the FCC for same type of permission T-Mobile is seeking to demonstrate for Comcast “its small cell products to our customers which allow the company to enhance its efforts to design and development equipment to meet the communications needs of our customers,” according to the application, submitted by Glenn Steitz, a senior manager at Nokia Bell Labs.
That move represents another aspect of Comcast’s interest in the wireless world. In April the cable and media powerhouse launched a branded wireless service to customers under the moniker Xfinity Mobile, a mobile telecom service delivered on the Verizon Wireless network under the terms of a mobile virtual network operator agreement struck as part of a spectrum sale.
