“I know we focus typically on licensed,” said FCC Chairman Pai this week, talking about his agency’s work over the last 4 years to free up new spectrum for 5G wireless broadband, “But unlicensed has been in focus as well.”
His remarks were part of a virtual event, “Looking Back to Look Forward: The Race to 5G,” hosted by the R Street Institute and Crown Castle. ”The Chairman was joined by industry experts to discuss how the United States can best position ourselves for a more connected future. While the discussion at this virtual event ran the gamut, one recurring theme was the importance of unlicensed spectrum to unlocking the true potential of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technology.
As Chairman Pai and several of his colleagues made clear, additional unlicensed and shared spectrum arrangements are what set the U.S. apart from other countries. The 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz airwaves will fuel the next generations of Wi-Fi. The CBRS band, with a three-tiered structure for accessing spectrum, is on the minds of wireless providers for fast, private, high-speed wireless networks to cover factories, school campuses, hospitals and more. These airwaves, when matched with licensed spectrum, are the building blocks of 5G networks that will seamlessly connect more things and more people, well into the future.
In a nod to the upcoming November Open Commission Meeting, Chairman Pai talked specifically about the importance of the 5.9 GHz band, saying “hopefully, next week… my colleagues will agree with me on the 5.9 gigahertz band… will create a gigabit Wi-Fi potential with 160 megahertz wide channel.” At next week’s FCC Open Meeting, the commissioners will vote to modernize the use of this spectrum and are expected to make 45 MHz available for Wi-Fi services.