FCC Sharpening Focus on 5G, Pai Tells Swedish Conference
Ajit Pai said 5G, and opening new bands across the spectrum, will be a big focus of his time as FCC chairman. Pai spoke Monday at the “Broadband for All” seminar in Stockholm, and the agency posted his remarks. Pai…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
called 5G a national priority. Fifth-generation wireless “promises exponential growth” in the IoT, he said. “It could let mobile broadband consumers download 4K movies in seconds. It could enable cooperative collision avoidance for cars and remote robotic surgery. It could bring the full power of virtual and augmented reality into reality.” One key is flexible service rules, he said. “We basically make spectrum available and then do our best to stay out of the way of technological development and the details of implementation.” U.S. spectrum policy brings to mind a Swedish word -- “smörgåsbord,” he said: “We aim to free up all kinds of spectrum -- low-, mid-, and high-band -- for both licensed and unlicensed use. We are convinced that this approach allows mobile innovators and consumers alike to feast.” Pai didn’t announce any new initiatives on spectrum. Arturo Robles-Rovalo, commissioner at Mexico’s Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, tweeted that he met with Pai at the conference to "review ongoing joint work and analyze common goals.” Pai tweeted about meetings with RS Sharma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, plus officials from Canada, Israel and Sweden.