Howard Buskirk

The FCC should make clear that, consistent with the national spectrum strategy, the 7.125-8.4 GHz band should be targeted for 5G and 6G, CTIA said in comments on an NPRM on implementing 2015 and 2019 decisions by the World Radiocommunication Conference. Most comments were short and urged the FCC to preserve the 60-meter band for amateur use. Replies were due Tuesday in docket 23-120.

The Cross-Sector Resiliency Forum, formed after Hurricane Michael in 2018, is proving useful as a liaison between the power and communications industries, but it's probably best left alone as a voluntary effort, without formal FCC rules, speakers said Wednesday during an FCBA Homeland Security and Emergency Communications Committee lunch. During an FCC forum last year on lessons learned during disasters, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called for greater coordination between communications providers and power companies (see 2211170079).

One long-standing contention is that the odd number G’s -- 3G and 5G in particular -- aren’t as significant as the even numbered ones, Jeffrey Reed, Virginia Tech professor of electrical and computer engineering, said during an IEEE webinar Wednesday. But Reed predicted that over time 5G will start to meet expectations. “We’ve seen a lot of negative publicity about 5G lately,” but negative comments follow the introduction of every new generation of wireless technology, he said. The first generation was primitive, didn’t support data and security was “horrendous,” he said. With 2G the quality of voice calls initially was “horrible,” Reed said. 3G “promised a lot of data” but didn’t do a good job with video, and delivery was late, particularly for the European market, he said. “4G has its disappointments as well -- it brought us video, but its battery life was horrendous,” especially in the early days, he said: “There was a lot of hype behind 5G. We have yet to see the realization of low latency and massive machine-to-machine communications on a large scale.” But in all G’s, the standards eventually catch up with expectations, he said. “5G is still evolving and many of the capabilities will eventually be demonstrated,” he said. 5G will continue advancing over the next five years or longer “laying the foundation for 6G,” he said. Two advances almost universally expected for 6G are widespread use of AI in networks and greater energy savings, he said.

Verizon is deploying C-band spectrum in rural and less dense markets, with more than 250 million POPs expected to be covered in the next few quarters, Joe Russo, president-global networks and technology, said during a Wells Fargo conference Tuesday. That’s up from 230 million POPs in the latest announcement. “POPs covered isn't exactly my goal,” Russo said. “My goal is to get capacity and performance into the network where customers want to use it when they need it, where they need it,” he said. Verizon plans to deploy the band in all U.S. markets, which will happen over the next few years, he said. “We'll follow where customer demand is. … Where we see we need capacity, coverage or capabilities in the network, that's where we'll target next.” Verizon is targeting 350,000-400,000 net fixed wireless adds a quarter, using spectrum it already has deployed, he said. It is seeing “more and more enterprises look to us” for fixed wireless access, “both for backup and primary connections,” he said. Companies that have branches in different locations want access to the same level of throughput in all branches, he said. Verizon is also pleased with the performance of its high-band spectrum, which it’s using in ways the company didn’t expect a few years ago, Russo said. “It's a great tool in our toolbox to handle capacity and to allow customers to do things they never could do before in certain areas,” he said: “If you've been to a Taylor Swift concert, all of those people, our customers, are there and they want to stream that experience with their friends and family, and you couldn't do that in a 4G world.”

Laura Lacarra, Telefonica's senior technology evangelist, stressed the importance of moving to a new paradigm where carriers deliver services through standardized application programmable interfaces (APIs). During an Informa Tech webinar Tuesday, Lacarra cited the work of GSMA and the “Open Gateway” initiative announced earlier this year (see 2302270069). Other experts at the webinar agreed on the importance of moving to APIs and shifting to the cloud.

The Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC), the longest-standing federal telecom advisory committee, predating the FCC, is expected to continue to play an important role in developing spectrum policy, though now it will work with the new Interagency Spectrum Advisory Council (ISAC), industry experts said. Some details about how IRAC and ISAC will collaborate remain to be determined, they added. The administration released its long-awaited national spectrum strategy, and a presidential memorandum on modernizing U.S. spectrum policy, two weeks ago (see 2311130048).

The World Radiocommunication Conference this year is a “critical event” for the GSMA, Director-General Mats Granryd said during an ITU podcast. “It’s where we agree [on] the future spectrum, we harmonize spectrum, and spectrum is our lifeline,” he said. “It’s really an event that affects billions of people.” GSMA’s focus this year starts with low-band, 400-600 MHz, he said. Low band builds capacity and makes sure everyone around the world “can actually get online through a mobile device,” Granryd said. The next focus is mid-band, 4-6 GHz, which is equally important for building capacity, he said. Through spectrum harmonization, carriers can grow and have the same application programming interfaces (APIs) globally, he said. “With 5G now really kicking in properly, and we see more business-to-business applications ... we must have more spectrum,” he said. Granryd said the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early in 2024 is nearly sold out. Businesses are trying to figure out how they can use 5G connectivity to their advantage, “how can I prosper from that,” he said. Hot topics will include 5G applications, open gateway, “which is basically API roaming," and AI and the use of AI, he said: “I think you will see a lot of use cases.”

Concerns about a “doom” scenario from AI and risks from generative AI are overstated, Adam Thierer, senior fellow-technology and innovation team at the R Street Institute, said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday. “Things have gotten really out of control, and we’re being led around by a lot of people who have Terminatoresque fantasies floating through their heads,” Thierer said. Other speakers said AI poses potential risks but could have widespread benefits. The discussion comes as policymakers explore controls (see 2311150054), with the FCC looking at the technology's benefits and threats (see 2311150042).

Smith Bagley Inc. (SBi), which serves tribal lands in the Four Corners region of the U.S., called for a tribal 5G Fund of at least $2.5 billion. Reply comments as the FCC considers a proposed 5G Fund (see 2310240046) were due Tuesday in docket 20-32. Other comments urged the FCC to move forward on a fund.

The World Radiocommunication Conference opened in Dubai Monday, with remarks by ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who insisted global cooperation will benefit the many unserved and make the most of increasingly congested spectrum. The ITU said about 4,000 delegates and others are expected to attend the WRC, which runs through Dec. 15. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Anna Gomez are among those attending the start of the conference this week.