FCC Correct That 29.1-29.25 GHz Unsuitable for 5G, Iridium Says

The FCC is right that 29.1-29.25 GHz isn't suitable for mobile terrestrial broadband, and sharing it with satellite communications "would be difficult and perhaps impossible," Iridium said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 14-177. It responded to a spectrum frontiers NPRM (see 1510220057) -- which Iridium called "at times very (and perhaps too) complex." But Iridium said it concurred with the FCC that, despite moves to open up bands above the 24 GHz band for 5G, 29.1-29.25 GHz "provides little value to mobile carriers seeking large quantities of contiguous spectrum." The amount of contiguous spectrum available in the 29.1-29.25 GHz bands sits below the minimum thresholds supported by most participants in the proceeding, nor is there international support for using the band for mobile use, Iridium said. Iridium -- with feeder links operating in the 29.1-29.25 GHz spectrum -- said sharing would be problematic, given that steerable phased array antennas at its earth stations might necessitate sizable geographic buffers from 5G operators.