Shouldn’t Spectrum Go Where Demand Is?
Big Cellular is once again demanding from Congress more exclusive spectrum, despite bragging to Wall Street they already have “almost unlimited” spectrum – enough to meet demand for “years and years and years.” Lawmakers should see through this tired playbook and look at the facts:
- Americans depend on Wi-Fi. 80% to 90% of all mobile data traffic is carried on Wi-Fi. And research shows that demand for Wi-Fi enabled devices is skyrocketing, as consumers increasingly rely on Wi-Fi to keep themselves and their homes connected. In the next four years alone, the number of 6 GHz-powered technologies shipped to North America is projected to grow a staggering 288% to hundreds of millions of devices.
- Even outside the home, the majority of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T customers’ smartphone data travels over Wi-Fi – not cellular. The simple fact is that Wi-Fi carries the vast majority of their traffic both at home and away. Meanwhile, data traffic growth on cellular networks is slowing.
- Licensed 5G services have nearly 4x more spectrum than Wi-Fi. From 2017-2021 alone, the FCC allocated more than 5,400 megahertz of new spectrum to licensed 5G services. A fraction of that was made available to Wi-Fi. It’s no wonder the big cellular companies’ execs keep insisting they have “lots of spectrum that we haven’t put into the fight yet” – enough spectrum “for decades.” This begs the question: What are cellular giants doing with all their untapped spectrum?
5G has fallen far short of Big Cellular’s hype. There’s a reason why the consumer electronics industry has opted to equip devices like laptops, smart TVs, AR/VR headsets, and home appliances with Wi-Fi as the global standard by which devices communicate. And that will only grow as Wi-Fi innovations continue to meet consumer needs and expand to new applications – like AI and wearable technology.
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile deflect from these facts and attempt to limit consumers’ wireless connectivity. Policymakers should ensure U.S. spectrum policy reflects the realities of consumer demand today and for years to come, granting Wi-Fi the unlicensed spectrum it needs to continue supporting hundreds of millions of Americans in their everyday lives.
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