12GHz debate breaks along familiar lines

There were few surprises in recent filings to the FCC regarding the future of the 12GHz band. However, it's still unclear how the agency might move forward on the topic, including whether it might ultimately hand the spectrum over to the satellite industry or to the 5G industry.

It's an important question considering there's almost 1GHz worth of spectrum in the band for terrestrial or satellite communications. That much spectrum could give a major competitive advantage to the companies that end up using the band.

However, complicating things are concerns over interference within the 12GHz band. The FCC is undoubtedly sensitive to those concerns following the public relations debacle the agency suffered through as the 5G industry and the airline industry battled over concerns of interference in the C-band.

Thus, it's likely that the FCC will move carefully, and slowly, with any new plan in the 12GHz band. Moreover, the agency remains mired in a wide range of other troubles and difficulties – including the fact that Congress still has not renewed the FCC's authority over spectrum auctions.

Dish, others push FWA

Dish Network currently controls a wide swath of spectrum in the 12GHz band. For years, the company urged the FCC to allow it to conduct mobile 5G transmissions in the band. The agency rejected that idea earlier this year, but left the door open for 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) operations in the band.

Dish appears keen on that idea. In a recent FCC filing, the company said it conducted FWA tests in the 12GHz band and found "zero interference" with nearby satellite services.

FWA services in the 12GHz band "would be a big benefit to consumers," according to remarks from Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen on the company's Q2 2023 earnings call.

Others, including the Wireless Internet Service Provider Association, also cheered the notion of FWA in the 12GHz band. But WISPA argued that the FCC should implement a regulatory framework that would allow smaller companies – those without big checkbooks – to easily access spectrum in the band.

The future of 5G and 6G

Meantime, some of the nation's big 5G companies – including T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T – urged the FCC to repurpose the band for mobile 5G services. They also urged the commission to dole out the spectrum under an exclusive license framework. That's not a surprise; their networks are built almost entirely on exclusive spectrum licenses.

The 12GHz band "offers an ideal combination of capacity and coverage, making it a key component of wireless carriers' ability to deliver next-generation services," T-Mobile wrote in its filing.

The company also wrote that "new data only confirm the need for more midband spectrum [for 5G] to promote competition and ensure that America's ever-increasing demand for connectivity can be met." The company cited a recently released study from the Brattle Group that argues 5G networks in the US may begin to run out of capacity within the next five years.

Similarly, vendors like Ericsson and Qualcomm argued for the 12GHz band to be used for 5G and eventual 6G networks. For example, Ericsson wrote that "the 12.7GHz band can serve an important role for 6G."

That too comes as little surprise considering such vendors would likely enjoy a sales bump from carriers' eventual embrace of 6G network deployments. Such deployments would undoubtedly require the purchase of more networking equipment.

On the other side: satellites

But the nation's satellite operators argued that the spectrum band ought to be used to support the nation's growing space-based Internet industry. Specifically, the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) told the FCC that it should remove current restrictions on the band in order to allow more satellite companies to use more of the spectrum.

"The commission's goal of making more intensive use of the 12.7GHz band would be better served by lifting these historical restrictions on satellite use of the band than by clearing the band for new terrestrial [5G] services," the association wrote. "Lifting the satellite restrictions would enable satellite operators to make immediate use of existing 12.7GHz assets and to invest in new assets to provide service to the United States. Notably, SIA member Intelsat has a number of 12.7GHz GSO [geostationary orbit] satellites with coverage of the United States that could be put to greater use immediately."

Other satellite companies – including SpaceX, OneWeb and DirecTV – also urged the FCC to ensure that their existing operations in the 12GHz band remain undisturbed by operations including mobile and fixed 5G. In general, they argued that satellite Internet is a growth sector and should therefore receive support – and spectrum – from regulators.

Related posts:

— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano