CTIA Chief Baker Calls for ‘5G-Focused’ US Policy

CTIA President Meredith Baker said wireless is being undervalued by policymakers in some cases as they look at broadband across the U.S. Industry deserves a “5G-focused public policy,” she told a CTIA 5G virtual event Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the federal government wants more network equipment to be made in the U.S.

“Wireless is getting swept up in backward-looking wired broadband debates,” Baker said: “We’re told Americans only have one provider to choose from. For wireless? Really?” More than 90% can pick from three or more wireless providers, with Dish Network launching a network and cable operators ramping up 5G offerings, she said.

Service prices fell 45% on average over some years, Baker said: “That’s the opposite of other consumer goods right now.” The wireless industry deserves “our own public policy that reflects the reality of wireless consumers,” she said. New mandates “don’t square with the facts,” she said. Baker emphasized the importance of mid-band spectrum.

Raimondo said Commerce is committed to working with industry on sharing more bands. The U.S. is leading on allocating mid-band for 5G, she said. The 3.45 GHz auction, which starts Tuesday, will “help empower even more advanced services,” she said. Raimondo stressed the importance of network security. “We have to do more to ensure that we’re not relying on insecure 5G equipment and software that could threaten our privacy, weaken our national security or undermine human rights,” she said. “We need more American companies producing American-made telecom products.”

Winning the “race” to 5G is critical if the U.S. wants to “retain its competitive edge,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D. “We need to remove regulatory and permitting hurdles and ensure that companies have access to the spectrum that they need to build strong networks.” Thune said he plans to continue to focus on spectrum management: “If we don’t have efficient and effective management, we won’t have enough of the right kinds of spectrum available.”

Fifth-generation is moving past the “hype stage,” said David Christopher, AT&T general manager-partnerships and 5G ecosystem development. “We need a pro-investment, pro-competition approach that builds off the success that we’ve seen from 2G to 4G.” Christopher cautioned against approaching 5G from a 4G mindset.

“It’s starting to feel like we’ve been talking about 5G and its potential for a while now,” but it’s “no longer a concept, it’s here,” said Jude Buckley, Samsung Electronics America executive vice president-mobile. 5G is being built and adopted much faster than 4G was “in spite of the pandemic” and covers 90% of the U.S., he said. Samsung offers 45 5G devices and has shipped more than 103 million units, he said. “We’re now building 5G into everything, at all price points.” Apps and solutions come after networks and devices “because until connectivity and devices exist, it’s hard to comprehend the problems that can be solved,” he said.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon made a pitch on the importance of millimeter-wave spectrum to 5G. It “shouldn’t be seen as optional,” he said: “It is required to realize the full potential of 5G.” High-band deployments are happening worldwide and can be more cost-effective than mid-band for some high-density areas, he said. Millimeter-wave speeds “are breaking new barriers for wireless,” and have been shown to be 16 times faster than sub-6 GHz speeds, he said.

T-Mobile is committed to serving rural markets, which in the past had few choices and faced high prices for broadband, said Neville Ray, president-technology. The carrier recently rolled out its new home internet service (see 2109220042). “We’ve wanted to serve rural America for years, and now we have the spectrum and scale to do so,” he said. Running fiber to all parts of the U.S. is “an insurmountable task” and that “has left small towns and rural areas behind for decades,” he said. Ray sees stand-alone 5G, without an LTE anchor, as “the future of wireless” which allows fifth-gen “to reach its full potential.”