\tThe C-Band Alliance (CBA), a coalition of satellite service providers, strengthened a proposal to open key mid-band spectrum to US mobile operators, adding 100MHz of bandwidth to a prior offer.<\/p>\n
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the group offered to make a total of 280MHz of spectrum between 3.7GHz and 4.2GHz (C-Band) available to mobile operators through a private auction. It pledged to make 100MHz of the total available in the top 46 metropolitan areas in the country within 18 months and the remainder within 36 months.<\/p>\n
CBA added it reached a consensus with major operators including AT&T, Verizon and US Cellular on guidelines for the proposed sale. The updated plan is a significant jump from the 180MHz CBA previously proposed: the group said it was able to increase its offer thanks to advanced technologies which improve the efficiency of satellite video delivery.<\/p>\n
The CBA’s offer comes as the FCC scrambles to make mid-band spectrum available to operators for 5G deployments. The spectrum is in short supply in the US, but is considered critical for the next-generation technology because it offers a good balance of coverage and capacity compared with low-band or mmWave.<\/p>\n
Opening the C-Band would bring the country into closer alignment with others across the globe which have already earmarked the spectrum for next generation deployments.<\/p>\n
However, the move comes as pressure mounts on the FCC to hold a public auction for the band, rather than allowing CBA to manage the sale.<\/p>\n
Last week, US politicians introduced new legislation which would require the FCC to conduct a public auction of at least 200MHz of C-Band spectrum by 30 September 2022.<\/p>\n
The FCC is currently weighing its options [1], with a decision expected before the end of 2019.<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/featured-content\/top-three\/fcc-tackles-c-band-sharing\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The C-Band Alliance (CBA), a coalition of satellite service providers, strengthened a proposal to open …<\/p>\n
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