Upcoming WRC Critical to 5G, Especially High Band Harmonization, Koh Says

The upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference will bring millimeter wave spectrum to 5G, said Grace Koh, heading the U.S. delegation, in an interview with FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. International harmonization of spectrum will ensure “interference doesn't undermine the deployment of new services,” she said. If the world can agree on what bands should be used for 5G, “it makes the equipment much more interoperable, and it also makes it easier for operators to deploy," she said: “If we can all agree on what kinds of spectrum we want for 5G instead of piecemeal” allocations, “you have the ability to lower the cost of 5G deployment immensely.” The U.S. has been preparing for the WRC for years, she said. The nation's looking to make sure its plans for high-band “align” with and “sometimes even lead what the world is going to do on millimeter-wave spectrum,” she said. Koh sees 24 GHz as critical. Based on her travels, “every region of the globe is interested in identifying” that spectrum for 5G, she said. Another important WRC focus is satellites for broadband, she said. Without revised regulations, it will be “difficult to understand how they impact current satellites that do actually already provide critical services, and it will be difficult to figure out how to make sure that we get them up there in a safe and practical manner,” she said. The WRC will consider 47 agenda items, Koh said. The issues are “incredibly challenging,” she said.