Compression Could Open More Bands for Sharing: ITIF

Policymakers should “reject the spectrum nihilism” that says there’s no spectrum left that could be cleared for licensed use, said a Tuesday paper by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. “Advances in compression technologies have enabled the clearing of bands that have now become valuable tent poles of the wireless marketplace,” the paper said: “Both private and government spectrum users should therefore invest in compression technologies. This can be incentivized by making clear that licensees that manage to clear a currently encumbered band would be able to reap the profits of selling or using its capacity.” Federal networks should be examined to see if they could operate more efficiently using commercial spectrum, ITIF said: “Current efforts to evaluate DOD uses of the lower 3 GHz band should not simply find ways to squeeze in 5G networks around current DOD services. The department should also try to migrate services onto those 5G networks that can provide the same reliability and security while internalizing interference externalities that would otherwise cause clashing protocols to diminish the overall capacity and efficiency of the band.” Joe Kane, director-broadband and spectrum policy, wrote the paper.