The FCC certified four Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, paving the way for full commercial operations in the 3.5 GHz band.
Specifically, the FCC has certified CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google, and Sony as Spectrum Access System administrators in the 3.55-3.7 GHz band.
“The FCC has made it a priority to free up mid-band spectrum for advanced wireless services like 5G. And today, I’m pleased to announce the latest step to achieve that priority: the approval of four systems that will enable the 3.5 GHz band to be put to use for the benefit of American consumers and businesses,” said Chairman Pai. “As with all of our efforts to execute on the 5G FAST plan, we’re pushing to get next-generation wireless services deployed in the 3.5 GHz band as quickly and efficiently as possible. I would like to thank Commissioner Mike O’Rielly for his leadership throughout this proceeding as well as the FCC staff and those in the private sector who have worked so hard to achieve this milestone.”
The CBRS Alliance, which now includes 159 companies, noted that the success of this opening was the result of unprecedented public-private partnerships between industry and government organizations.
Prior to commercial availability, the 3.5 GHz CBRS band was used primarily by the Department of Defense (DoD), mostly for shipborne radar systems. To ensure that the DoD has continued access to the band, environmental sensing capability (ESC) networks along the U.S. coast (operated by CommScope, Federated Wireless, and Google) will inform the SAS administrators to activate a protection zone and dynamically reassign users in the area to other parts of the band, thus protecting the incumbent’s use of the spectrum while maximizing availability of CBRS spectrum across coastal areas.
“The authorization of Full Commercial Deployments in the CBRS band is a significant milestone in our nation’s management and utilization of a vital resource, the radio frequency spectrum,” said Dana Deasy, chief information officer for the Department of Defense (DoD). “The Defense Department worked closely with our federal partners at the NTIA and FCC, and with industry, to ensure that our mission critical operations would be protected while enabling new commercial uses. Collectively, we were able to creatively address the engineering and security challenges associated with military and commercial spectrum sharing. We look to build upon those successes going forward. Additionally, I would like to thank the men and women in DoD who have diligently worked to make today possible.”
“With commercial deployments of OnGo already underway, the CBRS Alliance would like to recognize the exceptional efforts of the almost 160 member companies that comprise the Alliance, as well as the extensive industry and government collaboration required to bring OnGo to market,” said Dave Wright, president of the CBRS Alliance. “Over the past six years, our members have contributed incredible amounts of time, energy, and innovation to address the need for reliable, cost-effective wireless services and have now made OnGo a reality. At its start, this industry effort consisted of a handful of companies that saw the potential for new services utilizing CBRS’ innovative access framework. It is now comprised of 159 companies representing the diversity of OnGo solutions, including mobile, cable, rural, enterprise, and industrial uses. OnGo is ready for full-scale deployments – enabling 4G LTE systems today and 5G NR solutions this year.”
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-110A1.pdf
Dynamic spectrum sharing with 3.5 GHz CBRS network
A tremendous amount of mid-band spectrum is opening up for enterprises, mobile network operators, cable operators, and new players, Kurt Schaubach, CTO of Federated Wireless, thanks to dynamic spectrum sharing with Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS).
This video covers:
* The CBRS ecosystem and commercial rollout timeline
* Who is Federated Wireless and what are its key technologies
* How CBRS creates access to spectrum for densification of existing networks and entry for new players
* CBRS in 4G and 5G scenarios
