A new report from CTIA says that the United States is a global outlier in its approach to and amount of available mid-band spectrum for 5G, although it is a leader in high-band and low-band spectrum availability.
Meredith Attwell Baker, CTIA president and CEO, said that the report “highlights that U.S. policymakers need to deliver the mid-spectrum they have identified—and do so quickly.
“We need 350 MHz of spectrum auctioned in 2020,” Attwell Baker went on.
The report, authored by Analysys Mason, looks at new spectrum released for 5G between 2017-2020 across 14 countries around the world, and the licensing approach used in each case. It points out that the U.S. is the only country which has released spectrum in the 3 GHz range on a shared or unlicensed basis (the Citizens Broadband Radio Service); other countries have relied on a more traditional, exclusive-license approach.
“All of the countries studied, except the U.S., have made mid-band spectrum available (or will do so by the end of 2020) in the 3.4-5.0 GHz range via exclusive area-wide licenses,” the report said.
“Our research shows that other countries are currently more fully committed to the licensed spectrum playbook that made the U.S. the 4G global leader,” said Janette Stewart, principal with Analysys Mason and the report’s lead author. “More licensed spectrum, particularly in the mid-band, is critical if the U.S. wants to maintain its wireless leadership.”
The report also concludes that most countries “have begun to make or will make a significant amount of high-band spectrum available” and that the 600 MHz auction made the United States one of the first countries to make available low-band spectrum for 5G.
The Federal Communications Commission is currently in the assignment phase of the third of three millimeter-wave spectrum auctions aimed at supporting 5G services. The agency plans to auction Priority Access Licenses in the CBRS band beginning in June 2020.
The CTIA report is available here.
