Once again it’s time for our spectrum chatter amongst our experts. The opening of the 6 GHz band to unlicensed devices is relatively new. The FCC opened up the band for sharing among Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices, but their work may not just be done, as playing spectrum referee is an ongoing process. This week, we asked if/how we might need to make sure 6 GHz sharing is coordinated among all stakeholders and that all devices play in the sandbox as cooperatively as possible.

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This week’s question: What further rules will be necessary in the 6 GHz band to make the best of this ecosystem?

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MICHAEL CALABRESE, Director, Wireless Future Project, New America:

Most of the world has been following the FCC’s lead and making more unlicensed spectrum available from 500 to 1200 MHz for next generation Wi-Fi indoors. However, the FCC’s job isn’t done, since a few issues remain pending that are critical to both consumer welfare and U.S. leadership in Wi-Fi and wireless tech. One is the urgent need to authorize the very low power peripheral devices, such as augmented reality glasses and other wearables, that are the future of wireless innovation. The other two key issues are increasing the power for indoor use, so that we all don’t need multiple routers; and also approving the frequency coordination systems that will allow next generation Wi-Fi outdoors, including for rural broadband.

KRISTIAN STOUT, Director of Innovation Policy, International Center for Law & Economics:

At this point, we are still seeing the 6 GHz uses emerge. It’s therefore too early to declare that new rules are necessary. Certainly, problems can arise, but if they do they should be considered on their own terms. The best use of policy for innovation purposes is allowing firms and individuals to responsibly run their experiments and see how that plays out before issuing prescriptive rules.

CHRISTOPHER SZYMANSKI, Director, Product Marketing | Technology Strategy, Broadcom Inc.:

While the initial rules from the FCC were historic, there is still considerable work to do to ensure the highest utility from the 6 GHz band.

Completing the AFC rulemaking is critical to enable standard power devices. This will allow access points and client devices, like smartphones, to operate the way they were designed to operate – with higher power in narrower channels. This will make wireless broadband connectivity more flexible and more affordable.

Obtaining higher power for Low Power Indoor Devices is also critical. The Commission’s decision was historic for the 6 GHz band, but in an abundance of caution, it set the power level for LPI APs and Client Devices lower than market requirements. By raising the power level by only 3 dB for APs and clients, these devices will deliver a far superior wireless broadband experience.

Finally, it is critical that FCC enable portable operations. For full mobility, the very low power portable (VLP) device class is needed. This will allow device-to-device connections to operate both indoors and outdoors. This will make use of fast 5G and broadband connections to enable AR/VR operations, among other use cases. Over 40 countries around the world, such as the EU member states, Canada, Brazil, and South Korea have already enabled this device class.

In addition, client-to-client operations should be authorized. This will provide more power for portable device operations when they are indoors. This will allow peer to multi-peer streaming to multiple displays or headsets, immersive 360-degree VR, worker training, new healthcare applications, etc.

KATHLEEN BURKE, Policy Counsel, Public Knowledge:

The Commission’s decision to open up the entire 6 GHz band for low-power indoor unlicensed use as well as allowing full-power indoor/outdoor use in select parts of the band has already created a rich spectrum ecosystem that makes deployment of Wi-Fi 6 possible. One way to make even better use of this ecosystem is to ensure that the devices authorized in this band can operate at adequate power levels—specifically, up to 14 dBm EIRP (1 dBm/MHz power spectral density) for very low-power unlicensed devices (VLPs). This is the minimum power level VLPs need to achieve the enormous potential consumer and economic benefits of opening this band to unlicensed use, while also fully protecting band incumbents from harmful interference.

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• The origin story of Wi-Fi is an interesting one, invented in the “junk bands” in our airwaves more than two decades ago. What does this tell us about how we design our spectrum policies today? (Dec. 16, 2021)
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• How can good spectrum policy help to address the digital divide? (Jan. 21, 2022)
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• In 2020, the FCC voted to unlock a big swath of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for use by Wi-Fi. How will this decision affect consumers? (Feb. 17, 2022)
• What’s an example of an unlicensed-run device that you personally use, and how has it improved your life? (Apr. 21, 2022)
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• The next generation of Wi-Fi — Wi-Fi 7 — will be even faster and provide even lower latency. But it will operate in wide 320 MHz channels, which are hard to come by. Where might we look for such airwaves? (June 2, 2022)
• What further rules will be necessary in the 6 GHz band to make the best of this ecosystem? (June 16, 2022)